People hear your music with their eyes first.  Remember, the look matters.  Everything should be as polished and as professional as you can make it.

 

What do you have and what do you need?

Take a good look at your website, press kit, posters, cd covers and other promotional materials.  While it’s good to get feedback from friends, you should rely on feedback from professionals.  Remember, your friends who love you are going to be more like your mom, anything you do is great.  A professional will look at all of your materials differently.  They see from a professional marketing standpoint and can tell you what works and what doesn’t work and how something should be projected differently.

 

A good photographer is a strong resource.

When it comes to making these key creative decisions, you need your artistic photographer as a member of your team.  This person should be someone who’s very experienced, who thoroughly understands the unique business and marketing needs of musicians.  You don’t want to use a person who casually shoots bands and musicians alongside weddings, sporting events, or whatever else comes along.

A jack-of-all-trades photographer who’s spreading himself too thin might not be be able to provide the most laser-focused, customized experience and deliver images you can use to market yourself effectively.

Your promotional images need to be bold and attention-grabbing.  The best band photographers know how to make images jump off the page at you, and their work will speaks for itself. Don’t settle for anything less.

There are some excellent nc photographers out there.  You can google them, or ask fellow artists and musicians for recommendations.  Or, you just might be checking out someone else’s site and see art work that you like.

 

Can you afford it?

How serious you are about marketing yourself and your music will determine whether or not you can afford an excellent photographer.   Because if you are serious, then the cost won’t really matter that much and you will deal with it.