1. Don’t think that heavy marketing and aggressive promotion will be the solution to all your problems. Your music must be great. No amount of marketing will make people care about bad music.
2. Don’t be afraid to be different. Biting someone’s sound and style may get you noticed short term, but the artists who have a lasting affect are those who dare to stand out and create something new.
3. Don’t ignore your fans. Focus on building genuine relationships. Nothing beats word of mouth promotion.
4. Don’t underestimate the power of video. It doesn’t take a big budget to make an entertaining music video. A handycam, a little clever editing, and a creative idea can do wonders for a your songs.
5. Don’t contact blog owners, magazines, or DJs without knowing what their interests are. Do your homework! The more you know about them, the more impressed your contact will be with you.