Okay, here’s a new thing I’m trying out… answering reader questions… I hope I can help.

One reader writes…

Ian,

I am trying to get into the music business with the ultimate goal of owning my own independent record label. I have been asked by a friend of mine to run their street team. What type of advice would you give to someone taking over a street team? They have amassed a large following in the local area, played several colleges and universities, receive airplay on the public radio station and recently sold out a 400 seat venue in our hometown. They are now ready to start branching out and increase their fanbase.

Running an artist’s street-team could be a great experience for you, especially if the artist has a local following, and presumably, some fans willing to get active and take part in their street-team, just waiting for someone to lead them.  It’s a great way to start learning about marketing and promoting music, and with many of the street-team activities these days shifting toward online activities, it can be a great way to start building relationships with important websites and key tastemakers around the world if you want.

Street teams these days are so much more than handing out flyers, and postering for gigs.  These days its rallying kids to write reviews of products on iTunes/Amazon/etc., launching facebook campaigns, creating user-generated videos, creating iMixes, stimulating conversation on social networks and messageboards, and more.  You can also create downloadable pdf posters that team-members can print-out themselves and distribute.  The types of missions you charge them with is only as limited as your imagination.

But, I would urge you to view this possibility (if you choose to accept it) as a serious way to gain business experience for yourself… it’s basically a management position.  You will learn how to deal with many different personalities, how to manage and direct support staff, how to motivate people, how to organize and launch campaigns, recruit staff, communicate effectively, and try your hand at marketing and promotion.  So treat it like a business.  Be organized, be reachable, be professional, be courteous, be respectful, be admirable, and above all else, be excited about your product.

And in closing, remember this… when taking on a significant role in an indie artist’s team, be sure this artist is one you believe in, because by promoting them, you’re attaching your name to them.  To the rest of the industry, and the world, that means you endorse what they are doing, and you will be judged on their quality and success.  Since you say you want to start your own music company one day, your reputation will always be of upmost importance, so make sure you believe wholeheartedly in the artists you choose to work with.

I hope that helps!

Thanks for writing, please keep reading, and keep sending me your emails!  I’ll try and do my best to answer them here in future articles.

Two approaches to promoting your band, both of which are not mutually exclusive.  Meaning, you should try to do them both as best you can.

The first, Be Where Everyone Is… is all about knowing your target fans, and making sure that you are active in those places, both online and in the offline space.  Being active where your potential fans already spend their time – the bars, websites, blogs, concerts, radio stations, specialty record shops, etc.  Make sure you are spending your time there wisely.  Don’t think selfishly when you are spending time where everyone is, that’s the kiss of death.  Thinking selfishly would mean you’re going to where everyone is, and shouting about what you want to talk about, not what everyone else wants.  That mentality leads to unproductive behaviour like shoving flyers in hands, postering, posting uninteresting shameless promotional messages online, shouting about your myspace, etc.  When you are in the space where everyone else is, think instead about how you can add value to what’s already there – if that’s having meaningful conversations, sharing news that the others will care about, helping out others within the community, putting on free shows, asking questions, appropriately giving away some of your music etc.  I say appropriately… don’t force it at people who aren’t interested… just make it available, then go about doing all the other things that can add value to the community you’re in, and every once in a while remind people it’s there.  (not more than once a week.)  You’ve got to stand out in the crowd, but not by being the one who shouts loudest… do it by being someone who adds lots of value to the community.

The second one, Be Where Everyone Isn’t… doesn’t mean playing to an empty room.  It is more about creative thinking, and since you’re a musician, hopefully you’re really good at thinking creatively.  This one is is about finding unique places to put yourselves and your music, where people aren’t expecting to come into contact with it.  Now, this is useless if it doesn’t match with your target audience, for example if you’re in a heavy metal band it’s probably not worth performing live on a flatbed truck outside the Wine & Cheese Show… while you might get a few wine-lovers who love their metal, the fact is it’s not efficient, even though it’s unique and unexpected.  But if you were in a jazz-band, that might be a great thing for you to do.  Try finding other communities other than music-based ones that are likely to enjoy your music, but aren’t currently engaged in talking about music…. Major record labels have entire departments to this, and they call it lifestyle marketing.  Again, if you’re that metal band, itching to play on a flatbed trailer, try playing outside the Tattoo Convention instead of the Wine & Cheese one.  It’s all about thinking about your fans, or potential fans, considering where else they might go when they’re not actively seeking music, and being there too.  So if you’d appeal to an affluent business crowd, maybe it’s busking at the airport, or engaging people online on travel messageboards… On a larger scale, this is why corporate brands associate themselves with certain musicians… the Vans Warped Tour, Blackberry and U2 / John Mayer, etc.  That’s the ultimate, and it can result in gobs of money changing hands, but that’s not the point here… the point is all about association and getting in front of new potential fans.  Now, you could just sit there and say “but I can’t get a tour sponsorship”… or you could say… okay, bands like mine get sponsored by Vans, so maybe I should try getting my music played in local skateboard shops, or alternative shoe-stores.  I can’t tell you every example, because there’s so many opportunities out there…. but I am challenging you to try and find these unique but suitable places to engage your potential fans.

Have fun, get out there, add value to your communities, and put more music out into the world in unexpected places.  Sounds like a good plan to me.

If you have done something that adds value to your community, or if you’ve done something unique to promote your music, let us know what it is in the comments below!