For any budding musician, acquiring a local fanbase is really the way to go. There are a number of musicians that have been able to do this – from being virtually unknown to filling packed auditoriums.
There should be no reason why others can’t do it either, in being local musicians themselves. So, before you set your sights on being able to tour nationally or internationally, it’s important to conquer the local market first.
That said, here are 4 tips that can help musicians become local stars:
#1: First, you need to find out whether your music belongs to a particular ‘niche’. When you do identify the audience that it caters to, you can go about spreading the news.
#2: Using Facebook as a way to promote your concerts isn’t going to get people to attend your shows. You have to reach people in a number of ways (communication channels!) through different people as well.
#3: Don’t use Facebook or YouTube only to communicate. Get out there and meet people in face-to-face conversations. Even better, go to local concerts and make friends with other bands.
#4: In order to get the word out, it’s a good idea to play a big local show once every two months or so just making sure that you don’t overwhelm your audience as a result.
#5: Another aspect of becoming a star involves ‘social proof’. Make sure you tape your concert with a large audience and which you can distribute via conventional and digital media so that people know you are playing to packed houses.