Customer Reviews

Guerrilla Music Marketing Handbook: 201 Self-Promotion Ideas for Songwriters, Musicians and Bands on a Budget (Revised & Updated)

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Bob Baker brings it in this book. As the title of this review implies, if you are a musician of any type and want your music to be heard, you need to buy this book. The insight comes with every single page and doesn't even stop at the end of the book; on the last page he gives you a link to his website, www.thebuzzfactor.com where you can sign up for weekly promotional tips plus a plethora of new and up to date marketing information for musicians. He breaks things down into lists that make the book easy to read.

I've read a lot of music marketing books, and none of them even compare to this. Bob's analogies and real life experiences truly shine and help to make the book filled with useful knowledge.

In the first section, the basic training, he talks about the three main stages of music marketing: creating awareness, making connections, and asking for the sale. If you aren't doing any of these three, then you need to. The second key point he hits on in this section is goal setting. If you don't actually write your goals down and set focused, yet flexible, deadlines, you won't succeed. He then shows the first five steps of marketing (and profiting from) music. Theses include knowing who your ideal fans are, what motivates them, what your brand identity statement is, and focusing on what your fans will get out of the music. Finally, he hits the point of knowing what kind of music you are dealing with and how to portray it in words.

In the second section, online marketing, he shares several key insights on how to use the internet effectively to market your music. There is so much money spent online on music that you are crazy not to be marketing yourself with the internet. Baker gives many examples here of how different sites like myspace, facebook, flickr, and youtube are so useful and profitable. As well, by using blogs and podcasts to promote your group, you appeal to a much wider variety of people. He continues by giving more sites that can be used for indie artists and as well more examples of people who have succeeded in music by using the Internet.

In the third section, music publicity, he starts by giving 32 new ways to promote group or new release. These examples, some hilarious, are all insightful on how to use your imagination to tie in with recent events or publications. Next, he gives a list of 29 key elements to creating a sizzling press kit. This is without a doubt every self promoting musician needs to have in their head. Then, Baker talks about how you should talk to media people, how you should address letters to them to draw attention to yourself, different ideas for advertisements, and lots of other brilliant things that one wouldn't normally think of.

In the fourth section, money and sales, he starts off with 39 ways to sell a lot more of your cd's, dvd's, and music merchandise; once again, he offers many more insightful ideas on how to sell yourself and to get people to check your music out. A huge list of independent music sites follows. He then goes on to describe how you can make money as a musician and other random ideas on how to make some more money on the side. The basis behind this section is basically how to make money for a band.

The fifth and final section, promotion tactics, starts with 13 low-cost, high-impact music promotion ideas that work. These are more ideas on how to basically sell yourself as a musician. In Chapter 19, Baker describes how to use the telephone to get more and more exposure. This is very informative and is something every musician needs to know to become a better salesperson for their band. He concludes the book with still more brilliant ideas on promotion.

If you're at all interested in establishing renown within the music industry, you need to get this book and read it cover to cover. You'll love it and it will surely take you places you didn't imagine. From a musician's standpoint, trust me, this book is worth buying.

To be truthful, I was skeptical when I first read about this book and doubted it could help me much as I'm a nightclub DJ, not in a more traditional band. I still gave it a shot and it's one of the best purchases I have made for my DJing thus far. This book is full of little "aha" moments - ideas that are at once practical and unusual. There are no magic secrets in the Guerilla Music Marketing Handbook, but page after page of resources, inexpensive (or free) ways to promote yourself and your music and helpful true-life stories to illustrate the content and give further inspiration.

I started putting the ideas in this book to practice only a few days ago (I just received it in the mail this past week) and have already gotten a handful of new names for my mailing list (which has been converted into a benefit-packed club), gotten a gig with a highly respected Chicago promoter and had a new photo shoot to help hone in on the image I'm trying to convey. I look forward to the continued results I will see from putting this book into practice. Kudos to Baker!
-Dani Deahl
www.danideahl.com
danideahl.vox.com

I expected more from this book. It is an easy read and does have some helpful pointers, but the author keeps repeating the same ideas in different ways from section to section and leaves much of the how to and who, up to the reader to search out. The cover proclaims "201 Self-Promotion Ideas" but it's more like 50 ideas presented in different ways. I realize that repetition is key in promotion, but I don't need so much of it in a book on the subject. Some Industry contact information is given, much of which are simple lists you can get on your own. I would have liked more insider contact information. The author does a great job at self-promoting but left me wanting a little more information on where and who to get help from. Sure the book is on self-promotion, but if you could do it yourself you wouldn't need any help. He gives many examples in the book, but I found myself wanting more details. If you are a beginner at self-promo this book will get you going. The author works on your self-motivation. For the more experienced reader you'll get few ideas and a lot of common sense talk that you probably already knew.

I'm sure Mr. Baker is a nice person, but his big skill is not conquering the music business, it's writing self help books & keeping himself employed.

I'm not that familiar with all this new internet marketing stuff, but most of Mr. Bakers suggestions are things people can come up with themselves. Mainly the author offers motivation, self help type positive affirmations.

The book is peppered with lists which repeat themselves endlessly & very little hard information!

After reading many different books on promotion and publicity for independent musicians, I*'ve grown skeptical toward what more a new book can offer. Generally, the books I've read don't offer information for the trenches. Instead, they offer a little lame commentary on the fact that you would get more publicity and promotion if you were signed to a major label, and perhaps they theorize on how an independent musician might make a little splash in the medi, but there is usually very little practical information. "Guerilla Music Marketing Hand Book..." has proven an exception to this trend, with concise chapters full of very practical tips on tweaking press kits and pitches for better effect when approaching media about promo and publicity. Highly recommended.

I'm more of a creative type person. This book will help you understand more of the business side of things. The book is also very well written.....not boring and clinical.

This book is essential to any musician needing to boost their career. Easy read and very informative.

The music business is one of the few industries that truly takes creativity and self-motivation to a whole new level. The Guerrilla Music Marketing Handbook is designed to help us starving musicians and other just-as-hungry industry people set the stage for being the best in areas that our competition is lacking - connecting with our fans and gaining new ones.

It's a cut-throat world. What are you doing to better your odds? I highly suggest not only reading this book, but also applying everything between the front and back covers of this book to how you do music business. Become the success story. Buy this book.

Guerrilla Music Marketing Handbook: 201 Self-Promotion Ideas for Songwriters, Musicians and Bands on a Budget (Revised & Updated)

and this one too:

Guerrilla Music Marketing, Encore Edition: 201 More Self-promotion Ideas, Tips and Tactics for Do-it-yourself Artists

A great read for not only DIY musicians, but anyone who makes a living in the Music Business, or who has an active interest in it.

This is a concise handbook with all the information that you would need to promote your band/music. Bob hasn't held anything back, he's sharing ALL the information and tricks that he's learnt. There's SO MUCH that you can be busy. He's also laid it out clearly and thoughtfully. Read from front to back or dip into the chapters you want to know about NOW. Thanks Bob!