Indie Bands and SXSW: Three Things You Can Do To Be Remembered

This is the first of a few posts about my experience at South By Southwest in Austin.

I saw a bunch of different bands at SXSW. Every make, model, genre, and permutation of what could be concievably be called a “band”. Everything from polished radio-rock outfits to some guys hurriedly set up in the middle of the street with battery-powered amps, whatever your flavor is, it’s at SXSW.

Some of the bands did a great job at marketing themselves to the crowds, but those were very few and far between. Most made some critical mistakes that I wanted to outline. If your band ever gets the chance to play a festival-type gig, keep these things in mind.

1. Say Your Name! Say It! – If you don’t do anything else, do this. When you’re playing, say your band’s name every chance you get. More often than not, you’re only getting a person’s attention for 2, MAYBE three songs at the most. I saw at least 10 bands that I had no idea who they were because they NEVER SAID ANYTHING. (This means you, Frank and Derol!)

2. Let Me Leave With Something More Than A Memory – Send people away with something small, but that you’ll be remembered by easily. Sure, demo CDs are great, but not for music festival situations. I’ve already got my hands full updating Foursquare and texting people to find out where the next stop is, so it needs to be something I can fit in my pocket. If you’re a member of the Band Management Guide mailing list, I’ve got some ideas coming up for you soon that will catch people’s attention when it comes to handouts.

3. Don’t Be A Diva – You aren’t special. Everyone else is in line to see bands millions of times bigger than you, so be thankful and appreciative for the people who are listening…even if they’re just here for the free Shiner. You never know who might be in the crowd. Someone’s cousin/brother/neighbor might be that connection you need or that fanatic fan that gets you noticed. Before and after (especially after) your set, get out there and talk to people. Have a couple of friends who can take down your equipment, and get out and start squeezing some palms. Thank people for staying to listen to you, engage them in conversation, and most of all, mean it.

Do these three things, and I can almost guarantee you will be remembered by those who catch your show. There is no one better to sell yourself than YOU! Get out there and do it!