#61763 by Kramerguy
Mon Mar 30, 2009 3:32 pm
Mon Mar 30, 2009 3:32 pm
*note: This info is primarily for original bands, but I think it's helpful even for coverbands with both song selections and performances.
"Brand the band"
The focus of this seminar was branding yourself or your band. The idea is not to 'overlay' or create an image (brand) that is false or misleading, or to just slap an overlay on yourself or your band.
The whole idea is: In order to sell yourself/band to your market, you really need to know who you are!
Branding is:
*The process of discovering and communicating the exact nature of who you are and what you do.
*Branding is NOT the process of:
-Creating a false persona
-Trying to be a rock star, or just look like one
*Branding is the basis of everything you and/or your band does
-Name and description (the message it sends)
-Photos, flyers, other marketing materials.
-Management, label, investment presentations (how the band is presented to them)
It's not "who you sound like"
*It's about being your own artist, not who you are likened to
*When you describe yourself as sounding like someone else, congrats, you just promoted them instead of yourself.
Build your brand:
*Define your market 'landscape'
*Define yourself (see "who am I?")
*Develop and identity that is unmistakenly yours.
Define the market landscape:
*define your market landscape by considering:
-What type of music you do
-Who are the artists closest to your style, genre, performance level, background, visibility, and audience demographic
-What do the audiences and critics find most appealing about them?
Differentiate yourself by understanding:
-Who the artists in the market landscape that are close to you are, and what they do
-What are the key similarities, and what are the KEY elements that can differentiate you from them?
Develop your identity based on these 7 elements (all are part of YOU or your band):
-Physical demeanor / apparal
*Thin, voluptious, round, angular?
*blonde, redhead, auburn, bald?
*short, tall, medium?
-Social positioning
*popular, misfit, uncaring?
*what are your social ambitions?
-Status
-Physical relationships
-Fame
-Money
-Trendsetter
-Something else?
-Sexuality (selling it like madonna or prince?)
*Any 'look' based on fetishes, S&M (judas priest), etc.
-Emotional orientation (mature? adolscent? teen angst? Brat?)
*What major emotion do you graviate to?
-Anger
-Joy
-Fear
-Sadness
-Vacancy
-Other
-Spirituality (christian band? Mystical band? Don't care?)
*How it factors into your life and music
-Intellectual foundation (geek rock? intellectual jazz? Street smart? Moron?)
*What is your intellectual attitude?
-Hated school/the system
-Liked school
-Take it or leave it
-Rebel, learn my lessons the hard way!
-Relational Sensibility. Are you:
*sweet, caring?
*evil-hearted tramp?
*self-loathing doormat?
*manipulative malcontent?
*irresponsible idiot?
*none of the above, or hundreds of other possibilities?
Again.. the key is to define your music and your performance around yourself!
"Brand the band"
The focus of this seminar was branding yourself or your band. The idea is not to 'overlay' or create an image (brand) that is false or misleading, or to just slap an overlay on yourself or your band.
The whole idea is: In order to sell yourself/band to your market, you really need to know who you are!
Branding is:
*The process of discovering and communicating the exact nature of who you are and what you do.
*Branding is NOT the process of:
-Creating a false persona
-Trying to be a rock star, or just look like one
*Branding is the basis of everything you and/or your band does
-Name and description (the message it sends)
-Photos, flyers, other marketing materials.
-Management, label, investment presentations (how the band is presented to them)
It's not "who you sound like"
*It's about being your own artist, not who you are likened to
*When you describe yourself as sounding like someone else, congrats, you just promoted them instead of yourself.
Build your brand:
*Define your market 'landscape'
*Define yourself (see "who am I?")
*Develop and identity that is unmistakenly yours.
Define the market landscape:
*define your market landscape by considering:
-What type of music you do
-Who are the artists closest to your style, genre, performance level, background, visibility, and audience demographic
-What do the audiences and critics find most appealing about them?
Differentiate yourself by understanding:
-Who the artists in the market landscape that are close to you are, and what they do
-What are the key similarities, and what are the KEY elements that can differentiate you from them?
Develop your identity based on these 7 elements (all are part of YOU or your band):
-Physical demeanor / apparal
*Thin, voluptious, round, angular?
*blonde, redhead, auburn, bald?
*short, tall, medium?
-Social positioning
*popular, misfit, uncaring?
*what are your social ambitions?
-Status
-Physical relationships
-Fame
-Money
-Trendsetter
-Something else?
-Sexuality (selling it like madonna or prince?)
*Any 'look' based on fetishes, S&M (judas priest), etc.
-Emotional orientation (mature? adolscent? teen angst? Brat?)
*What major emotion do you graviate to?
-Anger
-Joy
-Fear
-Sadness
-Vacancy
-Other
-Spirituality (christian band? Mystical band? Don't care?)
*How it factors into your life and music
-Intellectual foundation (geek rock? intellectual jazz? Street smart? Moron?)
*What is your intellectual attitude?
-Hated school/the system
-Liked school
-Take it or leave it
-Rebel, learn my lessons the hard way!
-Relational Sensibility. Are you:
*sweet, caring?
*evil-hearted tramp?
*self-loathing doormat?
*manipulative malcontent?
*irresponsible idiot?
*none of the above, or hundreds of other possibilities?
Again.. the key is to define your music and your performance around yourself!