Indie Music Marketer .com

Itís one of the oldest riddles in the history of music: If a band rocks hard in the forest and thereís no one there to hear itÖdid it ever really happen? Itís a fact: you may be the most talented musician in the galaxy, but if no knows about you, youíll probably never advance past playing to your one and only fan in the mirror in your momís garage. 

Writing, recording and performing terrific music is half the battle, but the other half may be even tougher than the challenge of creating a #1 hitÖthe task of publicizing it. Without publicity, your great opus might very well sit, gathering dust on your closet floor with the other 999 copies you had printed, cased and shrink-wrapped. Getting your name/your bandís name out there is quintessentially the most crucial step to: gigs, management, fans, radio, label exposure and rock ëní roll stardom. 

But what if your new found press is not-so-positive? Should you turn away a chance to pimp your band to the masses if the article is entitled, ìWorst Bands In The History Of Soundî or ìCDs You Wouldnít Listen To If They Washed Up Next To You On A Desert Islandî? Is all press ìgood pressî? Is it always a positive move for your band if the average music lover reads your name in print; even if the articleís content is not exactly what youíd frame for your dad on his birthday? In a word, ìHell Yeah!î...Well, that was two words. 

The following are a few tips that may help you to utilize both the positive and the negative press that may come your way: 

1.) Never Turn Down Press---If people are talking about you, youíre doing something right. Donít throw away free exposure by becoming your own publicist and deciding who can say what about you. Brittney Spears can afford to hire a PR genius to nix an upcoming article on ìOverweight Pop Stars Looking For A Comeback After Two Kids.î You, however, should tell your vocalist to pooch out her gut, grab her babies and smile for the camera. The only thing more important in the music business than who you know is who knows you. So, remember, ìbad press" is good and ìgood pressî is outstanding. 

2.) Make Sure They Print Your Name---The single most important key to success in entertainment is the recognition of your name. A magazine may print, ìThe John Smith Band sounds like a toilet flushing.î Weeks later, most people will only remember that they have heard the band name. This is the beauty of press. Plus, even if rabid music listeners now associate your band with potties, they will probably check you out just to see if youíre really that terrible. How many songs/bands do you think are horrific yet, when they come on the radio, you listen anyway? Name recognition is essential to the success of your band. Whether theyíre praising or dissing, everybody needs to be talking about you. 

3.) Turn Bad Press Into Good---Thereís no way around itÖbad press happens. Even the hottest band in the world has just as many hate sites as fan sites. But what reads to you as bad press doesnít always have to translate as bad press in your press package and mailers and on your web site. There are two easy ways, to turn bad press into good. First, edit it. Itís your press after all and not every word can be bad. Simply omit the parts that make you want to run screaming and leave the rest to make up at least a decent review. Second, interpret the negative as positive. No matter whatís in the article, act like you think itís a great thing. Turn criticism into irony, insults into humor, and bad ratings into humility. Make it seem as if the reviewer was on your side and donít let on that it upset you at all. Again, in the long run, it will only matter that you got the publicity nod in the first place. 

4.) Complaining Only Makes Bad Press Worse---Bad press will come and go, but your making an issue out of it will surely last longer than the review itself. Press is only as current as its latest issue and soon enough, what feels like the ruin of your band will be replaced by the ruin of someone elseís. But, repeat mentions of it on your websites, My Space pages, etc. will keep the negativity alive as long as you refuse to let it go. I realize that your art is precious to you and that youíre easily hurt by bad press but continuing to ruminate on it, only serves to keep the wound open way past the original issue date. The energy you put into bad press should be focused onto getting newer, better press for the band. You will remember the bad press long after everyone else has forgotten about it so let it go and move onto more positive things. 

No one every said that the music business was going to be all sugar and spice and everything nice, so it should come as no surprise that youíll probably garner as much bad press as good. Foster the positive publicity as much as you can and chalk up the negativity to a small pothole on your road to success. Itís true that it doesnít matter what they say as long as theyíre talking about you so be thankful for the free PR, take the high road, and let the bad reviews roll by your band and into oblivion where they belong. Itís unrealistic to think that you can get everyone to like your music, so make it your goal to get everyone to remember your name.