Self-Help Music Promotion Tips

Sean McManus is a business and technology writer based in the UK who has also written extensively about music and how bands can promote themselves better online. On his About Promoting Your Music page he offers a section called "How you can help yourself." Among the great tips are these two gems:

Take control: Don't wait for success to happen to you. Build an audience. Whether that's a substantial mailing list, email list or gig audience, it doesn't matter. As long as it's people who have asked to hear from you and are likely to buy your album, it's a valuable asset.

Keep it simple: music marketing has a lot to do with image, but some web sites put this before the music. Don't forget people are there to read about you, listen to your work, see your photos and interact with you. They're not usually there to watch a five-minute animation before they can do any of that. The easier your site is to use, the more likely it is you'll sell CDs. Simplicity pays.

Also take a look at McManus' Promoting Your Music Online page for a nice list of resource links and interviews he's done with successful indie artists.