As The World Tunes
Take My Record, Please!
by Steve Bussey
GeoSynchronous Records
Now that you have your CD in your talented little fingers, what now? A lot of bands immediately send off hundreds of free CDs and press kits to hundreds of places that will do nothing with them. It is amazingly easy to get caught up in this and quickly find that you have given away most of your product with nothing to show for it! However, there is no way to promote your band without some freebies, and a promotional allocation of ten to twenty-five percent of your stock is not unusual. Let's identify key targets to service with your music.
First of all, be selective. Don't send your press kit to every company on a list you found in a book or music directory. Call first to see if they are interested, who to send it to, and what to send. They may not handle your style of music, or may not accept unsolicited material. The price of a phone call will save you a lot of postage fees, promos, and time.
Your press kit should include a cover letter stating what you want (record contract, review, air play, gig, etc.), the CD or cassette, a photo of the band, band bio, and any press reviews or advertising your band may have received. Be sure to include who and where to call for more information. Make it as professional looking as possible; it represents everything about your band. Avoid obvious exaggerations such as "the best band you will ever hear", this just turns the reader off. However, "the best punk rock tuba ensemble you will ever hear" may just get their attention and interest, if that really describes your band. Major record companies these days do not accept unsolicited material. This means "don't call us, we'll call you". Don't bother sending your press kit, it will be returned unopened. When you've sold several thousand on your own or on an independent label, then you may have a chance with the majors.
Independent labels range in size from very small to nearly major label proportions. In fact, many indies are owned by major labels, and do not accept unsolicited material. The indies tend to be very specialized in the style of music they release. GeoSynchronous Records, for example, specializes in guitar based rock artists such as Les Dudek, Mike Pachelli, and Bong Water Taffy. Be sure to do your homework prior to contacting an indie so that you don't send your country CD to a death metal label. For your first release, you are better off spending your time and money in selling and promoting your product yourself, and don't even waste time with trying to sign either a major or independent record contract. They will be interested once you have been successful on your own. And you can negotiate a much better deal then, too.
National publications such as Rolling Stone Magazine are probably not going to review your CD, but you can get good press from "local" music and entertainment magazines such as Brevard Live. Be sure to send information on your band to any outlet that publicizes entertainment in your area, and send them a CD if they write reviews. There are also magazines that specialize in specific styles of music such as folk, death metal, blues, etc., that may review your music.
The larger commercial radio stations are not going to place your CD in regular rotation, but they may have a local music or specialty show that may give you a spin or two. College stations are more likely to play you, but they get hundreds of CDs each week, and many are getting to be as tightly controlled as a commercial station. Very few radio stations will play cassettes, so don't bother sending them.
You will also need to service clubs and other places that might hire you for a performance. Once again, do your homework and identify who might be interested in your act, and find out who to contact.
Finally, follow up on any press kits that you send out. Call every week or so and be pleasantly persistent until your material has been reviewed or they say no. Always have something new about the band such as a recent review, gigs, or radio air play to talk about. Even if they say no, thank them and offer to keep them informed of new developments in the band's career. Sometimes it takes a while to warm up to the band. If your band stays together and shows a successful track record, then they will start calling you!
About the author: Steve Bussey is a singer/songwriter/guitarist and is currently the owner and general manager of GeoSynchronous Records (http://www.pan.com/geosync, Listening Line 800 235 9193, ask for a free catalog), an indie label handling artists such as Les Dudek, Mike Pachelli, Bong Water Taffy, and Big Red & The Bus. Prior to this, Steve earned Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Electrical Engineering and Acoustics from Georgia Tech, designed sound equipment and guitar amps for Fender, and supervised design of communication systems for the Space Shuttle at Kennedy Space Center.
