Smart Promotion, Not Just 'Ngegas'

Illustration (Pixabay)

JAKARTA - There are many ways to promote a band or a work. Especially in the internet era like now. Social media are everywhere, allowing band boys to spread their songs to all corners of the world. However, there is one promo that caught my attention: asking for promotional photos using paper with the products to be sold or video testimonials to well-known people, which are then distributed on social networking accounts. This method has been done by many bands / soloists, especially those with close ties to well-known musicians or bands.

For newer bands who live in big cities like Jakarta, Bandung or Surabaya. Moreover, the personnel are members of a community of musicians who often do kopdar (ground coffee), hunting for video testimonials or photos from famous musicians or bands is not difficult. They don't even need to use paper that says 'shitty'. Enough capital to 'dare to speak' and sincerity to give CDs or merchandise to the artist in question, one of the marketing techniques involving this third person will be completed in just seconds.

For example, when metal band Prosatanica released their album Blades with Blood some time ago. Their guitarist, Adam Akbar, immediately distributed CDs and t-shirts to famous guitarists who happened to belong to the same musician community as himself. Not less than Ovy / rif, Vega Antares (Mahadewa), Coki Bollemeyer (NTRL), Gugun 'Gugun Blues Shelter', Denny Chasmala to Eet Sjahranie and Donnie Suhendra also congratulated and took pictures with CD album in hand or t-shirt on body. Once distributed on their social media accounts, the selling value of the album and t-shirt has more 'tagged'.

Irvan Borneo, Anji's accompanying session guitarist who has released two guitar-oriented solo albums: Lifeforce (2014) and Karindangan (2017), has also done the same, distributing CDs to well-known musicians he knows and asking the musicians to take pictures clutching his work. But Irvan's main goal was not to make his album sell well. Irvan wanted the musicians he admired to be willing to listen and give an assessment of his recorded work. The rest is reward.

The method used by these two musicians is the same, although they have different goals and of course different results. But of course, they are lucky to live in big cities - especially Jakarta - and make friends with well-known musicians. Although there is one special note for Irvan Borneo. This guitarist is actually quite famous - at least in the Indonesian music scene - even though he doesn't have a band with the 'big' category. Before becoming the guitarist for Anji's accompanying band, Irvan Borneo had taken part in the KLa Project album and several shows, became a solo part of one of the songs on Ari Lasso's solo album and became a mentor of Sony 'J-Rocks'.

So, what about the bands or musicians who live in the area? Who doesn't have a close relationship with famous musicians and doesn't have a chain path to get to the musician in question? It's actually easy. But of course, it still has to be precise calculations and not just select targets.

First, look for fellow bands / local musicians who have a higher level of popularity than ours. No need for prestige. Even though we are much older or our personal existence appears earlier than the band members. Then ask for video testimonials or promotional photos from these bands which are then shared on our social media accounts.

Second, if there are no famous bands in the area where we live, try jumping to a larger area. For example, if we live in a district scale area, we inevitably have to dig deeper into the existence of well-known bands at the district or municipality level. There must be. There's no way there isn't! Just open Facebook or Instagram, you will definitely find it.

The latter. If the hunt for a famous band is in order, try to direct your attention to local officials, music / art observers or local music / art figures who have high selling value. Sure, in every region there must be well-known traditional local artists, music observers and also regional officials such as village heads, sub-district heads, police chiefs, regents and mayors… There must be! And if you really have to. Ask for videos and photos of party people. But give a condition, they don't need to be part of the promotion!

This method is much more elegant than asking for promotional videos and photos from random people on the roadside on the grounds of 'viral origins', as some regional bands still do. There is nothing wrong with this. But if the goal is just viral, isn't spreading the song that is being promoted through social media more than enough? Except, the goal is just to be the prima donna at the sub-district level. This way of gasing is not a problem.