Craigslist is rapidly becoming one of the most important websites for up and coming musicians, and since it provides separate pages for different cities, indie bands use Craigslist to book gigs, promote shows, and even to find new members.
If you’re in a band and you’re looking for a new member, here are some tips for writing a great Craigslist ad to get the exact type of person you need.
1. Be clear on what your band plays. If you can link to mp3s or a video of your band playing, that’s the best; but at the very least, give a detailed genre description and list the bands that have influenced your band. After all, you can’t expect to find a new member without being clear, and you definitely want someone who likes the type of music that you like. Even if you find a super-experienced musician, if he’s not into what you’re playing, he’s not going to stay interested and he’s not going to stick around for very long.
2. Know your goals. Craigslist is home to a lot of different musicians that are looking for a lot of different things from the bands that they play with. Be clear as to what your band intends to do, and the type of dedication required. If you want your band to be famous, say so. Tell prospective members to plan on two or three practices a week. If you’re looking for something more laid back, say that, too, or else you’ll end up with a new band member that feels like the band is working too hard (or not hard enough).
3. Be specific on experience requirements. Asking for someone that’s “good on guitar” is going to get a lot of responses. Asking for someone who has “five years of experience as a jazz guitarist” will limit the responses somewhat. Remember, everyone’s on Craigslist, so the more specific you can be about the type of member that you want to add to your band, the better your chances of finding someone satisfactory.
4. Check back with Craigslist often. In most cities, the Craigslist musician listings get pushed down pretty fast, so you may need to repost your ad if you don’t get a response very quickly. You can also check Craigslist for musicians that are looking for bands to join, and reading through these can sometimes prove to be very beneficial. Remember not to post a Craigslist musicians’ ad more than once every few days, as otherwise you may be seen as a spammer and banned from using Craigslist.
Do you have any other tips for writing a Craigslist musician’s ad? Post in the comments section below.
