Holiday Music Career Blues

It's that time of year again - the time when indie bands and labels almost grind to a halt. It's true that this time of year it can be hard to get a new release off the ground if you're a small label or band with a small budget - the major labels have this period on lockdown with with their "big bang" releases designed to cash in on the holiday shopping boom, and between writing about these releases, coming up with all of those end of the year "best of" lists, and taking a little down time of their own, the press hardly has the time to write about your new releases (let alone the space to run the story). That doesn't mean you have to crawl into bed and tell someone to wake you up when it is over. There are lots of things you can do as a band or a label to stay active and keep your fans interested in what you're up to. From making homemade, limited edition holiday singles to throwing a holiday party/gig for your fans, this is the time of year to get creative and have a little fun. Granted, these ideas aren't likely to generate enough income to cover your holiday shopping budget, but they WILL generate a lot of good will with your fans and at the same time they'll give you a unique story you can turn into media attention during these dark winter days - both of these things can be worth their weight in gold.

Related Articles:

• How to Make the Most of the Holidays
• How to Advance Your Gig