Indie on the Move

“Who are your connections?” Everyone wants to know. As much as people will say they hate “name droppers” they are all hoping you will let them know how connected you actually are at some point. I have had bands who are interested in working with me flat out ask who my connections are, as if it would be a selling point. Far too often bands get screwed over by people in the music industry because those people tell them that they know someone who knows someone who can make them famous or give them some other false hopes. More and more bands are taking the initiative to get things done themselves. With the music industry going the way it is there are more options for bands to utilize and get their music heard on their own.

So many bands don’t even know all the resources that are out there to help them take control of their career and these resources are even free! To start bands can get all the golden industry contacts they need from sites like freemusiccontacts.com and iamthepublicist.com. iamthepublicist.com is a charging site but for a small fee and offers more than just industry contacts, they are constantly updating and have tips, contracts, band profiles and more. Freemusiccontacts.com is a huge free database of contacts ranging from record labels, management, radio, magazines and more but be prepared to deal with a lot of ads.

Now that you have the contacts and start spreading the word to the industry about your music then you start to expand your live performance to your future fans. You have to tour, even if it’s only a couple states you have to make the move to get your music in front of live audiences. You can find help booking your tour by checking out indieonthemove.com which offers tip for tour survival, venue listings and contact info to book your band some shows.

Once you have some confirmed shows booked you will definitely need some CHEAP places to crash at night between and after shows. There is actually a site for this! Betterthanthevan.com is a site that allows people to post their own homes or places bands can sleep while on tour and also for bands to be able to post a need for a place to stay. A lot of the people who allow you to stay with them are so stoked you are there they might even just feed you!

So if you ever hear a band or musician say they need help tell them the internet is literally their best friend! These are just a few of the hundreds of options bands and musicians have for spreading their music without any greedy industry people and money sucking contracts! This is your music, your band so why not take control of your future!