GARAGE BANDS
Get your Garage Band our of the Garage in into
a Gig: Part I: Press Kit and Demo
by Dennis Damp Jr.
So you have your garage band and want to know the next step
to start performing for an audience. Maybe you are the parent
or friend of a band member and feel the band is ready to play
some shows. You may just be sick of all the noise coming from
the basement where your son or daughters band practices. Well,
its not easy to get out of the starting blocks, but with a little
hard work, your band can get moving. When your band finally
has some songs together and are playing well, now it's time
to take the next step. Get the band out of the garage and in
to a gig. Of course your band won’t make much money at
first, but with a well rehearsed act and some leg work your
project can get off the ground running. In the following article
I will explain a few tips your band or band manager may need
to get your band some gigs or shows.
The band’s first step is to put together a quality press
kit. A press kit for a start up band is usually comprised of
a cover page, artist bio or introduction of the band, band pictures,
song list, equipment list, contact and booking information,
and a demo tape or CD. Once your band becomes more established
start introducing newspaper clippings, band reviews, and business
cards to the package. Computers make this a fairly simple task
these days. Any word processor should get the job done for a
start up band press package. Most or all of your press packet
design can be done in house and save a lot of money. If you
plan on sending quite a few press packages to clubs or venues
visit your local copy store and have some color copies made.
Make sure your envelope stands out so that a band booker will
want to open your press package. Try using a colored envelope
or stickers of some sort on the envelope so that a band booker
will notice your press kit.
One of the most difficult things for a start up band with little
or no money to achieve is recording their demo CD or tape. This
does not have to be an expensive venture. When your starting
out try renting a 4 track tape recorder or maybe and 8 track
recorder with a CD burner. Most music stores will rent this
type of equipment at a reasonable cost. Record 3 or 4 of your
best songs or cover tunes. This should give you sufficient quality
for most local venues when your starting out. Once your act
is more established you may want to purchase a portable multi
track recorder or book some studio time. It may be just as cost
effective to purchase a multi track digital recorder and learn
the ropes yourself rather than recording at a local studio.
Most studios charge an hourly rate, so look around.
Once you have a quality demo CD and press kit its time to start
promoting your band. See part II of our article Get your band
out of the garage and into a gig at http://www.mediawebsource.com/press.htm
For more information on press kit and demo tips, band resources,
and band promotion visit the Media Web Source website at http://www.mediawebsource.com.
This site is a valuable resource for start up and established
bands everywhere.
About the Author
Article written by: Dennis Damp Jr from: Media Web Source http://www.mediawebsource.com
Find band and songwriter resources, press kit and demo tips,
music industry books, recording studios, CD and DVD Duplication,
and band website design. |
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