Top Five Tips To Enter Into The Spotlight Of The Music Industry As An Unsigned Band

By Author: Kathy Johan
Total Articles: 60
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Before my current job, I did some unpaid work as a music journalist for a music journal, which required me to attend a lot of gigs, review upcoming bands and seek out new releases. Working from a small office based in Leeds, my role was producing a semi-weekly magazine and maintaining an online blog.

Before I start, I should mention that Leeds is a superb place in which to work and I found all my time working there very enjoyable; although Leeds is not a cheap place to reside, with soaring rents and a stark lack of available properties, making it a bit difficult for a young professional.

Here are just some of my tips to ensure success within the music industry, no matter the age of the band, previous gig success and prominence in the scene.

5. Commit yourself to a number of online blogs and magazines Kerrang and NME are commonly the most widespread and commonly accepted music magazines; however there are many other magazines to choose from, which can provide stories with which you can retrieve reliable news and information from. Online blogs written and published independently can also provide up-to-date ...
... information before any magazine can publish; you should however check that the writer of the blog is using reliable sources. This can help to get you insider information that you can use to improve your band.

4. Join Last.fm and promote your band as much as possible: Much more than just a website that details what you are listening to, Last.fm is a powerful tool as you can build a band page for free, upload any personally recorded demos and stream them for free, as well as provide ways of purchasing the songs. Whilst facebook has begun to make itself a presence in this respect, using Last.fm presents the easiest and most acclaimed way to publicise the name of your band.

3. Blog on your site: It may appear that writing a blog only serves as a distraction to making more music, but it is an immediately effective way to improve your SEO ranking and fully publicise your band. Google is a vital factor in making your band more popular and a carefully considered strategy for SEO can be highly beneficial - but instead of writing about your personal life, you should write about music news as this will engage the reader more.

2. Sign up to as many newsletters/small bands and attend festivals: Smaller bands, despite not having the same popularity and impact as others, are a great method of gaining popularity via osmosis and striking a mutually-beneficial deal. This partnership can also make getting gigs and support acts even easier. It is vital to build a fanbase in your own region to begin with. Working in an office in Leeds has shown me how a lot of regional bands have improved and evolved over the years.

1. It's not what you know, it's who you know: Much like working in a small business, a large amount of your success will depend on who you know. It is highly beneficial to attend music networking events and speak to music experts. Even an e-mail address or telephone number can be the gateway to musical popularity.

Whilst some of your success will depend on how critically-acclaimed your music is and the originality present (except in the case of a lucky break), these factors really can help to strengthen the potential for your band.