my idols, people like Pat Metheny and Chick Corea and Sonny Rollins–a jazzhead's
dream.
I got the inspiration to start Sonicbids as a direct result of my experiences as an agent.
Every week I was getting buried with press kits from many, many talented artists who
wanted to get booked by us, but we just could not afford to take on. So I thought—and
this was 1999 or so—"if you can trade stocks and buy books online, why can't you get a
gig or book a band using the web?
I quit my job, maxed out my credit cards, and launched Sonicbids on February 25,
2001."
The company’s mission statement is, “Our mission is to help create and empower an
Artistic Middle Class through the use of innovative technology.
We want Sonicbids to be a place where any band from any genre anywhere in the
world, can come to find and connect with any type of music promoter, licensor or con-
sumer brand—easily, effectively, and quickly.”
Sounds pretty good to me.
The take-away is that to be visible and ultimately successful, you must develop solid
media relationships. These should be authentic and helpful to writers, reporters and simi-
lar media people. Develop your list. Put together a killer press kit, make contact, write
engaging press releases and use the tools available to you. Find those outlets and services
that are a right fit for your band or solo act. Does it take time? You bet. But so does writ-
ing songs, rehearsing, prepping for performances and the likes.