Of the numerous places to play live college campuses are one of the best for musicians to play. There is a huge surplus of people, great demographics for the music industry and trend setters. This all combined could mean big money for indie and major acts. However, one must know not only how to get gigs at colleges, but also how to promote properly. Here are some tips for setting up a killer college music promotions plan:
Flyers - Flyers are a great to get people’s attention. They are cheap, easy to create, and easy to disperse. As far as distributing them goes you simply go onto the campus and hand them out, hang them up near the college campus and even get them placed within local stores (usually mom and pop stores and cafes near the campus).
Cafes and Coffeehouses - Getting gigs at coffeehouses and cafes near the college campus you’ll be playing at prior to the show date will help word spread about your band quickly too. Simply book these gigs as you would any other gig and promote them as well. This way you not only get money for the gigs, but an all important buzz too.
College Radio - Though college radio isn’t necessarily great for publishing royalties it is great for local bands, particularly one coming to play at the college campus. Getting your cd in the hands of these DJs is as important as with any other DJ. This way some people on the campus will already be familiar with your sound and songs which will make for a more energized show.
Sororities and Fraternities - Sororities and Fraternities are well known to throw some awesome parties. All parties need music and not only that, often times those in sororities and fraternities are viewed as cool and edgy trend setters by many. Sending a bulk amount of CDs to these groups prior to an on campus show can give you a big boost in the fan department. Major labels do this all the time and often times send so many that the sororities and fraternities actually distribute CDs to party goers as a gift.
Placing these four ideas into effect will help out your promotions on college campuses easily. Though they are very simple to do they work great. Do them on each and every campus that you frequently play on and look to see bigger and bigger promotional successes.
