As an independent artist, follow through is everything. And you can’t rely on anyone to do it for you. Now that you’ve created awareness about your brand and made the right connections with influencers, it’s time to ask for the sale. Ask the booking agent for a weekend slot, ask your new connection for a strategic partnership, ask a corporate executive for company sponsorship. Ultimately, ask for what you want. You might be surprised at how far it gets you.

There are three audiences to consider when asking for the sale: your fans, the media and other potential business partnerships. Let’s take a look at each of them.

Fans: If you’ve been keeping your fans up-to-date about the progress of your album or the dates of your upcoming tour, they won’t be at all surprised when you ask them to buy the CD or buy the ticket. Bottom line: if they knew it was coming, your fans won’t be surprised when you ask, “have you heard my new cd?” Or “do you have tickets to my show?”

If you’re completely new to the market, you can consider offering a free download of one of your songs so fans can become familiar with your sound. You can also consider streaming your entire album so fans can listen to the whole thing, and if they like it, provide links on your website that make it easy for them to buy it.

Media: It’s not easy to penetrate certain media outlets but the key is to be concise and ask for what you want: “I thought you’d like to know that my album is coming out on May 12^th, 2011. I hope you’ll consider it for review.”

Consider the publication, as well. Is your album similar to something you’d see in their pages? Are you a good fit for this media outlet? Are you contacting the appropriate writer? There are ins and outs galore when it comes to dealing with the media, but when asking for the sale, be as clear and up front as possible. They don’t have a lot of time to waste so get right to the point.

Business partnerships: As an independent artist, a great way to gain exposure is through cross marketing with another, well-established brand that aligns with your image. When asking for this type of sale, be prepared to explain why you’re a good fit to partner and what the company will get out of a partnership with you. Be as detailed as possible and explain the benefits to them as clearly and concisely as possible.

Have you had success asking for a sale? Do you have any pointers to share?

Up next: Living your dream: interviews with musicians that are doing what they love.

The SongCast Crew

Songcast on Facebook
Songcast on Twitter