5. Placing ads or pop ups on your website. You're really pretty lucky to get someone there. Even if you've got a nifty pop up to remind someone they can buy a ringtone of your song or a tee shirt with your name on it, it's annoying. Just... don't.
4. Flooding myspace with shameless bulletins. It's great to send out bulletins to let people know what you are doing (especially if you are actually doing something), but sending out 10 meaningless plugs a day will probably just get you deleted from someone's friend list. Maybe you feel that this is okay because you have 30 thousand other friends, because you spend 4 hours a day requesting new people. No. Probably the first people who will delete you for spamming are the people who were paying attention and/or checking their profile. They may have even been the only ones who read your stuff or had a mild interest in your music. Remember, people mostly use social networks like myspace for either talking to their friends or promoting themselves, but hardly anyone just wants to be promoted to. Getting your band even just 50 local friends and taking a more personal, honest approach will get more people listening and attending your gigs than 30 thousand who don't know you, don't care, and are probably just looking to promote themselves to you!
3. Creating a ficticious entity (label/productions) to make yourself sound more professional or impressive. Don't get me wrong here, because anyone who really wishes to have an indie label or production company should totally do so. However, inventing a false entity simply to make your band look more professional is bad practice for a number of reasons. First and foremost, you will fool no one! Doing so is insulting to potential fans, and may actually cost you a potential gig! Club/bar owners don't want a poser, and they can immediately distinguish fluff from substance. Believe me. You'll only impress yourself. Even if you are considering starting your own label or productions, but have really only gotten as far as the name, consider leaving the entity 'name drop' off of your promo materials until it means a little something more.
2. Being dishonest about your experience. You would just be setting yourself up to be compared with more experienced bands instead of ones that are closer to your level. Besides, why create an expectation that you are not sure you can meet? And although a high estimate is usually okay, don't over exaggerate crowd draws to venues. If you can't live up to the hype, they may not want you back.
1. Trying to be all things for all people. This is a tough one, because I think it is nice to have music (and an image) that anyone can feel a connection to, but you need to be yourself, and you need to leave yourself artist freedom. Don't let others define your music for you! They will trap you into a more generic version of your music that is only fun for them. A ballsy and accurate show poster may put a few people off, but maybe that is the same feature that draws in the ones that count. Any artwork should be a good visual interpretation of your sound. Anything written should be a an accurate literary reflection of your sound. Your sound should be an accurate representation of you! When famous musicians break this guideline, it is often for money (and some would call it selling out). They make money, they lose their edge, they lose their fans, and they lose their integrity. Mind you, I wouldn't call it selling out when it isn't for large sums of money. I would call it a timid compromise amidst the pursuit of a better musical day. And this is exactly what makes it so scary. You don't have to be an asshole to do this. And this is the only one that transcends all levels of musical experience equally. Depending on the situation, the compromises and rewards change, but the result is always the same: You've given up control of how your art is communicated, and it will effect your music.
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