​Top tips on promoting your next show

We’ve all heard the age-old question, “If a tree falls in the forest with no ears to hear it, does it make a sound?” You are a great musician but do you feel like your shows might resemble this tree? Don’t be discouraged! Your fan base is larger than you know. The reason they’re not at your show may just be that they didn’t know about it.
 
With Littleton School of Music’s Top Hits of the 80’s show right around the corner, I wanted to take this opportunity to not only help our students, but to help any musician that is trying to have the best gig possible. So here are some great tips to ensure your music doesn’t fall on deaf ears.
 
 
Start promoting from day one
It’s nearly impossible for your fans to drop everything they’re doing to go to your show. Promoting the day of will never work. Give your audience plenty of notice. Tell them about your show a month or more in advance so they can pen you into their schedule. Say something like “Hey! My band just booked a gig at The Toad Tavern in Littleton. The show is on September 30th. You should come check it out. It’s going to be so much fun and a lot of great music!”
 
Invite everybody
All too often I hear students say, “Well I didn’t want to invite them because they don’t listen to my type of music”. That’s not true! Invite everybody you know. Your show is about so much more than music. A live performance is exciting to anybody and you never know who will show up and enjoy watching you rock on stage.
 
Use social media
Your friends list on Facebook is probably longer than your contacts list in your phone. This is a great way to reach over 100 people instantly and tell them about your rocking event. Make an exciting post that gives all the details of your show.
 
Personal invites
Don’t just rely on the Internet to invite everybody. Take some time to personally invite people over the phone or with a personal message. Maybe your band is going to play one of their favorite songs. The only way they’ll know that is if you tell them and invite them!
 
Be excited
The cool thing about being in a band- is that you’re in a band! You’re excited to jump on stage and rock out. When promoting your show don’t hide that! Your genuine excitement about the show will show people how much fun they’ll have if they go.
 
A concert is like a party. Do you want your show to be a huge awesome party? Make it one! But to make that happen, you’ve got to have guests. Your show is only going to be more awesome as you invite more people. And if you want to stage dive, you better make sure you’ve brought enough fans to catch you. Don’t be a tree falling in the forest. Be loud and make sure everybody you know hears you!

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