Events will offer marketing help, advice to area musicians

St. Louis area musicians who are seeking to market themselves more effectively may want to check two upcoming events aimed at providing our town's music makers with more promotional tools.

The first is tonight, Monday, November 20, when author and music marketing expert Bob Baker will give a workshop called "The New Rules of Internet Music Marketing." from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Regional Arts Commission, 6128 Delmar (across from the Pageant). Baker will cover "MySpace, YouTube, blogs, podcasts, and all the new technologies that are available to independent musicians" and will "talk at length about the new "abundance economy" we live in and how you can tap into it to promote your music better." The event is being presented by the St. Louis Volunteer Attorneys and Accountants for the Arts, and admission is $15 at the door. You can read more about it here.

The second event will kick off two new ventures from Dave Beardsley of STLBlues.net. Beardsley has started a new, interactive online gig calendar for local bands - it's open to other styles in addition to blues, in case you were wondering - and is also starting a new site, STLShowcase, to help St. Louis musicians book festivals and out-of-town gigs. He'll spill the beans on both programs at 5 p.m, Saturday, December 9 at BBs Jazz Blues and Soups, 700 S. Broadway. There's no charge to attend, and no preregistration is required, but you must come to the side door of BB's, as the event takes place prior to the club's normal 6 p.m. opening.

(Full disclosure: I wrote some freelance stuff for Bob Baker in the 1990s when he ran the local music monthly Spotlight, and we've remained friends. But please, don't hold that against him. )

(Edited 11-27-06 to fix a typo.)