Marketing For A Coverband, What would you do? |
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Mar 17 2010, 09:49 AM
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QUOTE (Gitarrero @ Mar 17 2010, 09:34 AM)  Hi everybody, I'd really like to hear your ideas, thoughts and opinions about a marketing strategy for a coverband. Let me get into the details: I play in an "oldies"-coverband called "Rocking Sixties", so we are covering songs from the Beatles, Rolling Stones, Deep Purple, CCR, Status Quo and so on...all the relatively easy 3-chord pieces any crowd can sing along. We are rehearsing once a week a can play a total of 50 songs, so we could play for approx. 3 hours straight (though we divide the songs into sets and take breaks in between, as my bandmembers are all between 50 and 60 years old). We are not great musicians, but what we do sounds good and after a show the crowd always wants more. The problem is: we only got 2 shows each year...one at the 30th of April and one on the 31st of october. The crowd was always so pleased with us that we get booked for the next year right away...  But we'd like to play some more gigs like on birthday parties, street festivals and so on. How would you approach this? Should I create a myspace site? Obviously we can't put any songs up because of copyright laws. Or should I videotape a rehearsal or live gig and open a youtube channel? Should we try to produce a demo CD (though we don't have the money for a studio recording)? Should I write marketing letters? Well, that's quite a long post...any ideas are much appreciated! Christian Why would'nt You been allowed to put cover songs up??? If its an amateur vid and not for sale, I dont think its matter. Well, I have some other tips, since I've been in this business for ages before.... 1) Make a simple flyer, and just state that You are willing to play at birtday parties & company parties (which is the best, since they always pay good). Then just spread it everywhere, in boards in stores, post it to the local companies etc. If You do a couple of gigs well, the world of mouth will be going, and in a year You will have so much gigs that You have to say no to some of them.... 2) You SHALL have a demo, it doesn't have to be good sound-wise - rather have some VERY well-known songs included that You know people in Your area will like. 3) Make the local paper to write something small bout a gig, rehearsal, whatever and then refer to You website/myspace. 4) A website is better than myspace or Youtube, and You can always link clips etc. from those places in there. 5) Have a catchy name that is easy to remember. 6) Make friends with other musicians in the same genre - bands always get double-booked, and You will receive bookings from Your friend when they can't be at two places at the same time..... Thats just some, I will post more if I can remember....  //Staffay --------------------  Guitars: Ibanez AM-200, Ibanez GB-10, Fender Stratocaster Classic Player, Warmouth Custom Built, Suhr Classic Strat, Gibson Les Paul Standard 2003, Ibanez steel-string Amps: Fender Hot Rod Deluxe, Marshall JMP 2103, AER 60 Effects: BOSS DD-20, Danelectro Trans. Overdrive, TC-Electronics G-Major, Dunlop Wah-wah, Original SansAmp, BOSS DD-2 Music by Staffy can be found at: Staffay at MySpace |
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Mar 17 2010, 10:07 AM
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QUOTE (Marek Rojewski @ Mar 17 2010, 10:02 AM) Maybe a Youtube channel with gig videos + a normal www site? You could write on that site what are You looking for, what You can do and post those Youtube videos. Also there a multiple www services where people look for everything and advertise everything - You can find ads about selling tickets/sleeping place for a night/spare place in a car to drive somewhere/and also "we play birthday/weeding gigs". I don't know any such sites in German/English, but if we have such sites here in Poland than it's obvious that we aren't alone at that. +1 Thats really what I meant - YouTube + Website. However, first You must get people interested in visiting the site, and in that case "old school" marketing will work better because people that are supposed to throw a party or book a band still doesn't search on the internet for this, they rather go by recommendations or what they seen around - eg. the flyers I was talking bout. //Staffay -------------------- Guitars: Ibanez AM-200, Ibanez GB-10, Fender Stratocaster Classic Player, Warmouth Custom Built, Suhr Classic Strat, Gibson Les Paul Standard 2003, Ibanez steel-string Amps: Fender Hot Rod Deluxe, Marshall JMP 2103, AER 60 Effects: BOSS DD-20, Danelectro Trans. Overdrive, TC-Electronics G-Major, Dunlop Wah-wah, Original SansAmp, BOSS DD-2 Music by Staffy can be found at: Staffay at MySpace |
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Mar 17 2010, 10:41 AM
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QUOTE (Gitarrero @ Mar 17 2010, 10:20 AM) Thanks for the input, Staffay and Marek! When I was thinking about creating a myspace-site I read that it is forbidden to put cover songs up. It is allowed to put up videos of a cover song on youtube as they have contracts with the bigger music companies. German copyright law is really strict, so it seems to me that youtube is the only option...but still, I could link to youtube from any website. Oh, that was news to me, I have two MySpace-sites with cover songs on them, and nobody never told me anything bout that, maybe its just local in Germany???? Btw. I think MySpace will soon be "out", since You can do the exactly same thing at Facebook by creating a fan-page, and then reach a lot of more people than on MySpace - which just musicians tends to visit. Facebook have became very big here in Sweden the last Year, and I consider it as more valueable then even YouTube atm. //Staffay -------------------- Guitars: Ibanez AM-200, Ibanez GB-10, Fender Stratocaster Classic Player, Warmouth Custom Built, Suhr Classic Strat, Gibson Les Paul Standard 2003, Ibanez steel-string Amps: Fender Hot Rod Deluxe, Marshall JMP 2103, AER 60 Effects: BOSS DD-20, Danelectro Trans. Overdrive, TC-Electronics G-Major, Dunlop Wah-wah, Original SansAmp, BOSS DD-2 Music by Staffy can be found at: Staffay at MySpace |
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Mar 17 2010, 10:51 AM
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Good idea...I always thought facebook was a site for personal profiles or career oriented people. I'll check that out, maybe that's a good spot for the band.
