Tips on promoting a (charity) gig - Queens of Noise at the Crypt, London

WaitForItDrummer

Senior Member
Hi folks,
Been away for a while, lots going on with various projects, Grade 3 Trinity College London drum exams passed :), new fusion project stating up (yeay), been going to regular jazz jams, (+full time job...)

But! Wonder if I could pick your brains about how to promote a charity gig?

So we're organising this charity gig (3 bands) Sat 2 May, Islington, London...
Have done all the sensible things like set up and shared just giving and fb pages, let friends and family know, tweeted about it, ... Etc... Got some posters printed... But it feels like it's just not getting as much traction as it should...

It's an awesome venue, too.. A crypt under a church converted to studios / performance space...

https://www.justgiving.com/thequeensofnoise/

https://www.facebook.com/queensofnoiseatthecrypt


Does anyone have any tips on how to promote this further?

Any thoughts wil be much appreciated...

Those of you in the London area, pls consider checking it out :) plus any likes would be much appreciated, even if you're not in the UK.

Cheers,

Kate
 

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Around here people hold a big sign, stand at the side of the road and move around. It brings customers into the pizza restaurants, maybe it works for gigs too.
 
I've just liked the FB page, but you're right, 24 "likes" is no traction at all.

Try sending an email & links to Gemma Hill. She's the new editor of Drummer Magazine. i'm not sure if you're too late to get a piece in next month's magazine, but you might be able to get something in iDrum, & I'm pretty sure Gemma will be able to get you featured in drummer Magazine social media & possibly subscriber email shots too. It's worth a try. The event is obviously drummer fronted & female drummer too, so I'm thinking Gemma will be all over this :)

[email protected]

Hope this helps :)
 
If it is a registered charity, ALL local newspapers, BBC Local radio and television, (Although I hate the BBC) independant local radio and television.

Send a press pack to each of these (electronic and physical with signed for postage), keep track of who replies with interest, who declines and who ignores you.

One week before the gig, go to The Sun and give them the exclusive to who is, and isn't, supporting local charities.


It's a bit of effort, and can be time consuming: But it won't kill you, give you aids or make you pregnant. But it WILL highlight the gig.
 
I've just liked the FB page, but you're right, 24 "likes" is no traction at all.

Try sending an email & links to Gemma Hill. She's the new editor of Drummer Magazine. i'm not sure if you're too late to get a piece in next month's magazine, but you might be able to get something in iDrum, & I'm pretty sure Gemma will be able to get you featured in drummer Magazine social media & possibly subscriber email shots too. It's worth a try. The event is obviously drummer fronted & female drummer too, so I'm thinking Gemma will be all over this :)

[email protected]

Hope this helps :)

Thanks, Andy! That's an awesome idea! :)
Will do.
 
If it is a registered charity, ALL local newspapers, BBC Local radio and television, (Although I hate the BBC) independant local radio and television.

Send a press pack to each of these (electronic and physical with signed for postage), keep track of who replies with interest, who declines and who ignores you.

One week before the gig, go to The Sun and give them the exclusive to who is, and isn't, supporting local charities.


It's a bit of effort, and can be time consuming: But it won't kill you, give you aids or make you pregnant. But it WILL highlight the gig.

Thanks, gaz, yes, it's a registered charity, Save the Children.

I'll look into doing this, run it by the other organisers...

Cheers!
Kate
 
If it is a registered charity, ALL local newspapers, BBC Local radio and television, (Although I hate the BBC) independant local radio and television.

Send a press pack to each of these (electronic and physical with signed for postage), keep track of who replies with interest, who declines and who ignores you.

One week before the gig, go to The Sun and give them the exclusive to who is, and isn't, supporting local charities.


It's a bit of effort, and can be time consuming: But it won't kill you, give you aids or make you pregnant. But it WILL highlight the gig.

I'm afraid to say BBC local radio and TV aren't interested in local charity attempts, and The Sun certainly aren't.
 
I'm afraid to say BBC local radio and TV aren't interested in local charity attempts, and The Sun certainly aren't.



Coming from Wigan and trying to promote bands in the 1980's with TW's help, I understand your cynicism mate, I really do as I understand nothing has changed.

But TAA it right, and mention something in the 'big smoke' in an election year and you'll rattle enough cages.


Unfortunately, as when I worked in the US with LA & NYC, in the UK 'nothing' happens outside London except by accident. And it is an accident. But this is something being run in London.

And, no the BBC local radio and TV wouldn't be interested in the NW unless you were a paraplegic, immigrant, single mother with a life threatening illness and threat of execution if you returned to your country of origin and were living in a church as you are about to be deported. You may gather, from previous experience, I do not like the organisation that is the BBC.
 
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Does anyone have any tips on how to promote this further?

Cheers,

Kate

Me and friends will like on facebook.

Been there, tried it, and done it. It's thankless. People at large really aren't interested in supporting small local charity endeavours. You will find a small body of amazingly generous people who are really the best of the best, but sadly you'll find that the overwhelming majority want to wear stupid red noses or ubiquitous poppies to self promote their charitable efforts. You'll also find the people who don't support you to be very revealing. I've been in situ where I work for 20 odd years, and this was the first time I'd ever asked for 'sponsorship' from the people I work with. Yet I'd sponsored every poxy little endeavour their kids ever got involved in. Number of people who contributed to my Help the Heroes from an office of 12....ZERO. Number who contributed from a global organisation of 65,000 (SIXTY FIVE THOUSAND!!!!!!) people.....6

It seriously made me realign my attitude to donating in the future. I now have DDs set up for my favourite charities and if anyone in the office ever asks me to help them out I tell them to piss off.

