You Can't Always Get What You Want..You Can't Always Get What You Need Either. But Did You Ever Really Need It In The First Place?

Not much more than a decade ago, the only tools available to a band aching for stardom were a demo tape and getting the right gig.  Nowadays, any given band has a buffet of weapons at their disposal including social media, the still growing festival circuit, more record labels, and small time philanthropy websites like Kickstarter.  To say that it’s hard to know where to begin is a gross understatement.  There’s a jungle of opportunity out there, and if we’ve learned anything from Guns’n’Roses, it’s that jungles can be a pretty rockin’ place to be.  But the trick is to know what you’re doing.  You certainly don’t want to end licking the wrong kind of toad or be swinging from a vine only to realize it’s a giant snake.

This article identifies some of the vines most likely to be snakes and toads most likely to leave you with warts: 

The South By Southwest Festival can a lot of fun and good for some amount of exposure, but chances are it won’t do much for you unless you’re already on the way up. 

Obviously record labels can be helpful but these days indie-cred may actually be worth more than the US dollar, if only it was quantifiable, so there’s something to be said for going it alone. 

Services like ReverbNation can help you get internet exposure but it doesn’t do any of the work for you and is only worth it if you’re prepared to utilize every aspect of the service like it was the job you’re parents want you to get.

Social media is great but it’s not a simple popularity contest.  Using it effectively is about being connected to the appropriate bands, record labels and so forth.  It’s more like ‘Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon’.  You could have thousands of followers, but if you’re an indie band and a Modest Mouse fan is more likely to offered a membership with the Free Masons than stumble on your band, you’re in trouble. 

Booking agents can be helpful but only when you actually need one.  In other words, you shouldn’t be hiring a booking agent to get you gigs that you’ll rely on to pay that same booking agent. 

-          Expensive instruments and gear can help sustain your ego and sometimes might help you play better, but they’re not going to turn your mom’s basement into Madison Square Garden.  There are better ways to spend your money. 

      Kickstarter and IndieGoGo are fantastic developments in philanthropy but mostly all they do is get you money which will only guarantee you one trip to the bank, not a high-powered accounting robot to do it for you.  You should already have a fan base ready and waiting with their wallets open, then you can use these sites to expand on your existing success.  

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