Billboard ran and article this week listing 100 ways to get your music heard.  Most, if not all of the tips were suited more for Lady Gaga than an independent band or musician.  Billboard did run a side-bar article where a handful of panelists gave some good advice to an independent singer/songerwriter on how she might get some exposure.  Here is my distillation of the article followed by my recommendations on how to get started.

Billboard’s Tips:

• A PR guy can help to get reviews (not necessarily in major pubs though)
• Booking tours and getting radio plays may be difficult if you are unknown
• Make a list of realistic goals: is there radio play than can realistically be placed (target a specific station or two); is there a specific TV show that might be appropriate to contact that might play your music; how many website visits are realistic; what is a realistic sales figure for the year; exactly what is the PR plan: blogs, podcasts, touring, SXSW; what record labels might be appropriate to approach and which ones could grow the value of your music; how should you distribute your music – did I say “realistic” goals
• Can you share a tour with a musician or band that might be more well-known than you are – perhaps a friend – and build on their following
• Try to do regular monthly shows in a couple of cities close together in order to build a following (look into apartment swaps with other artists)
• House concerts are another option
• Consider a publisher or licensing agent to help get synchs then build off that song
• Build and use an email list
• Regularly post to Twitter, Facebook and even MySpace – use these to tell your story and build a following – people want to know about you and connect

My Recommendations on How to Get Started:

These are some good tips although it is still a lot of work to do.  You might start with one or two of these tips and then build from there.  My recommendation would be to start with Twitter: tell your story and start to connect withe people.  You might also want to use a tool like TweetAdder to automate some of the tasks in building your following. Check out Review You to get some reviews then use the reviews to build some ‘cred’ when you try to book some shows.  Can you collaborate with a friend? Be creative and relentless in your pursuit of your dream. Check out some inspiring quotes in my post on hard work and commitment.

You’ll get out of it what you put in – don’t expect others to do it for you and don’t be unrealistic.

Good luck