Standing out in a crowd of unsigned musicians can be tough. Mona Loring, of Los Angeles-area PR firm MLC PR, offers her tips on how you can do it--including a secret phrase you can use on your Press materials that will increase your odds at getting valuable exposure in newspapers, e-zines, magazine & TV. Don't miss this one from a music industry insider!

Standing out in a sea of musicians isn’t easy for an artist on a major label. Jon McLaughlin, Single Life, and Tyra B are all artists on major labels, yet most of you reading this article have probably never heard of them. These major artists have considerable marketing dollars behind them, but still—you probably have no clue what they’re about, what genre they fit in, or what they look like. Now, imagine how hard it is for indie label artists to stand out when major label artists have to compete for attention—and then take it a step further and think about how difficult it is for unsigned artists to even make a small splash against these big guns.

What can you do to give yourself a legitimate shot in the fickle music business? It’s really simple. Start with grassroots marketing and work your way up to building a team within your means. Grassroots marketing is likely something you’re already doing—you just need to make sure you cover all your bases. Start with your immediate local market (meaning your city not your county, etc.) and make sure anyone who could possibly like your music knows about you. This is when creativity and persistence comes into play. If you do this right, it is almost definite that someone in the media will come knocking on your door. Once you get the media interested, step up your game and create as much of a local buzz as possible… then grow out into a larger surrounding area. This will definitely help you break out as a local unsigned artist.

Street Team

If you don’t know already, you need to play locally as much as possible until you have secured a strong, loyal fan base. If you don’t have any fans yet, get to work. Forget this article, get on the phone and make some calls… book yourself at as many local venues as possible. You need people to hear your music first and foremost.

Once you have a fan base established (no you don’t need 500 fans, even 50 is a great start!) then you can contact some fans and see if they’re willing to head up a street team. A street team is a significant tool for unsigned bands. They will pass out flyers for your shows, become MySpace friends to add your music page, support every show, and more.

BIO

I threw a bio in here next because every artist needs to have one when they are seeking placement in the media. When you’re trying to gain media attention—or simply just introducing yourself to the world, a bio is essential. This should be a few professionally written “all about me” paragraphs that describe what you are about, what kind of music you play, your musical influences and why you’re special. Try and make your bio as creative as possible. No one cares about where you’re from. Sure you can add it in, but make sure the focus is on what you are bringing to the table musically.

Posters and Postcards

Posters and postcards are a great way to get your name out there and they aren’t very expensive to create and print. You can make copies at a copy shop or if you can afford it, you can send them into copiers online who will print your poster based on your artwork. All you need is your photo and logo. Have your street team post them on college campuses, bars, coffee shops, and fitting retail stores.

Media Outreach

Once you feel ready for a write up in the press (be realistic… just because you think you’re incredible doesn’t mean you’re ready to be written up, the journalist is brutally honest and believe it or not, bad press is NOT always good press.) If you feel you have a polished live show, great new EP or album and some sort of image—feel free to reach out to your local newspaper. It is the best place to start. Call and ask for the music editor. Introduce yourself and politely ask if he/she would be open to receiving a package in the mail. If the journalist agrees, immediately send a package with your bio and EP/album. On the package, write “AS REQUESTED.” This is a great PR secret. It will help them determine unsolicited material from possible packages they did request. Don’t lie—they’ll remember if you called or not!

Once you have contacted the local paper, look for some online music websites and ezines. These days there are hundreds of thousands. Look for an editor to contact and simply email them your bio and website/Myspace link. Ask if they’d be interested in a review or feature.

This is just a start to what you need to do for grassroots marketing and publicity but you have to build a solid foundation before moving to the next step. Concentrate on your fan base as without fans, you have nothing. Reach out to as many people as you can on a daily basis. The internet makes a musician’s life so easy—you have no excuse not to do so.

See ya next month!

Website Back	Mona Loring
	Mona Loring, president of MLC PR brings forth solid experience in public relations, magazine writing, copywriting, marketing, and business development. Holding powerful positions such as public relations director, copywriter, entrepreneur and leader of media relations for a number of charity organizations, Loring offers original PR approaches and resourceful insight.
	List all articles by Mona Loring

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Comments (3)

My 2 cents

I agree 100 per cent!!!!!

okeboyz , January 02, 2010 | url

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Greetings!!

Great Advice!! Thank you very much for your help in all of our efforts!!

Thank you,
Ixxion

Jesse , November 12, 2008 | url

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The thoughts of a unsigned artist

everything you guys speak of is true.. and me as an unsigned artist have been threw everystage.. and it's good to have this Refreshing site to just put my mind at ease.. so i'm doing the right thing.. thanks visit me at www.myspace.com/freddub

joy , October 15, 2008 | url

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