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Hi,

I'm involved in 2 bands (in one of them I sing myself, the other one are very close friends) and I do a little management for both.

Now, the band that I don't play in is about to release their first EP, and I really want to do this right.

We're from Belgium, and I know that Belgium isn't the number one country when it comes to musical credibility (although we have really great internation potential here) but I really, really believe that this band has an international potential.

I'm a realist, and I know that they would never make it to the absolute top, but I am very confident that they could make it to the top of an international underground scene.

What advice, literature, links, ... could you give me to get me started ...

I've already bought the indiebible and guerilla music marketing handbook.

[This message has been edited by tomadde (edited 11-02-2005).]

Hey tomadde,

I love Belgium, and played at Toogenblick (is Toogenblick still open?) where I was introduced to the wonderful beers of Belgium, including Tiefel. Wow.

You're starting well. I'd recommend a few things.

Put together the best promo package you can. Good photos, good printing, and such can go a long way. Here, be careful. Make sure the image matches the band. Years ago, I had a band called Redhead. We were a country-rock band. Our promo shots included a guy in a cable knit sweater and I was wearing a snap brim cap. People thought we were an Irish band. I learned a lot from that.

Look for unusual promotional gimmicks. For one euro tour, we bought a bunch of scratch off lottery tickets, with a silhouette of Texas on them. They cost a dollar each. We gave them to promoters, club owners, and radio people. Some of them got framed and hung on office walls. Another year, I bought a bunch of posters from Hatch Show Print, a famous Nashville printer. These were posters such as Hank Williams' New Years show that he never lived to play, Patsy Cline, and Bill Monroe. People loved them. Notice that neither of these directly promoted our bands, but as gifts, they are still remembered.

One resource I highly recommend is CDbaby. you can reach them at www.CDbaby.com
The website includes some great promotional ideas.

Good luck with your endeavors.

Mike

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You have to practice improvisation. -Art Tatum

Mike Dunbar Music

Mike, thanks for the advice ...

We're already working on the gimmick thing. One of the things that makes this band great is a kind of whacky, crazy, twisted funny atmosphere in the songs ... although they're a heavy rockband, people who don't really like heavy music still are in to them because of that.

So we're brainstorming now about a crazy story (fictional) and complete history to put in the bio and presskit. A story people will remember, and when they talk about the band, they will not be talking about 'that band from belgium', but about 'that band with the crazy story'

Anyway ... we'll see how it all turns out ...

After living Europe for a few yeards, I've noticed that the music scene there is more eclectic than here in the states. So I don't see why your music shouldn't succeed if it's done well.

By the way, I love your country. I lived in Germany and used to drive into Luxembourg City to eat dinner at the Taj Mahal. Great Indian food.

Your country is beautiful.

Good luck to you.

Regards,
LaneyBird