The music industry is a very competitive business due to the millions of indie musicians and bands throughout the world trying to make it to the big time. Band Promotion is the key to succeeding in the music industry and it is often what makes or breaks a band. You have heard about how indie bands on YouTube, My Band Mate or MySpace Music can shoot to instant fame by posting a video or song that gets spread throughout the internet. But are you out there being proactive and promoting your indie music or just expecting people in the music industry to come to you?

What are the key elements to succeeding in the music industry?

Until you have made it "Big" you have little power or negotiating control over selling and promoting your music. By this I mean the big selling artists can demand a lot of money for their CDs, concerts, media appearances, interviews, live festival gigs and so on. For an unknown band you must be willing to distribute your music for free to as many music promoting outlets as you can. Early on in your musical career it's all about "Band Promotion" and being different from the millions of other musicians in the same boat. This is why you should upload your songs on these music networks for free so that you will gain more exposure. People won't part with their money to listen to a band they have never heard of before.

Be professional! Too often musicians shoot themselves in the foot by not responding to emails, phone calls, requests for free interviews, to perform at festivals for free, to donate a few CDs or promote their music on one of the free music networks. Remember, early on you need to be willing to get out there and do the hard work and not expect to get paid for it. Why? Because if you don't; there is a band right behind you willing to step in and take that opportunity from you. After all, it may only take one video, one song, one free festival performance or joining a one random music network for a music agent or promoter to discover you. And you must jump on any opportunity no matter how small to promote your music.

You must know your target market and audience! If you try to fit into multiple music genres or try to appeal to a wide variety of listeners you may just find yourself not striking gold in any! Country music for example is a tough category to break into. Country music fans are very loyal and know when a mainstream music performer is trying to "turn" country in order to reach a bigger audience. You just can't fool them. Some singers have tried and have been booed off stage.

Does your music fit into the rap, rock, country, ska, heavy metal or another genre? Master one genre first so that fans know where you stand. Would you want to go to a concert where a band is singing country one minute and then rock the next? Maybe, but you sure would get a more loyal audience if you were known as either a country or rock band. You also need to understand what demographic you appeal to in terms of age, gender and even lifestyle.

Before I go on too much further I need to state the obvious, but sometimes forgotten, fact that you need to enjoy being a musician and continue to have music as your passion. Once it just becomes business then you will burn out. Being on the road for long trips or tours and playing at various music venues will soon lose its "Fun factor" if you don't look forward to performing. Not every gig turns out the way you want it to but if you are consistent and play for fun then you and your band mates will have a good time.

Know where you want to go as a musician. Do you have any idea where you want to be in three years from now as a musician? Don't just say I want to sell lots of CDs and play to sell out crowds. You need to have a plan to get there and realise that you have to make it happen. As mentioned earlier; you need to be prepared to give away some of your songs for free and be ready to perform for small amounts of money. In this plan you need to understand all facets of the music industry and learn how each part is connected and that you need to work through the system. Have a step by step plan of gaining experience performing live, then write new songs, launch a CD, know how to market it, build a local fan base then try to build an international one and finally build relationships with key people in the music industry to help take you to the next level.

Read, talk to and learn from an experienced music industry professional about what is involved in producing a successful CD, how to promote it, how to design a stand-out CD cover, create eye catching posters, how to choose a band manager, how to market your music via the internet, which are the best online music networks to join, what band promoters are looking for, how much money you need up front to produce a CD or go on tour and so on.

Develop relationships with other bands and people in the music industry. "Networking" is a great way to build relationships that can turn into leads. Someone always knows someone else who in turn knows someone and so on. If you go at it alone in the music industry you will find it very difficult. Be willing to help others and in return they will help you. It's all about building relationships and promoting your music.

There is just so much to know; it's not hard but you just need to know the music industry and how it works if you plan on making it in a big way. If you only want to be a local band and play local gigs for fun then your job will be much easier. Word of mouth will be your greatest promotional asset in a small market.

Do you have an image problem? Do you have an image at all? You need to stand out from the crowd. Just look at this diverse group of successful musicians such as Kiss, U2, The Eagles, Shania Twain, AC/DC, Midnight Oil, The Doors, Michael Jackson, Madonna, The Beatles and you will see how they all portray a different image either in their music style, how they look, act or adapt to a changing world of music while maintaining their own "unique" image.

The road to success is not always easy. If you expect smooth sailing all the way then you will be in for one big surprise. You will likely face music venues that have the power in deciding when you play and when you don't play, band managers that forget to book certain events, CD launches that flop, band members who decide to leave at a vital point, internal band member conflicts, disagreements on the direction of the band, ups and downs in bookings, having writers block when it comes to writing new songs, playing to small crowds and sometimes big crowds and many more unexpected challenges that will arise throughout your music career. If you stay focused on your goal then you will learn to deal with these challenges as just minor hiccups and move on to be better and stronger.

Rock stars can lead a "Rock Star" lifestyle because they are just that, "Stars." Unfortunately, if you try to live this lifestyle before you have made it you will soon run out of money. You will likely have to work another job for money to supplement your music until it becomes a full time career. So the point here is to "budget." Yes it is an ugly word but an important one for an up and coming musician with lots of expenses. If you have long term goals to make music your career then you will likely be more disciplined in spending habits.

Finally, there are many ways to promote your music for free. As I have written in previous articles the internet is the best way to reach a global audience and achieve massive promotion for your band. You can promote yourself via a blog, your own website, submit free press releases, create a squidoo page, write articles with links to your site or simply join one of the top three music and band promotion sites such as YouTube, MySpace or MyBandMate.com and allow these networks to publicise your music to the world via their global audience.