About myspace, it's really forbidden to upload coversongs: http://creative.myspace.com/au/marketing/m...l/musicFaqs.htm -------------------- |
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Mar 17 2010, 11:09 AM
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QUOTE (Gitarrero @ Mar 17 2010, 10:51 AM) Good idea...I always thought facebook was a site for personal profiles or career oriented people. I'll check that out, maybe that's a good spot for the band. About myspace, it's really forbidden to upload coversongs: http://creative.myspace.com/au/marketing/m...l/musicFaqs.htm Yeah, it was here in Sweden before too, but nowadays everyone is using Facebook, even children....... Regarding the copyright issue, I just read it and it says: "You may only upload tracks to MySpace that you have the rights to, or that you have uniquely created yourself." This I read as if I have recorded the track, even that if its a cover, hence I got the rights to the track since I am the perfomer - eg. then its no violation. If they should have taken away all covers on MySpace, there would'nt be much left.... I think they mean that You cannot upload another artists work. But this issue is just academic in my belief since no artist will ever complain over a covered song if You don't make any money out of it. //Staffay -------------------- Guitars: Ibanez AM-200, Ibanez GB-10, Fender Stratocaster Classic Player, Warmouth Custom Built, Suhr Classic Strat, Gibson Les Paul Standard 2003, Ibanez steel-string Amps: Fender Hot Rod Deluxe, Marshall JMP 2103, AER 60 Effects: BOSS DD-20, Danelectro Trans. Overdrive, TC-Electronics G-Major, Dunlop Wah-wah, Original SansAmp, BOSS DD-2 Music by Staffy can be found at: Staffay at MySpace |
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Mar 17 2010, 01:24 PM
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QUOTE (BK Project X @ Mar 17 2010, 12:16 PM) Christian If you want an honest answer, keep reading, if not, look away and have a nice day. I cannot tell you what Germany is looking for in a cover band. I can give you a few tips on how we do things in the US. The band plays around 50 songs. 4 sets about 45 to 50 minutes long with breaks of around 20 minutes. The club usually dictates this. Don't try to blow out your singers pipes by 3 plus hours of straight singing. If you book a Friday and a Saturday, your singer will hate you if you don't take breaks. The big matter you need to address is WHERE DO YOU WANT TO PLAY? You are thinking about street festivals and parties, that's good. If you want into clubs and bars, think about the demographic you will encounter there. If you wish to play Deep Purple and CCR you aren't going to get into clubs where the average patron is in his/her 20's. You will have to update your set list to reflect more modern music to acquire these types of shows. You are currently suited for bingo halls and retirement parties. I'm not trying to be mean, I'm serious. I play in a cover band, I'm 40, my bass player is 50, my singer is 40, etc. etc. but we play Lady Ga Ga, Velvet Revolver, Kings of Leon, a bunch of danceable stuff that 20 something’s know. My band uses a booking agent (which requires a demo, photos, bio, resume) to get most of our shows, but when I started booking before we were eligible for booking agents, I went to the clubs, found out who the owner was and had drinks with them. I brought up that I was in a band a few weeks later after making friends with them first. We got the gigs we needed to get started and built our resume so we could get an agent to book us. You need more than a quality product; you have to have something that an agent can sell. Unfortunately a band is the bar or clubs beer salesman, so if you only draw old people who drink responsibly and just sit and watch the band, you won't be in too many clubs. Young people go out and experience music; old people sit at home and watch it on tv. So if you want to play at the clubs, learn some new music. Go to a bar and watch a few bands that are popular. Don't go to clubs with 10 people watching a crappy band. See what they do that makes the crowd love them, then when they get a little break, introduce yourself and ask them how they got the gig. Most guys are happy to tell you what they are doing that brings them success. Myspace and facebook are great sites for keeping your fans posted on when and where you are playing. If you get the gig, that is only the start. You need to pack the place and make sure the crowd has a good time and drinks lots of beer so you can get the second gig. Best of luck. BK I agree to most of what You say here - the club scene is a little bit different. However, people in Europe seems to like classic songs a lot more than people in the U.S (I've been playing for U.S audience as well) and even young people likes Bryan Adams stuff, Creedence, old rock stuff etc. It's not really necessary to play the latest hit-songs, rather the really big one's during the past 20 years or so. (or even older) //Staffay -------------------- Guitars: Ibanez AM-200, Ibanez GB-10, Fender Stratocaster Classic Player, Warmouth Custom Built, Suhr Classic Strat, Gibson Les Paul Standard 2003, Ibanez steel-string Amps: Fender Hot Rod Deluxe, Marshall JMP 2103, AER 60 Effects: BOSS DD-20, Danelectro Trans. Overdrive, TC-Electronics G-Major, Dunlop Wah-wah, Original SansAmp, BOSS DD-2 Music by Staffy can be found at: Staffay at MySpace |
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Mar 26 2010, 03:38 PM
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you can get plenty of ideas from live gigs on youtube
-------------------- Visit my:
INSTRUCTOR PROFILE "If a composer could say what he had to say in words he would not bother trying to say it in music." Gustav Mahler Subscribe to my Youtube Channel here |
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Mar 26 2010, 04:06 PM
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as the guys said, get a website and a youtube channel, upload your demo/videos there, put those urls on a flyer, and get that flyer to every person you can, it will work
 a photoshoot for the site can help too
--------------------  Check my Instructor Profile Rockers! Got a Blog too!, www.adriantracks.com Follow me on facebook and youtube! -Youtube   |
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