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You are finally there! Your music has never sounded better and you are ready
to begin promoting yourself and your sound as an independent recording artist.
You have put time and talent into your music, now you have to begin
self-promoting in a professional manner.
The music industry is competitive. In order to standout and be recognized, it
will take more than just great music. When self-promoting, an artist should
begin by creating a professional portfolio. This portfolio can include items
such as a well-written biography, a press release and photos or video that will
help promoters see your talent in a professional light. A hand-written flyer or
quickly thrown together biography with spelling and grammar errors can be a
turn-off to most promoters. In addition, blurry photos and videos will make it
difficult for a promoter to feature an artist on a website. This type of hastily
submitted information will say “amateur” to promoters even if the music is
phenomenal.
Think of self-promoting as laying the ground work for your success. As an
independent recording artist, your music comes naturally, but you still have to
practice to continually grow. The same is true of promoting your work. You have
to keep your biography, press information and photos/videos fresh and
professional to showcase who you are musically. Perhaps writing and photography
are not your strong points. If you have the financial means it may be well worth
it to pay to have a professional writer complete your biographical and press
information for you. You may also want to consider having professional portraits
or video done. If this is not possible, talk to family and friends and see if
they have the talent to help you. For example, an English teacher may be able to
help you write a well composed biography and press release. You may also
discover an up and coming photographer in the family who would produce higher
quality pictures or video than you can on your own.
Promoters want to put your music out there. However, in the competitive
market, the independent recording artist with not only the sound but the
professional submission information will get ahead. Taking the time to really
sell not just your music but the whole package will make a huge difference in
self-promotion. If you go the extra-mile with your professional portfolio, you
will see more doors open. Promoters will be more willing to step-up and feature
you on their websites and get you the exposure you deserve as an artist and
music professional.
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Jonathan Whitmer
is the owner and publisher of The Indie Ezine. The Indie Ezine
http://www.indieezine.com is a online
music magazine featuring independent recording artist.
