How Do I Get My Name Out There?

[Iamthelampshade]

I recently got kicked out of my band. And I've wanted to do a project of my own for awhile where I have a little more creative input. But I can't find any musicians in my Area. I've made business cards, handed them out at concerts (respectively) and put an add on all local musician forums on Facebook and Craigslist. Any ideas on help?

 

[RustyAxe]

FB and CL have a very poor signal to noise ratio, but are worth pursuing. BUT ... if you're ALWAYS listed there people begin to think you might be damaged goods. The only way I know to get my name "out there" is to get my ASS out there. Hit open mics, jams, shows ... go where people are playing and rub elbows.

 

[El Güero]

Continue to use cl and FB, but change your approach.

Instead of running ads where you're the person looking for a band to join, pretend to be someone else who's looking for you. Stuff like, "WANTED: ISO Iamthelampshade, the best bassist in town." Add a different "seeker" every week or so, and before long it'll look like you're the most sought after bassist in town.

Remember the first rule of marketing, "Honesty is for suckers."

 

[DirtDog]

if you're ALWAYS listed there people begin to think you might be damaged goods.

This.

Anecdote: There's a guy on our local classified site who runs, without fail, a new ad every five days or so. Always a slightly different theme, but the same guy. And he's been doing this for YEARS. I auditioned him in the early 2000s and the guy was a nutjob back then who we asked to leave after about three songs. I guess either this guy is truly delusional or just likes to audition and freak people out!

And if you ARE putting an ad out there, make sure spelling and grammar are good. That's a simple fix - otherwise could be a big red flag or turn-off for someone seeking musicians.

 

[RustyAxe]

Remember the first rule of marketing, "Honesty is for suckers."

Hmmm ... sounds like a political campaign slogan.

 

[Space Pickle]

play all the jams