Go ahead and try to elevate your selfie game to Prince's. (Image via cnn.com)
A version of this article originally appeared on The DIY Musician Blog.
Pictures are super important online (which I'm sure is no big revelation to you). They convey a ton of information and feeling in a tiny amount of space. So they're one of the best tools you have for getting people interested in your world (and your music), and probably the best tool besides the music itself for keeping fans interested. When someone loves your music, they want to get a glimpse into many different aspects of your creative life – so give it to them!
Here are just some of the many kind of pictures you can share with your fans:
- shots of you performing live (or of other bands performing)
- press photos
- pictures of you during soundcheck, backstage, or of your band name on the marquee outside the club before the show
- album covers
- concert posters
- "gear porn" (photos of your instruments, microphones, etc.)
- scenes from tour (a sunset, favorite food cart, etc.)
- behind-the-scenes shots (your band during a late-night writing session, shooting a music video, setting up equipment at your practice space, etc.)
- stills from music videos which link to your website's video gallery or YouTube
- fan photos and crowd shots (pictures you take of them, and pictures they take of you)
- photos of your band recording
- new merch items
- a shot of you eating Taco Bell in the tour van
- a creepy close-up of you licking the envelopes before you mail off your press packages
- in-studio shots during an interview at a radio station
- screenshot of your website (when newly designed)
- screenshot of a positive review on a blog or scanned from a print publication
- band logos
- a picture of a college radio chart with your band's song highlighted in yellow
- something that captures the mundane, blah, routine, bookkeeping, or busy work behind making music
You get the point: anything that's related to your music-making endeavors, get it on camera!
You don't always have to post something online, but at least you'll have options. Go through the camera roll on your phone once you've finished shooting pictures, and if there's anything that looks interesting, fun, mysterious, or crazy, share it!
Chris Robley is an indie-pop songwriter whose music has been praised by the LA Times, NPR, the Boston Globe, and more. His poems have been published or are forthcoming in Poetry magazine, Prairie Schooner, Boulevard, and others. Robley is also the editor of CD Baby's DIY Musician Blog.