In this crazy music business we all love so much, we always need to be searching for whatever we can to give us an edge in the marketplace, something that will get us a little more attention. We need to create a "buzz" and make people start talking about us. The question is how do we do that?

To create a buzz, you need to make people start talking about you, your music or your live show. Something that will arouse curiosity in the people that are not yet in your circle of fans. Remember the old rumor about Paul McCartney being dead? What about when everyone was trying to figure out who the guys were behind the paint in Kiss? Then there was the one about Ozzy biting off the head of a bat during his show. All of these things created a buzz. Doesn't even really matter if the event even took place or not as long as people were constantly talking to others about it. That is the best publicity you can get!!

Let's take a look at this scenario. There was a cell phone company that was getting ready to introduce to the market a new phone that would not only take a picture but would allow users to send it to another right from the phone. Before it hit the market, the company set up couples that pretended to be tourists in New York and gave them a phone. They would randomly stop passersby on the street and ask them to take their picture in front of a landmark. After thanking them they would talk to each other about sending the picture to mom or Grandpa right then and there. What do you think happened? Well obviously the passersby went back to the office, home or wherever their destination and told everyone they knew about the cool new phone. Before you knew it, everyone was talking about it. Presto! Instant demand!

Now although that story has nothing at all to do with music, it illustrates my point. They created a "buzz" about their product before they ever released it to the market and it worked beautifully. The best thing was that it cost nothing to implement! However, you must remember this.......It must be used in such a way that folks don't realize it is a marketing campaign or it will never work!

What can you do, as an artist, to create a buzz about your latest CD? Something subtle so as not to tip folks off that it is a marketing strategy yet something that will arouse their curiosity. Something that will make people excited to tell others about it and will ultimately get you more attention. I once sang on the roof of a large building on main street in my town while raising money for a charity. Talk about getting attention!!

Put your thinking cap on and be creative. Think outside the box for a bit. Think about the resources you already have available to you. Utilize the expertise from people already in your circle of friends. Think about things that others have done that you remember from your own experience that have got you talking. Word of mouth is the best publicity you can get!!

About the author: Scott is a musician, songwriter and partner in the "Indie World" website at http://indieworld.fireskyproductions.com