If you are just starting out promoting your band, if you have no fan base, or if you just want to attract fans who like your style of music, then start publishing a Genre Ezine.

Genre ezines are electronic newsletters catering to your style of music. Unlike band newsletters, they are not limited to your band's music. Instead, they promote every band that is similiar to your band and your style of music. By promoting a genre, rather than your band in this style of newsletter, you will attract people who might be extremely interested in a specific style of music, but aren't interested in you...yet. And best of all you, you are in control.

I publish the Celtic MP3s Music Magazine, a free weekly ezine of free Celtic music downloads. In every issue, I promote two songs from two Celtic bands on MP3.com. I add these songs to my MP3.com station, entitled "Celtic Muse: Song of the Week". And once a month, I give away a free Celtic CD to subscribers.

The newsletters is short, sweet and too the point. My list has grown mostly from Celtic music lovers who are looking for free CDs. They stick around because they are enjoying the opportunity to hear new, free Celtic music every week.

And at the bottom of every issue is printed the name, "Brobdingnagian Bards". Of course, there's a link to our website, and I also provide a signup form on our Bard homepage with links to my other newsletters. Most of the time when someone subscribes to one ezine, they'll subscribe to another as well. Plus, whenever someone first signs up, they can "start hearing great Celtic music now"...our music of course.

The point is that we are now not only the sponsors of the newsletter, but we define what is "great Celtic music" for our subscribers. It gives us credibility, and likewise gives the 'zine credibility if they like our music.

Thanks to the newsletter, we've seen an increase in sales, and of course, our songs are always at the top of the MP3.com stations so we get more listens than other bands on our station. And as an affiliate of MP3.com, I also get paid every time someone clicks one of my links.

In all, the Genre newsletter is a fantastic, easy-to-manage way of attracting and marketing to people who like your style of music without bothering them whether they'd be interested in YOUR style of music or not. Give it a try. You could make a new fan.