Marketing a nudist band

[Dario Western]

Hi all,

OK, as you would probably be aware I have been trying to get this nudist band Laissez-Fayre off the ground since 2001 with very little luck.

I'll give you a bit of insight into it: I originally had the idea for it as a reaction to these manufactured pop acts like Bardot, Cherry and Scandal'us who were more about fashion and clean-cut girls next door instead of rugged original musicians who had to slog their guts out for years to get signed with a major label. 

Cherry were like the Australian answer to The Spice Girls, whilst Bardot and Scandal'us were put together on a show called Popstars a good two years before the Idol/X-Factor/Australia's Got Talent/The Voice came out.

I wanted Laissez-Fayre to be the antithesis to all of that by using nudity as a form of rebellion similar to how The Sex Pistols and other punk bands would wear ripped and filthy clothes and bright coloured hair and safety pins in their ears and noses to say "fuck you" to the Establishment.

On top of that, I didn't want girls who could only sing and dance in the band, but who were also competant instrumentalists and songwriters themselves.  The first lineup in 2001 solely consisted of vocalists/dancers, 3 of whom had also been involved with erotic modelling and posing for men's magazines and who were also into witchcraft.

When that lineup dissolved towards the end of the year, it took me 5 years to put together a new lineup of women who had instrumental ability and were all lesbians but only two of them supported the nudist lifestyle. 

So, I'm just wondering what can be done to market this band idea into a lucrative and successful one?  I've advertised extensively in The Courier Mail, Gumtree, music magazines, music shops, the Conservatorium and cafes in the trendy suburb of West End but with no luck.  I had advertised a few times on the casting website Star Now, but they kicked me off after they had got 'complaints' from one of the candidates that I had asked for nudity of the performers even though I had stated quite clearly the band was out to promote the naturist lifestyle.  They have no problems with photographers, artists, theatre directors, and magazine editors asking for nudity but musicians is a big no-no!

I would like to invite you all to check out the band's Myspace and YouTube sites at:

http://www.youtube.com/user/laissezfayre
https://myspace.com/laissezfayre

Offer your honest C&C on the music and clips.  Is there anything that you do/don't like, could be included or omitted, or anything about the sound that could be improved?

There are a shitload of musicians out there in Brisbane, as it is the third largest city in Australia next to Melbourne.  Unfortunately a lot of local artists and musicians are leaving Brisbane to move to Melbourne because they reckon the music scene is more lively and competitive than up here.

I don't want to do that.  In fact, the band is not about doing something just because it's "cool" or "trendy" or "running with the pack".

Music-wise, I want the band to appeal to music fans who like 70s, 80s, and 90s rock and pop music but without becoming a 'nostalgia' band performing for oldies shows at nudist clubs and RSLs.

The target market I am mostly aiming for is people who listen to Triple J, Triple M, B-105, and community radio stations like 4ZZZ, 3RRR (Melbourne), Radio One and Radio Two in the UK, and KROQ in America.  Some rock bands like the Red Hot Chili Peppers (whom I cite as an influence and inspiration behind the band) appeal to both mainstream and alternative rock fans and pop fans alike.

Same with P!nk, Amanda Palmer and Lady Gaga who have a good balance of male and female fans.

Sound-wise, I want to go for a more organic sound using traditional instruments than just sequencers and drum machines and adding some Non-Western instruments like African percussion, didgeridu, and other tribal instruments.  Basically mixing the expected with dashes of the unexpected.

I know exactly what I want, how I want to to do it, the market demographic I want to reach out to.  But the two things I lack is the willingness for other musicians to do this band with me on a long term basis, as well as co-operation from people in the local nudist and music scene alike.

I'm not liked by the "nudist establishment" in Brisbane and South East Queensland, although I have never been kicked out of a nudist place, plus many people in the local music scene have only recently given me any recognition and kudos due to my performance in the Violent Soho video "In The Aisle", and I want the world to know there is much much more to me than just being a naked bike riding activist.

Any help and advice would be awesome, and once I get around to recording and releasing an album I will mention the IYN in the credits list.  :-)

[Dario Western]

Hmmm, nobody seems to have 'risen to the occasion' on this thread, so here are some ideas I've got that I'd like you all to say 'yay' or 'nay' to regarding this band's success.

1) It should be a girl/guy band to drive home the point that naturism is meant to be an egalitarian activity, not just something that old blokes do (as is often portrayed in the nudist mags here in Oz).

2) The girls should be photogenic, but still look wholesome girl-next-door types and have at least one plus-sized girl in the band.  Small discreet tattoos should be okay, but if we are out to promote natural living it shouldn't look like a Suicide Girls posse.

3) Cover songs should be about nudity in a positive manner, or body and self-acceptance.  As Borcot explained to me, just because a song might have the word 'naked' in the title it doesn't necessarily mean it's pertinent to nudist values (e.g. T-Pain's "Naked On The Dancefloor", Jennifer Love-Hewitt's "Bare Naked").  Songs like Nell Ryder's "Let's Get Naked", Luscious Jackson's "Naked Eye", and Talking Heads' "Totally Nude" are okay though.

4) The band should not just be about nudity, or nudism/naturism but rather focus on larger social issues in which being naked can be a part of.

5) Music styles should be eclectic, and focused more on traditional instruments rather than synths, sequencers and drum machines that most of modern pop music is obsessed with.

6) The band would be better off as an independent band than signed with a label like Sony, Warner Music or Universal (though Universal distributes Lady Gaga, and Warner distributes Sigur Ros now that EMI Records has been absorbed into Universal).

7) The band should also show it's possible to be fashionable as well as a naturist by selling accessories and merchandise through cafepress like t-shirts, hats, sunnies, jewelry, bags, badges, scarves etc.

I've never studied marketing, I'm just this geeky guy who has this vision and can knock up some catchy songs which have the potential to be hits despite the fact they don't conform to current top 40 sounds. 

[ToneBender]

I don't get it.

Do you plan to be in this band? Because as I understand it bands come together on their own based on shared interests.

Have you tried approaching an existing band and asking them if they want to do any naturist stuff?

[Dario Western]

The band is my idea, if you read the first post.  I play guitar and I write the original songs for it. 

I do know some local musicians who are into naturism, but they want to keep it separate from their musical activities. 

[ToneBender]

The band is my idea, if you read the first post.  I play guitar and I write the original songs for it. 

I do know some local musicians who are into naturism, but they want to keep it separate from their musical activities.

It was very clear that the band was your brainchild but nowhere did it say that you were actually in the band. Now it makes more sense.

And of course I know very little of the music industry but here's what I think.

1. Yay
2. Nay - you didn't mention what the guys should look like - but all members should look however they look - choose bandmates by talent not looks
3. Yay
4. Yay
5. Nay - pick a style and stick to it (evolution and experimentation are ok as long as your audience evolves with you - but too many styles - eclecticism - will just confuse people and not win you any fans)
6. Definitely Yay - too small of a niche for a major label anyway
7. Why not?

Better to have an imperfect band then no band right? So why didn't you start with the singer/dancers - put yourself out there and see if you could attract new members that way?