Music Promotion
Twenty years of promoting an independent band went into these guides, from the sticker-and-flyer era to the algorithm era. The tactics change; the math of turning strangers into fans one at a time does not. Start with the 2026 playbook, then the first-100-fans piece if you are early.
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Merch That Actually Sells: What to Stock Before Your First Tour
The honest merch table hierarchy for a new band: what sells reliably, what looks cool but sits in the box, and how much inventory to actually bring.
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The Superfan Ladder: Turning Casual Listeners Into People Who Buy Anything You Make
A practical map of the steps between 'heard your song once' and 'preordered the vinyl before hearing it,' and what to actually build at each rung.
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Sync Licensing for Indie Bands: How Our Songs Ended Up in School of Rock (and Kept Paying)
How music actually gets placed in film, TV, and ads, from a band that's been in a Jack Black movie, MTV shows, and a national commercial. The real pipeline, the real money.
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The Band Email List Stack: From Merch Table Clipboard to Send Button
The exact toolchain for building and running a band email list: capture at shows, a free-tier provider, a welcome email, and a sending rhythm you'll actually keep.
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Your First 100 Fans: The Unglamorous Playbook That Actually Works
Forget going viral. Here's how a new band gets its first hundred real fans: people who show up, buy things, and bring friends. Field-tested since the flyer era.
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That Time Our Band Was in a Mountain Dew Commercial (and I Got Mistaken for a Blues Legend)
A true story about saying yes to weird opportunities: a Macy Gray commercial, fifteen years of residual checks, and a case of mistaken identity on The Gear Page.
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Stickers, Flyers, and a Newsletter: The Unsexy Promotion That Kept Our Band Working for 20 Years
A case study from Evil Jake: the three analog promotion tools that outlasted every platform, algorithm, and trend since 2004, and how to run them today.
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How to Promote Your Music in 2026: The Independent Artist's Playbook
A no-hype promotion plan for independent musicians: release strategy, playlisting without payola, short-form video, email lists, and what to skip.