The fact that you made a recording says that you intended for your music to be heard at a later date preferably by more people than could fit in a club at any one time. So, let's figure out how to actually get people to hear your record.

Myspace

Myspace is a horrendous site, but it does has perks for the musician. Some of the laziest musician's I know have had 10,000 plays on Myspace. Now, I'm not sure if they actually sold any cds this way, but that's not the fault of myspace. It's more the fault of the songs themselves. If you don't have a Myspace account, it's time to set one up to promote your music.

Website

Being a guy that makes his living online (while I go broke recording), I'm always first to jump on the website idea. Myspace has taken care of many of the features that a basic band website can cover, but it is missing a few big creative ideas that can really make a difference. If you are not web savvy, don't worry about it yet and focus on Myspace. If you are web savvy, get busy!

Mass Emails
It's a big deal to tell all your friends either on Myspace or in your email inbox that you've busted your ass on a cd and you'd like them to listen to it. Friends will usually buy one to help support your cause.

CD Release Parties

I'm big on these, if they are done correctly. If a cd release party is little more than your average live show, than I'm not interested. Check out my article, The Problem With CD Release Parties.

Local Newspapers

Contact the entertainment section of your local newspaper. If you are in a small town, these people are dieing to write about anything interesting. Of course, you can't be “just another local recording”. You need something extra. If you don't have anything to say that hasn't already been said, you probably should not have made an album anyway. So, of course, you have something to say. There is reason you do what you do. Tell the paper about it.

Put Your CDs In Stores

Most local stores will let you put your cds in on consignment. You won't make a ton, but it's another place your cds can be seen. There is no reason not to do it.

Exploit the Competitive Nature of Sororities

If your music can appeal to college girls and you have a college nearby, nothing beats packing a room full of hot college chicks. Of course, once all the girls are in one place, you'll find that the guys aren't fare behind. I've got buddies who have used this concept to buy an $80,000 PA system.

Local Radio Stations

Many college radio stations will play local music. Use this to your advantage. Many radio stations in general will play local music. Get on it.

Hand Out Sample CDs

In order to have a change of ever appealing to a listener, they have to know that you exist. A great way to do this is with sample cds. If you make the cd fun for the listener, they may even give your music a chance. I'm a strong believer in breaking down a normally pessimistic attitude!

I mean that when I get handed a local cd, I expect it to suck. If the band puts something funny on the cd first, I'll be more inclined to give it a shot with an open mind. Even if it does suck, if they make me laugh, I may buy their cd.

Charities

Put together a fund raiser for a charity. Play an acoustic show while people eat chili or something. This tactic can make you a lot of friends!!!

Buy Strangers A Pitcher of Beer

Hanging out a bar and making new friends is a great way to get people to go to your show. Buying a stranger a pitcher of beer will make you a new friend for life. The least they could do to repay you is show up to your show in a few nights. They'll probably bring a group of friends with them.

Merchandise

The power of merchandise is always overlooked. I end up wearing my Mercenary Audio? tshirt at least once every two weeks. That's 25 extra times per year that I get Mercenary Audio crammed into my head. Of course they are the first high end audio shop that I'm going to think of. In fact, I'd have to do a search to find the others. Because I got a free tshirt out of the deal, they just got a link, which I could probably sell for more than the cost of the tshirt.

The branding possibilities of people wearing your tshirts and using your bumper stickers is worth more than the price of the merchandise to begin with a lot of the time. If you can break even on your merchandise, you will sell more copies of your second album. (Assuming that your merchandise is cool enough that people want to wear / use it.)

Of course, most bands profit nicely from their merchandise without any branding benefit.

Maximize Internet Exposure

There are a zillion sites for promoting bands online. Submit your music to as many as you can. Take a night and do nothing but add your songs. Make sure to put a link to your website if you have one.

Local Music Websites

If your area has any sites geared toward the local music scene, always stay fairly active their. Generally speaking, it's easier to get another musician out to a show than it is the average person.

These are a few of the basic things to get your started. As you get more and more of these covered, you'll be able to move on to more advanced “tricks” of promoting your music.