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? About Promoting Small Concerts
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Author:  singalongsue [ Thu Aug 14, 2014 7:59 pm ]
Post subject:  ? About Promoting Small Concerts

Does anyone have and resources on how to promote local Folk music (blues, bluegrass, acoustic, or roots music) concerts in the U.S. in 2014? I have been booking regional and nationally-known folk musicians for concerts here in Utah, with limited success. It is hard to gather an audience together for a concert. We get coverage ahead of time in the local newspaper, have a emailing list, a website, and a Facebook page. Sometimes we put up posters. But we're lucky if we get an audience of 40 people. I am doing this as part of an nonporfit organization that just wants to support the music and musicians. I'd appreciate any tips or experience you can share about strategies for promoting Folk concerts.

Author:  paulrace [ Mon Sep 08, 2014 8:58 am ]
Post subject:  Re: ? About Promoting Small Concerts

Sue,

Is there an NPR station that would help you promote? WYSO around here is pretty good at promoting folk-type concerts and local musicians.

Is there some way to expand your e-mail list? Signup sheets or cards at concerts is a minimum.

And or to draw traffic to the web page? Informative articles, etc. about related topics like regional history, etc. You're only an hour from the "Golden Spike," etc. Even if the articles draw attention from readers outside your region, the fact that other people are tuning in (and maybe adding links) will make your website more likely to appear when folk do Google searches. The web page thing takes years to really get to the "if you build it, people will come" stage, but the biggest mistake beginning webmasters make is deciding that, since they didn't see immediate results, they neglect it, and then the folks who WERE checking back stop checking back. Just went to the site of a steadily-working amateur group to notice that all of their "future" gigs were in 2012. Ouch.

Supposedly the fastest way to get on the "digital horizon" is through You-Tube, Facebook, Twitter, etc. But I don't have enough experience there to provide much guidance. Perhaps YouTubing highlights from former concerts (with the artists' permission of course)?

Best of luck, and thanks for "keeping the faith."

Paul

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