How to Promote Your Local Rock Band

So you've learned how to play an instrument, more than likely either drums or a guitar, and you might even be able to sing a little bit. You've met with a few friends (or total strangers) who all know how to play various instruments, and you've started a local band. And you've even gone through day after day of seemingly endless rehearsals to perfect every verse and melody - and some even take it a step further and actually created a demo CD of their band's music.

But all of this hard work is virtually useless without the proper marketing and promotion; unfortunately, not all of us can afford the bills associated with professional marketing firms and publicity agents. Instead, you'll need to take on all of the promotion and advertising yourself; on top of all the work you already put in with the band (not to mention your day job and social life). Fortunately, there are a few helpful tips and techniques you can use to make this task a just a little easier and you and your band.

#1 - Social networking sites. Websites like MySpace and Facebook are great ways to advertise your band. Some, like MySpace, even have special page templates you can use to provide information on any shows you are playing, upload your own songs, and receive comments from your fans.

#2 - Hand out flyers wherever possible. You should always keep a stack of flyers with you at all times advertising any local shows your band may be playing, and hand them out (always with permission from the owner of course) wherever possible. A great place to do this is other concerts and live events in your area.

#3 - Record a CD and distribute it amongst your friends. Having a CD recorded in a professional studio can be quite expensive, and even local amateur studios may be out of your budget, as well. But with all of the computer hardware and software available today, you can setup your own studio for half the cost.

#4 - Seek out other local bands in your area. Attending the shows of other local bands is a great way to meet other musicians as well as other music fans, and you never know what connections you might make at your local bar or stadium.

#5 - Play live shows! Last but not least, you'll need to make sure you play live shows whenever possible. Avoid shows in other states for the moment, and concentrate on cities and towns within a reasonable driving distance.