Low Cost Publicity

The most inexpensive form of publicity for any band is actually free. It's called word of mouth.

Having your friends and family talk about your band is the best way to let people know about what you do and that your band is worth hearing.

If you have musician friends who have gigs set up; talk to them. See if they will let your band open for them. Even if it is only a song or two, the exposure is invaluable. And who knows you might make a buck or two in the process.

Open mic nights are another form of free publicity. Many of the audience members at an open mic night are friends of those hoping to perform or performers themselves. But you never know who might be around checking out the talent. And who knows the club owner himself might hire you for a gig or two.

If your city allows street musicians. Hit the streets and start playing! Place an instrument case out front for tips and not only do you have free publicity, but you get a little money to boot.

With the advent of the internet and social network sites; musicians have a whole new way to spread their music around.

Sites like MySpace allow musicians to upload their own music.

If you know the DJ at a club and have a tape or CD of your music, talk to the DJ and maybe they will play your music as a part of the club's playlist rotation.

Websites and domain names are fairly inexpensive to purchase. Write an appropriate bio of the band (one that tells who you are), add a space for fans to sign up to keep up on your goings on, and upload a few songs. Search engines like Google allow you to link into their network so your band's name will show up on searches.

Have some business cards made up. There are places like Vista Print which will print a number of cards for the price of shipping. Band name and website address is enough for fans to find your music. A contact name and number for anyone who is interested in booking the band. These sites also offer products like post cards that can be distributed freely to fans at a minimum of cost.

There are also a number of online publications who will write about your band if you contact them. Bands who have an album released can provide a copy of the album for review to these sites. Once again for no fee or for next to nothing if you count the price of the album you have publicity.

Many communities have local newspapers and arts papers who can also write about the band.

Flyers posted on bulletin boards is relatively inexpensive. It all depends on how many you print out. Print shops can be expensive if you don't buy a large amount of copies. But for a small number the computer might be cheaper.

If you can imagine it, then you can probably find a way to do it. As long as it is done in good taste any way to get the name and music of your band out is good publicity.