Regarding Music Marketing For Indie Musicians – A Common Dilemma

I recently contributed an article to Target Audience Magazine which I’d like to share an excerpt from in hopes that it will be helpful to some of the independent musicians on No Depression. I’ve noticed there are a ton of them, and many of them are doing the right things promotion-wise. One thing that I’ve noticed is a common setback for musicians is the lack of willingness to really promote their work. Many of us feel that we’re nothing more than used car salesmen if we advertise our work in any way, and this just isn’t true. In fact, many of the stars we look up to – people who we’d never in a million years think would self-promote or ask for a review, spent years doing just that, and they probably put in 10 times the work that we do.

Here’s an excerpt: 

Creative types have historically had a fair amount of trouble not only promoting their work, but also allowing it the chance to be promoted. As with many small businesses who soon close their doors, many writers, artists, musicians and film makers create a product, release it, and then “wait for the people to come.” It’s this notion of the process of “getting discovered” that needs to change in order for us to take up our own mantles and advance our creative endeavors.

One issue that I have seen again and again, even in myself, is a deep-seeded issue of perception. Throughout our lives we have all been overexposed to commercials of all motivations and persuasions. It’s natural to be sick of it. We feel that the powers that be are lying to us or that everyone is trying to sell us something whether we need it or not. We feel trapped and without options, and this leads us to fantasize. We fantasize about heroes; people who stood up and gave a middle finger to the authorities in this world and refused to play by the rules. We liken ourselves to people who would never, ever lower themselves to the level of self-promotion.

To read the full article click here: http://targetaudiencemagazine.com/2012/01/the-true-artists-major-marketing-dilemma/

Thanks!

James