We believe that our
mission should not stop in
our current markets. In upcoming
years, we consider it our duty to take our strategies and the opportunity BigTime shows offer to every artist that can be reached.
Not only will we continue to improve our tactics for creating connection, but we will also broaden our reach-nationally and even internationally.
BigTime will not stop until we’ve given every artist the tools and the opportunity they deserve. This is our mission...
Thank you for joining us!
"Your Live Show Is The Answer..."
BigTime believes that every band should use whatever promotion techniques are most effective for them, but below is an explanation of techniques officially recommended by BigTime Entertainment. BigTime DOES NOT recommend the use of traditional paper-fliers sometimes called handbills for promoting shows, except in the case of a very well established act (average draw of 500+ per event).
The fact is people can't hear your music on a piece of paper. No matter what words or imagery it may include, a piece of paper simply cannot connect people to your music. The same is true of print ads in newspapers and show listings on websites. In almost all cases, the rule is "NO MUSIC = NO CONNECTION."
For even more promotion strategies, visit Artist Resources
If this weren’t true, if fliers did actually work for local artists, then every band in your hometown would be drawing 50-100+ people easily to every show, right? Obviously this is not the case, so isn’t wise to start considering other strategies that will be more effective-maybe MUCH more effective? BigTime Entertainment does its best to offer such strategies to every band that plays a BigTime event.
Some would disagree with BigTime, saying, "I see a flier around town for all the biggest shows...it must work!" And the truth is it does work for those shows, because a sizeable percentage of the people who see the fliers have heard those bands` music on the radio, MTV, VH1, iTunes featured download, etc. -they may even own their CD already.
ADVANTAGES TO YOUR FANS:
Much more unique than just "bar hopping!"
Much more meaningful than coffee or a movie!
As a local artist, you must assume that no more than 1% (probably far less, actually) of the population in your home market has ever heard your music. So if your promotion efforts (for a BigTime show or any other show you play) are going to yield any results, you must come to terms with the fact that you are promoting almost exclusively to people who know nothing about you, as an artist, whatsoever. You will find that there is only one group of people that will come see you play without first knowing your music—that is, the people that know YOU!
Your friends, relatives, co-workers, and classmates are the only people that will want to see you play without ever having heard your music. They know that YOU are an interesting, cool, funny, deep, or inspiring person—so they know to expect the same from your music, even though they haven't heard it yet.
Although it is quite unfortunate, most people are not receptive to new opportunities, ideas, or experiences. That is why 99.5% of all fliers end up in the trash, even if they have a band's web address printed on them. So, when promoting for a show (with BigTime or otherwise), your first strategy should be getting everyone who knows YOU to come see you play. You'll find that these people already feel connected to you, so you won't even need to use your music to establish a connection.
It is vital that you get everyone who knows YOU to come see you play—not only for BigTime shows, but for every single show you play. Once you start bringing out the people who know YOU to your shows, you can then start to grow your fan base by encouraging them to invite their friends to your shows. Their friends may not have a direct connection to you, but they are connected to one of your biggest fans. Even that indirect connection is a powerful tool for increasing your draw. Also, the people that know you are the people who you can count on to stand right in front of the stage and cheer after every song. When those people are at your show, it encourages the people who have never heard you to take note of what you're doing on stage. They think to themselves, "Everyone's cheering...these guys must be pretty good."
ADVANTAGES TO YOUR BAND:
Fantastic opportunity to sell CDs and other merch!
Perfect opportunity to Connect to current Fans!
Chance to reach new people as potential fans!
Watch as your songs deeply impact others!
Your next strategy for promotion should be to make a connection with people who don't know YOU—by using YOUR MUSIC and the meaning behind it. Rather than using traditional fliers, you will find much greater success by giving out "AUDIO FLIERS" (aka, sample CDs). Basically, an audio flier is a CD of 1-3 of your songs, which has some sort of a label identifying your name, your website, and show info.
When distributing audio fliers, your mentality should be QUALITY—not quantity. That is, don't give out thousands or get your friends to pass out as many as they can—this technique is not only costly but also ineffective. Rather, set a goal to PERSONALLY give out 50-100, taking time to talk to each person for a couple minutes. Find out their name, ask them about themselves, and tell them the meaning or stories behind the lyrics of the songs that are on your audio flier. This will create a meaningful connection and greatly increase the odds of them taking an interest in your music and coming to your show.
When it comes to promoting your shows, BigTime Entertainment has seen first-hand that CONNECTION is everything! Shift your efforts away from print advertisements and show listings. Trade in your traditional fliers for audio fliers that can create a connection with people you meet for the first time. And most importantly, take advantage of the connection you already have with the people that already know YOU!
To learn more about AUDIO FLIERS, as well as a variety of other effective strategies, visit Artist Resources