Question & Answer: Give Aways

Helmut K. from Dead But Dreaming (www.myspace.com/deadbutdreamingtheband) asks:

im really hype on promotiong...we have a cd for sale and also starting soon i wanna have promo cd samplers with 3 songs on them to give out for free at shows.

burned cds and given out at shows with the myspace and email address on them...for buzz factor.

what do you think?


Mrchgrl says:
Honestly, people never listen to cd's that are given to them for free. I'd say one out of 20 people you give them to might actually listen.

Your best bet? Do something different. Don't try and be like every other band out there, handing out samples and praying someone hears your stuff. The bands that are successful are the bands that let the fans and the success come to them, they dont need to seek it out because they are already great at what they do.

My advice is put on a wicked live show, write good songs that people will like and if you want to spend time/money/energy on giving something away, be unique.

A good option? USB Keys
have your band logo printed on the side, have your demos, publicity photos, bio, epk, award info, whatever uploaded onto them and ONLY Give them to industry people you want on your team. You can SELL them at your merch table if you have the album on them and the best part? They are reuseable!

More Info;
Giving away stuff to promote your band is a great way to gain new fans and get yourself out there! Helmut definitely has the right idea, it’s just the approach that could be different. Every band wanting a shot gives out demos, people accept them because it’s the polite thing to do, but don’t ever listen to them on most occasions.

Having free demos is a great idea, just don’t walk around giving them out. Have them available for free at your merch table and announce while you perform that you will be giving away a couple free songs to the first 20 or 50 people at the merch table. Not only will that get people over to your merch table which could equal more sales, but it also assures that only the people who WANT the demos will get them.

Other options for freebies to get peoples interest include but aren’t limited to: Lighters, Matches, Condoms, Bottled Water, Stickers, Magnets, Buttons, Pens, Lanyards, Toques and more! All of these things can be sold or given away for free because they aren’t super expensive to make.