The OOTBlog

Music Marketing Resources: How to Run a Band

If you’re the business manager or president of an a cappella group, you know that running a successful group is only partly about making great music - it’s also about financing and marketing a small business. This is a series of posts highlighting our favorite music marketing resources.

How to Run a Band (howtorunaband.com)

How to Run a Band is a blog by musician Chris “Seth” Jackson, where he documents his band’s experiments in getting their music out there, growing their fan base and making a little money along the way.

I love this blog because of its emphasis on practical, immediately applicable tips. I can’t emphasize enough how plain useful a lot of his insights are. Although the blog is geared towards bands, lots of the suggestions are easily applicable to a cappella groups. Some great ones:

25 Things Your Band Can Sell at Shows and Your Website: Other than shirts and CDs, what does your a cappella group sell at it’s merch table? Here’re suggestions for more kinds of swag.
No One Will Remember Your Band: 10 Ways to Stop Being Forgettable: You did it! You have a great opportunity to perform in front of lots of people at a really popular hangout or a cappella festival. How do ensure that you aren’t “just another a cappella group”?
Need Better Shows? Start with Other Bands: Most groups make the majority of their income from gigs. Here’re tips for getting better shows.
20 Easy Ways to Have FUN and Get More Fans!: It’s easy to get caught up in the BOCA-submitting and the ICCA-competing. How can you help your group maintain the same sense of joy that got them interested in singing in the first place?
10 Ideas to Promote Your Show In a Different City: Tours are a great way to bring your music to new places, but how do you get the word out in a place you’ve never been to before?

— Emmanuel

Curious to know more about Yale Out of the Blue? Sign up for our mailing list or ask us a question!