Visual Music Part 1

    As a musician you  may think the visual component of music doesn’t concern you beyond your stage clothes but there is much, much more to be considered. Not only the bands’ or the labels’ look and style helps to solidify a local scene into a national movement but also the clubs from which that scene grows.
    A problem with Los Angeles is that because it is the home to the entertainment industry and with so many major labels it attracts bands from all over the country, and the world, who come here to be discovered and thus dilute the local music scene. There are many similar products being sold in supermarkets every day yet many of them sell despite the fact that they are all very much the same. Yet with bands, their potential audiences seem to be overwhelmed with the vast variety and end up leaving the store frustrated and empty handed. Please forgive the analogy of rock bands to supermarket products but the problems of selling a product or attracting an audience are basically the same. The solution is to develop a brand name. People buy that which they know. Now we’re not suggesting spending big bucks to hire an expensive publicist so that the next time someone is reading the Rock City News looking for a fun gig to see they’ll already know your name and therefore feel saver taking a chance on your show rather than someone they’ve never heard of before. We are suggesting you align yourself with a particular musical scene, visually. Naturally, you’ve already chosen a genre in which to express yourself but most of the time your band name alone won’t give enough of an indication of what you’re about. A name that is too specific to a particular genre, say, The Metal Death Gods, will make you seem too cliche, too derivative and when that particular genre fades from style you’ll be viewed as passe. But you can develop your band brand with your art and graphics that  tie you into a particular musical genre and your name, songs and sound will stand as independent so that when you want to change styles you won’t have to change your name, songs or sound but merely your art design.

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