Be Great At Classical Music Marketing

There really is someting different about selling music. No longer should you sell a product, or a new piece or genre. In fact, no longer should you be selling anything! Instead, relationships are the new buzzword. And rightly so. We need to build relationships. Talk to people. Ask questions, get opinions, seek laughter, & find common ground.

What happened to the good old days? Particularly in classical music, one could just focus on this thing called 'music' and away you go... someone would notice you, manage you, sell you, and do everything for you. Not anymore...

No, now you have to build relationships. Create a Fan page on Facebook, Twitter your every move, and give everything away. Only then will you grab an email address so that in a few years when you release your first CD, you have someone to sell it to.

But a handful of folk still seem to become media-friendly music moguls, so how do they do it? Well, it's not talent. There are plenty of well-known faces in the tiny classical music world that get paid big bucks for what they do, and they don't do it very well. Was it luck? Yes. Was it money? Yes. Where'd they get their money? Usually parents, but occasionally, someone does still get 'picked up' and off they go, shooting towards stardom.

So despite the fact that your parents didn't send you to the best teachers, the best schools, and mix with the politically-empowered socialites, you should never give up! Below are some industry-standard secrets that will help you achieve your goals, be it as a soloist, conductor, orchestral player, or teacher. Whatever your dreams, they are achievable, but heed these warnings:

1. Don't expect things to change overnight
2. Don't give up
3. Do revel in and enjoy every minute of every hard slog: late nights on Facebook, early morning coffee with the local recreation department director, and hours upon hours of smiling.

Here's a summary of the best advice out there. Do these consistently and regularly, and you will definitely begin to see an increase in you fan base, fame, and eventually... sales.

1. Sign up for every free music marketing teleseminar available. They usually tell you things you hadn't thought of and in return, will send you an email or two suggesting you sign up for a longer fee-based course (which you're not obligated to).
2. Setup Google Alerts for reporters in your favorite publications (remember to put their name in "quotes"), then comment and email them, telling them what you liked about their article.
3. On Facebook, ask questions and invite people to comment. Avoid direct selling, such as "Buy my new CD!"
4. On Twitter, keep your posts to once a day, and write something about a relevant topic, not that you're having pizza tonight. Who cares?! But mention the New York Philharmonic playing Vaughan Williams in Korea, and you'll soon see some interesting responses... and new subscribers.
5. Meet every fan after a gig. Sign as many autographs as your hand can cope with. Be accessible AND visible.
6. Get a decent website. You'll pay for it, but it is SOOOOO worth it. And make sure there's relevant INFORMATION on it. Like, a neat but concise resume. Avoid Granny Ann's Apple Pie recipe your friends love, but do make sure people know what you're about and how to contact you. Keep every link and all contact info CURRENT and WORKING.
7. Get one really nice photo and use it on everything... everywhere. Postcards, Facebook, Indieheaven.com, anywhere there's a profile picture requested.

Work hard. Enjoy. Make the most of technology. And be great at your music-making!

Good luck!