A street team is a group of individuals who are dedicated to promoting a band or a gig / event for a band. Most of the time street teams are made up of friends of band members who go out and publicize or advertise for the band in return for a “shout out” at a gig.
On a more professional level.
And by professional i mean better funded, bands have a section of their web page dedicated to the street team. In this section the members will find information about upcoming shows, cd release dates, whats going on in the studio, when the new merchandise is scheduled to hit the streets etc….basic insider information about the immediate to not so distant future plans of the band. They will use this information to create a buzz about the band in the weeks prior to the upcoming event. In return the street team members not only get all the news before anyone else, they also get first crack at hearing new material. For example if a band is unsure about something in the song and records two versions of it he can allow the street team to give input as to what the liked or didn’t like about the various versions.
Some things a street team does:
- promote upcoming shows or event
- hands out fliers about the band in the weeks prior to a major show
- sell advance tickets to shows
- sell advance copies of the new cd
- post on bulletin boards about the band
Pretty much anything they can do to promote the band in a “grass roots” type manner.
It is not uncommon for an up and coming band to set up street teams in each city they plan to hit on a tour in order to get the hype going in the weeks prior to their arrival. Its actually a VERY vital part of touring.
Some things a street team member can receive in return for his help:
- special section for street team members only in the band’s website (that’s where bands usually interact with them)
- free or discounted tickets to shows and merchandise
- all expenses for promotion paid for
- free band swag ( posters, bumper stickers, autographed photo etc…)
If you have a street team you might also want to read this article on FanCorps, an online stree-team management system.
Its basically a chance for fans to feel like they did something to help the band, and in return the band gets more butts in the seats.
Dez Rockbeddor – www.muzikmogal.blogspot.com
If you have a street team you might want to read this article on FanCorps, a street-team management website.
