But they are also right, you can't sell 20,000 CDs by yourself. The good news is it's fairly easy to get some help, if you can master the art of music promotion.

So what exactly is music promotion? Many musicians think music promotion is just handing out a bunch of flyers to get people to come see them play. That's a part of music promotion, the one most bands see and take part in, but it's only the beginning.

Music promotion is all about having a sound but evolving strategy, There is no "To Do" list that can tell you all the steps to take, but in this For the Record, we will give you some music promotion ideas that work, as well as teach you how to come up with some ideas of your own.

Street Hustle

Street promotion is probably the one area of music promotion that all bands participate in. It is music promotion in its purist form. But what if you live in an area where there are no music-targeted high traffic locations?

To solve that problem, your going to need to think outside the box. Just because no-one has thought of a solution to a problem doesn't mean there isn't a solution out there. Here is an example of a band using their heads to solve a music promotion problem. "Omaha has a lot of people who go out to see bands, but there really isn't a good downtown type area to flyer," said singer Dan Halford.

"We started thinking about all the places people who liked our band went to. Since we play country music, we went to stores that sold western clothes and stuck flyers for our band into the back pockets of the jeans they sold. I talked to several people at our next show who said they bought jeans with our flyer in the back pocket and that's why they came to check us out."

By thinking outside the box and using a little common sense, Dan came up with a unique style of music promotion. It wasn't complicated and didn't require a huge time investment, but it did target his specific audience.

Now unlike Dan's situation, most music scenes have an area where you can hand out flyers, hang posters, etc. The problem is your not the only band trying to promote yourself. Every street pole has 20-30 layers of posters on them already and the people have been handed flyers so often, most refuse to accept any more.

Again you need to think outside the box and try to come up with a unique solution to this music promotion problem. "We are a scary looking bunch of guys, long hair, tattoos, rings, piercing - we're not someone people seem to want to talk to on the street" said Drummer Dusty Ranger of the band Dead Ringers. "We needed some help with our music promotion, so I got my girlfriend and her friends to do it for us. It was amazing, people would stop and wait in line to get a flyer. They started asking the girls questions about the band and who would be at the show. I saw about 20 new people at the next show that had chatted the girls up when they got our flyer".

Granted using pretty girls to help pass along a message is hardly groundbreaking music promotion, but it does allow us to look at another aspect of music promotion and how it relates to human nature. For as long as there have been organized events, people have wanted to be a part of something. Take sports for example, fans live and die with their teams. They are passionate (Sometimes too much so) about "their" team and "their" players. To sum it up, they feel like "they" are a part of the team.

I have been involved in over 3,000 shows, from small clubs to arenas. One of the traits I have noticed among bands who seem to have real passionate and loyal fans is the sense of ownership those fans feel for the band. Almost 100% of the time you can track that passion back to a personal experience or connection the fan had with one or more of the band members. People want to be the first one of their friends to "discover" this "new" band - to tell their friends about this amazing band they saw, then "hung out with backstage".

So next time you get done playing, instead of ducking outside to smoke a j, or heading backstage to drink a cold one and bask in your recent glory - go out into the crowd and TALK to the people who just watched your set. Actively engaging your fans personally is one of the best forms of music promotion there is.

Tim Sweeney of Music Strategies is a music consultant to the major labels and has been asked to "tutor" many major label acts in music promotion. One of the first things Tim will tell an up and coming band is to exit off the front of the stage immediately after their set and start talking to the people in the audience.

Think about it from a fans perspective. Lets say you are at a big concert to see your favorite, uber-successful band perform in front of 10,000 people. You get there early to get a good spot and end up seeing the opening act, Muddle of Pudd who blows you away. After they finish their set, you start talking to the people who came with you to the show. All of a sudden, the lead singer jumps off the stage right in front of you, "Hey im Johnny YaYa from Muddle of Pudd. Are you guys having a good time?"

How much more likely are you going to go buy Johnny's CD now? You liked his music, and now the guy is taking the time to talk to you about it and shows interest in what you thought. Most people will not only buy a CD, they will tell all of their friends about the experience and how they have to check out the band. They don't feel like the band is looking for music promotion, they just know they spent some one on one time with the band.

The simple fact of the matter is people are far more likely to buy your CD if they know a bit about you. Even more-so if they feel as if they have a personal connection with you. Not only do they feel closer to the band, they will want to show off their connection with the band to their friends. "Hey dude check out this band I saw at the blank club last weekend" as they pop in the CD they bought. For you its music promotion, for them it's a memorable experience with the band. You get a loyal fan, they get a connection to a band - everyone is a winner. No-one said music promotion had to be hard work.

So the next time you get finished playing, go and introduce yourself to the people who seemed to be enjoying the music. Be sincere and get to know them for a few moments. If they seem to be into the band, ask them if they have a CD or are on your mailing list. If they don't have a CD or aren't on your mailing list, escort them YOURSELF to your merchandise table - don't just point them in the right direction. Make sure they sign up for your mailing list so you can get them out to your next show. If you know where and when the show is, tell them about it and why it will be a good show to come to. If you have a flyer, make sure to give it to them. If you have a solid connection with the person, you may luck out and have them ask for some additional flyers for their friends. Music promotion, like all things, is all about timing.

You should try to talk to a few new people right after you play every time you play. A passionate fan who thinks of you as a friend can do a fantastic job at music promotion for you. This is actually the best type of music promotion there is - where other people are promoting your band for you. If you do it consistently at every gig, you will notice a few more CDs sold and people attending each show. If all of the band members use this strategy of music promotion you will notice an even bigger jump in CD sales.

I have seen bands implement this strategy and double the number of CDs they sell immediately. They don't feel like they are working when they engage in music promotion - they feel like they are connecting with their fans through their music. Isn't that why you started playing in the first place?

Since music promotion is such a complex task, next month's For the Record will continue looking at music promotion and how independent artists can use it to their advantage. Till then, get out and talk to your fans and see what happens.