I would like to share the steps I take when promoting an event in Bloomington. Hopefully bands, promoters, clubs, etc. will find this helpful. I would love to hear other tips, so please post any of your ideas.
I think the most important thing to keep in mind is the time of promotion. I recommend publicizing your event at least 2 weeks before it occurs. Most of the media in Bloomington asks you to submit at least 1 week before an event.
Make sure to submit your event to these places:
Bloomington Scene Online Calendar (Herald Times)
IDS Happenings Online Calendar
Email WFHB: calendar@wfhb.org
Post shows here:
Bloomington Music Yahoo! Group (must have a Yahoo! account to post)
Advertise: The content of your flier is up to you, but I suggest making the information legible and in somewhat large print. Make sure to include band names, venue, time, cost, and date. If you are looking for professional quality design and printing, incaseofemergencypress and mile44 are great resources.
I recommend being respectful while hanging up fliers. The kiosks in town and on campus are fairly small, so one poster per kiosk is usually enough. If at all possible try not to post over other posters, and if you have to, look for events that have already happened. Some places that I find very important to advertise at are radio stations, music stores, downtown businesses, and the venue you are playing. You will know which places are “poster friendly” as they will most likely have several posters already hanging up. Handing out small handbills can also be a way to meet new people, who will hopefully then come to your show.
It also a good idea to drop off recordings of the bands you are promoting at local radio stations. If you are promoting a national act, make sure to ask the radio station if they have a special “coming to town” section to add your recording to.
Let your friends know about events through social networking sites.
Thanks, Jeff, for this. As someone who loves music and wants to keep tabs on what’s going on (also as someone who DJs at WFHB and reads the calendars and often wonders why so many things are missing from it), what you’ve written is awesome. Many’s the time I’ve not learned about a show in enough time to actually go (in many cases it’s after it’s already happened) because it hasn’t hit enough of the calendars I check (and I check all you’ve mentioned). In lots of cases, the Facebook page and/or web sites of venues aren’t even good at talking about their shows until the day of. I’ve also noticed a weird trend where a handful of people I know who are in newer bands never seem to go to check out other local bands and see what’s going on in the scene (not to mention going there to network and find potential gigs).
Thanks for recognizing the need for more shows being publicized. I am hoping that things like this guide and the events list will bring awareness to musicians and venues to promote their shows. If you would like to work with us, please let us know.