Some musicians balk at, reject, refuse, or feel they shouldn't have to market themselves. Their notion of marketing is mostly abhorrent.
To me, this is marketing.
This is the brightly lit view of the entrance to Kramers, an iconic bookstore and cafe in Dupont Circle (DC). @kramers
The bright colors, the fresh new-book smell, the immaculately stacked paperbacks -- all in a small and cramped space -- the only thing missing is a warm, orange glow from a fireplace.
Every time I go to Kramers I say the same thing: "Now that is marketing." Immediately, I want to buy and read every book on the shelves.
Marketing isn't selling, showing off, or boasting.
Marketing is creating a feeling-- one you generate, and the feeling you inspire your audience to feel.
Marketing is you being authentic, true to yourself, and being who you are. And knowing that's all you have to do to market yourself painlessly.
What feelings are you feeling, and what is your audience feeling, when you walk on stage, when you perform, when you bow, and when you walk off the stage?
In the concert halls where the audience sits behind the stage, and the soloist or orchestra turns around and acknowledges that audience.
Have you ever noticed how the behind-stage audience responds to this gesture? They clap a little faster, they "bravo" a little louder, and their faces light up exuberantly.
