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QuoteHope this is the right topic to place this idea.
Has anybody worked the following angle of cross promoting and what were your results... At the line waiting to get in to see a band that sounds like yours, hand out your cds to people in line letting them know you have a similar sound. I have heard this worked for one or two in the past and the "Yeah yeah, yeahs are coming to town. I was told I have a sound in some of my songs like Karen O of the Yeah yeahs, yeahs.
Have you tried this approach and if so how did it go? What do you think of this idea?
J.
9:03 pm
June 7, 2011
Offline
That's one of those things I have always meant to do but never got around to. I think it's a great idea and I have spoken with many artists who have done it and felt it was successful for them.
I would personally hand out download cards though, instead of CDs. They are easy to slip into the pocket (so people don't trash them) and you can essentially just send them to a squeeze page. That way you get some fans out of it that you can actually market future albums and products to. Plus it's cheaper 
The only thing you miss out on with DL cards is immediacy. No one can pop the CD in their car stereo while it;s fresh in their minds. But I personally think that benefit does not make it worth going with CDs over download cards.
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5:17 am
June 10, 2011
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Glad I read this. I've really been interested in this strategy, which I have dubbed "working the line" and debating the CD vs. Download cards in my mind. I mostly want people to be on my email list, so the DL cards sound like what I need to research and work towards.
2:59 pm
October 27, 2011
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I used to do this fairly frequently with CDs back when you still handed out CDs and it was pretty fun. I've met a bunch of people who became long term friends and fans this way. Is it effective? Well, you'll be spending a good deal of money and time in the prep of CDs (we used to get them from this place called CDCentric that would reproduce 1000 of them for less than $500, but then we'd have to stuff them ourselves.) But if you're good with people face to face and enjoy that aspect of this business (some people do, some people don't), then there is absolutely an intrinsic value to this as well.
I would definitely A/B test download cards vs CDs now though at a couple of different shows and see which ones turn out better.
8:47 pm
June 7, 2011
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Yeah, I agree with Mike. I used to hand out tons of CDs (even cassettes) back in the day. I still get emails from people who got a copy of my demos on cassette and continue to be fans 20 years later. My feeling is that download cards would be infinitly more effective, both because of the low cost, and the ability to follow up. But I haven't tested it. You might feel like you are getting a low return because the sign up numbers are low, but no one ever factors in the reality of how many people are just throwing those free cds in the trash without ever listening.
Something else I've always wanted to try was printing up very professional looking tickets with a ticket price of $20 (or whatever) marked on the ticket to convey a real value. Then flood a small market with them by handing them out to people on the street, or even by working out a partnership with a retail store in which they give them out to each customer for a while. I suspect you would pack a venue and then be able to negotiate a healthy guarantee for future shows. Just be sure to include some fine print that says that seats are limited to first come first serve. Maybe give out free albums to those who get turned away at the door, should it fill up. That was a plan I once spoke to MCA about (back when they were still around) on behalf of another artist. They loved the plan but it never happened for various reasons. Would love to see someone try it.
Having trouble with your marketing? Wish you could have an experienced direct-to-fan marketing expert look over your actual campaigns, music, or content and offer feedback? Or perhaps you’re just looking for a little one-on-one assistance so you can ask questions that pertain to your specific goals and get a second, more experienced, perspective? Click here to book a session with me now.
3:39 am
October 27, 2011
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One of the music venues around Madison, where my band is at, does the ticket giveaway fairly regularly for bigger bands that don't sell out so they can still make money on drinks. The Rave in Milwaukee does the same thing (but it's a $20 "service charge" that they don't tell you about until you get there in addition to a two drink minimum). Alpine Valley used to do that as well (I still have my "free ticket with a $20 parking charge" that I got in high school to what ended up being Stevie Ray Vaughan's last show (so it's not just indie artists that use this technique!)
9:46 am
June 7, 2011
Offline
Thanks for the perspective Mike. Cool to hear.
Having trouble with your marketing? Wish you could have an experienced direct-to-fan marketing expert look over your actual campaigns, music, or content and offer feedback? Or perhaps you’re just looking for a little one-on-one assistance so you can ask questions that pertain to your specific goals and get a second, more experienced, perspective? Click here to book a session with me now.
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