Billboard published an article this week that I thought, if you are a DIY band or even a band working with a small independent record label, was a little over-the-top.  Tips like, get on the Today Show, Letterman, The Grammys, The Super Bowl Half Time Show, or Oprah are great if you are fueled by the cash of a high-octane major label. But, for the average band, these are pipe dreams at best.

I did take notice that only one of the top 100 included social media: number 62, a mention on a “Regularly Updated Artist Twitter Feed.”  I also thought that many of the recommendations on the list were very ‘old school’ – focused heavily on radio, mass consumed magazines, and TV.  These days, especially for the Indie artist, radio hardly matters at all.

Billboard did offer a few side lists that I printed below just to give you a flavor of the Top 100 list and thought they “might” be useful for the readers of this Blog. But even those are a little tough to accomplish for an Indie artist.

What was interesting to me was the side article entitled Maximum Exposure: DIY where several panelists gave their thoughts on an independent singer/songwriter. Click here for my post on that article.

Indie Rock Top 5

1. Performance On Coachella Secondary Stage
2. Add to Medium Rotation at WXPN Philadelphia
3. Performance on Lollapalooza Secondary Stage
4. Video of Premiere on Pitchfork
5. Add to Medium Retation at KCRW Los Angeles

Hip-Hop Top 5

1. Interview/Performance on BET’s “106 & Park”
2. Song Added to Medium Rotation on WQHT (Hot 97) New York
3. Video/Song Posted on www.worldstarhiphop.com
4. Video/Song Posted on www.nahright.com
5. Video/Song Posted on www.rapradar.com

Country Music Top 5

1. Performance on Country Music ASSN. Awards Show
2. Retail Partnership With Cracker Barrel
3. Performance on Academy of Country Music Awards Show
4. Performance on ABC’s “CMA Music Festival” Special
5. Cover of Country Edition of People Magazine

Hard Rock Top 5

1. Music Played on Sirius XM’s Liquid Metal
2. Playing The European Summer Metal Festival Circuit
3. Artist Visit on VH1′s “That Metal Show”
4. Cover Story in Revolver
5. Licensing Song For Horror Movie Soundtrack