Members of the Christian community around Hartebeespoort Dam have attempted to cancel the Johannesburg stop of California groove metal outfit DevilDriver’s South African tour. The tour will continue, but has been relocated to Bells Sundowner in Johannesburg instead of at popular outdoor entertainment venue Oppidam.
It’s no secret that we’ve got more opportunity than ever to be heard. Between bedroom composers, online publishing and mobile file-sharing, opportunities await like the jagged teeth of a K.O.B.U.S! fan. But rather than falling into the trap of thinking that it doesn’t take much to get your name out there, remember the massive pool of competition. Follow these tips to raise your online profile as an artist.
The author of this post is also the musician behind this video. Visit Pravda23.com and download free local electronic albums. See what I mean about promotion?
Stream Your Music
There are about a million sites you can use to upload your music for the public, but start with Last.fm, MySpace, iMeem and iLike. Drop a few free tunes in there, because 30-second tidbits are about as tasty as the floor of Carfax. Let them listen.
Get A Homepage
Seems obvious, but spend the R150 and get a homepage rather than sending potential fans and clients to MySpace or Facebook. You either own or are owned.
Go Big
Don’t just rely on three or four sites. Hit every popular music site with your profile, but also get your images on Flickr, join Mxit Music, Twitter and YouTube. Even if it’s just a foot in the door, online music promotion is more about volume of content than the quality of your music. Get noticed by being prolific.
You may have read the press release all about Afrika Burn, the community art festival in the Karoo with heavy emphasis on self-reliance and economic autonomy. But as someone who made the cross-country trip for the debut of the mind-shifting ‘invent’ (rather than ‘event’) last year, allow me to offer you a pros and cons before you double-check your spare and hit the road tomorrow.
Afrika Burn 2008
You get to ride a around the desert in a hamster wheel
Your tail fluff may get caught in the wheel. Bummer.
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