The Artist Development part of the First Front includes fundamental issues that are the basis of your music career. These are the same issues a professional record label would consider when they’re deciding to sign an artist or band. It’s your job, more and more these days, to develop your own career creatively and in a professional manner. 

The Product Development part of the First Front includes those areas that are directly involved with recording and selling your music, such as:

• Marketing and sales plans
• Home and/orProfessional recording studios; producers, engineers
• Graphic design and printing for CDs
• Traditional distribution and sales: research and contacts
• Retail options: chain stores, mass merchandisers, mom-and-pop stores, misc. other retailers
• Distributor options: one-stops, independent distributors, rackjobbers
• Internet sales and distribution, mail order
• Website design and creation
• Live show sales

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 Publicity Front is about getting your music talked about in the media and by your fans. Publicity creates opportunities for music fans to read or see reviews, interviews, and feature stories about your music in print or on the radio, TV, or on Internet sites. The key issues included in the Publicity Front are:

• Print media research: magazines, newspapers

• Broadcast media: radio and TV; website interviews and blogs; reviews, interviews, stories, and intensive Social Networking via, Twitter, Facebook, Linked-in, et al.

• Creating broadcast, print, and Internet contact lists

• Publicity and public relations plans, both online and in traditional ways

• Analog and electronic promo kits: (All of the issues listed here can and should be created both in traditional ways and posted on your website and other Internet related services)
       -   Bios
       -   Fact sheets
       -   Photos
       -   Press clips and quote sheets
       -   Press releases

• Press relationships: publisher, editor, writer/blogger issues

• Social Networking with fans (Twitter/ Facebook et al)

• Advertising options and choices (Note: publicity is free, but advertising is paid for.)

Publicity Clips

Digital Interviews/Profiles

Content Release Campaigns

Intensive Social Media Outreach

Promotion equals airplay. Airplay is how most people hear new music for the first time. It’s the business of securing broadcast support for your record. This is the Front that record labels rely on to hopefully secure a hit record. Radio airplay is still the most effective exposure to get for your music; it’s also the most difficult to secure for independent artists.

Key Promotion Front issues are:

• Radio airplay: format selection
• Station research: commercial, non-commercial, Internet, and satellite radio stations
• Creating stationcontact lists
• Promotion tactics and strategies
• Program and music director relationships
• Independent radio promotion
• Video: (YouTube, Vevo, etc,)
• Tracking airplay on the charts

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For most styles of popular music, the live Performance Front is the foundation for developing a fan base and it's an important part of marketing and selling recorded music. The key areas of the Performance Front are:

• Live show venues: clubs, halls, fairs, festivals, etc.

• Venue research: creating venue contact lists

• Booking agents and concert promoters: roles and relationships

• Live performance and live concert contracts

• Internet: plans for streaming concerts, downloading concerts, misc. web live music ops.

• Lighting, sound, and equipment needs

• Tours: planning, tour coordination, concert promotions

• Road managers, roadies, and life on the road

• Touring as marketing: radio, press, and retail opportunities

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