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Get Your Band Out Of The Garage And Into A Gig
Part I: Press Kit and Demo
Part 2: Band Promotion
Part 3: Band Websites, Agents, And Sound Techs
So you have your garage band and don’t know the next step to start performing
for an audience. Maybe you are the parent or friend of a band member and feel
the band is ready to play some shows. You may just be sick of all the noise
coming from the basement where your son or daughters band practices. Well, its
not easy to get out of the starting blocks, but with a little hard work, your
band can get moving. When your band finally has some songs together and are
playing well, now it's time to take the next step. Get the band out of the
garage and in to a gig. Of course your band won’t make much money at first, but
with a well rehearsed act and some leg work your project can get off the ground
running. In the following article I will explain a few tips your band or band
manager may need to get your band some gigs or shows.
The band’s first step is to put together a quality press kit. A press kit for
a start up band is usually comprised of a cover page, artist bio or introduction
of the band, band pictures, song list, equipment list, contact and booking
information, and a demo tape or CD. Once your band becomes more established
start introducing newspaper clippings, band reviews, and business cards to the
package, Computers make this a fairly simple task these days. Any word processor
should get the job done for a start up band press package. Most or all of your
press packet design can be done in house and save a lot of money. If you plan on
sending quite a few press packages to clubs or venues visit your local copy
store and have some color copies made. Make sure your envelope stands out so
that a band booker will want to open your press package. Try using a colored
envelope or stickers of some sort on the envelope so that a band booker will
notice your press kit.
One of the most difficult things for a start up band with little or no money
to achieve is recording their demo CD or tape. This does not have to be an
expensive venture. When your starting out try renting a 4 track tape recorder or
maybe and 8 track recorder with a CD burner. Most music stores will rent this
type of equipment at a reasonable cost. Record 3 or 4 of your best songs or
cover tunes. This should give you sufficient quality for most local venues when
your starting out. Once your act is more established you may want to purchase a
portable multi track recorder or book some studio time. It may be just as cost
effective to purchase a multi track digital recorder and learn the ropes
yourself rather than recording at a local studio. Most studios charge an hourly
rate, so look around.
Once you have a quality demo CD and press kit its time to start promoting
your band. See part II of our article
Get your band out of the garage
and into a gig: Part II Band Promotion. For more information on
press kit and demo tips, band resources, and band promotion visit the Media Web
Source website at
http://www.mediawebsource.com. This site is a valuable resource for start up
and established bands everywhere.
Article written by:
Media Web Source
http://www.mediawebsource.com
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