Local media is your friend. Find every local radio station and newspaper for miles around. They will give you some support. Send some demo CDs to them. Get you and the bands in front of them for interviews, etc. etc. BBC = valuable time wasted. They're not remotely interested in this kind of charity. It does nothing to further the Corporations' interests. Which is the only MO they have. I'm not saying don't try, but just don't expect anything of them.

Swamp the local area with high quality flyers... especially every shop. Shops will generally allow you to put a poster on their front window given that it's for charity.

A bit more left field, get yourselves some large posters printed (on paper...not high quality glossy paper), showing loud and noisily how it's for charity and go out late at night with a bucket of wallpaper paste and flypost those posters in those poster advertising areas which you see dotted around.

You may receive a letter from the people who own the advertising space to cease and desist by which time you've already had your free advertising so you just go pull them down. If anyone cuts up rough, plead ignorance and explain how you just trying your best for charity. Note thought that this can theoretically get you into trouble, so perhaps one for the more rebellious.

Don't be disappointed if you don't have many turning up...it's not just about that, it's about people donating on your contribution site also...so make sure on everything you do that the website is clear and highlighted. Even if people support the charity, they won't go listen to music they don't like whether it's for charity or not...but they may still contribute.

Find out whether there are other charities whose aims are the same as yours. If there are, seek their help also. They might gladly link up with you to help you. They will certainly be able to give you good, free advice.

Try to get yourself a patron figure to give you a louder voice. He or she will have additional routes to widen the arc. You'd need to do homework on this. But at least ask the other charities mentioned above. For example, a lot of the characters from Coronation Street are patrons of various charities around Manchester....if I were running a gig for an animal charity I'd find out who the patrons of said animal charities are and write or call them.
 
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Coming from Wigan and trying to promote bands in the 1980's with TW's help, I understand your cynicism mate, I really do as I understand nothing has changed.

But TTA it right, and mention something in the 'big smoke' in an election year and you'll rattle enough cages.


Unfortunately, as when I worked in the US with LA & NYC, in the UK 'nothing' happens outside London except by accident. And it is an accident. But this is something being run in London.

And, no the BBC local radio and TV wouldn't be interested in the NW unless you were a paraplegic, immigrant, single mother with a life threatening illness and threat of execution if you returned to your country of origin and were living in a church as you are about to be deported. You may gather, from previous experience, I do not like the organisation that is the BBC.

Me neither. Not a fan of PBC (Paedophile Broadcasting Corporation) at all I'm afraid.

Things have changed slightly...they're now Headquartered at Media City in Manchester. So a lot of the focus is now on the North, rather than London. When Manchester Dogs Home burnt down recently the coverage from the BBC was astonishing....it wouldn't have got a sniff 5 years back.

And issues are reported from a Manchester perspective far more these days...it's weird. It really is. You'd think they were their to serve their own ends rather than the people who pay their licence fees !!

But generally, local charities would get more support from a dead fish.
 
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Me neither. Not a fan of PBC (Paedophile Broadcasting Corporation) at all I'm afraid.

Things have changed slightly...they're now Headquartered at Media City in Manchester. So a lot of the focus is now on the North, rather than London. When Manchester Dogs Home burnt down recently the coverage from the BBC was astonishing....it wouldn't have got a sniff 5 years back.

And issues are reported from a Manchester perspective far more these days...it's weird. It really is. You'd think they were their to serve their own ends rather than the people who pay their licence fees !!

But generally, local charities would get more support from a dead fish.


Thats interesting, from what I remember most of the six figure tax-payer paid
wasters wouldn't be seen dead north of Hillingdon.
 
Thanks for ideas and experiences, SquadLeader! Sounds like you've tried this before and has had its challenges...

Very good idea about local media, though - will look into that.

Cheers, for sharing!
 
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Thanks for ideas and experiences, SquadLeader! Sounds like you've tried this before and has had it's challenges...

Very good idea about local media, though - will look into that.

Cheers, for sharing!

Ya...

Still, we'd do it all again and in fact are talking of doing exactly that later in the year/2016

Just don't get down if the actual gig turns into a bands playing for other bands and their audience type of gig (it's what happened at ours). That's more a reflection of people's attitudes to live music and original bands, than your charity.

Anything you add to the charity's coffers is massive.

Good luck with it mate.
 
Cool, just liked the page and if I'm in town that weekend I'll also pop along to watch.

I'd recommend setting up a twitter page if you haven't already. Also a good way to promote.
 
Cool, just liked the page and if I'm in town that weekend I'll also pop along to watch.

I'd recommend setting up a twitter page if you haven't already. Also a good way to promote.

Cheers, Juniper. Hopefully see you there.
We're promoting it through an existing (other) twitter page that already has 10k followers...
But I'm debating wether setting up a new twitter page would also be good ...
Might do.
 
I've just liked the FB page, but you're right, 24 "likes" is no traction at all.

Try sending an email & links to Gemma Hill. She's the new editor of Drummer Magazine.

Hope this helps :)

Hi Andy,
Just wanted to say thanks again for this tip. Gemma said she'll put it on their website and social media sites - which is awesome. And also suggested I contact Mindy Abovitz of Tom Tom Magazine - also done.
So thanks again, great tip.
You da man.
K.
 
Hi Andy,
Just wanted to say thanks again for this tip. Gemma said she'll put it on their website and social media sites - which is awesome. And also suggested I contact Mindy Abovitz of Tom Tom Magazine - also done.
So thanks again, great tip.
You da man.
K.
No problem, glad I could help. I forgot to mention Mindy - good call, great publication :)
 
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