Try applying business sense, if that doesn’t work, then you can sell your soul.

The world can be a cold, cruel place when you’re an indie band. In the recent box office flop, Jennifer’s Body, the teen slasher plot is propelled forward by a struggling indie band, desperate to do anything to give themselves an edge. As the band’s lead singer so succinctly puts it:

“Do you know how hard it is to make it as an indie band these days? There are so many of us, and we’re all so cute, and it’s like if you don’t get on Letterman, or on some retarded soundtrack, you’re screwed, okay? Satan is our only hope.”

Touché, Diablo Cody, but indies don’t have to go hunting for virgin sacrifices just yet. There is more than one way for an independent band to claw its way out of the writhing pit of obscurity, and no one knows the tricks of that trade better than The Dirty Marmaduke Flute Squad.

Seeing the Baltimore-based Flute Squad perform will not instantly bring to mind devastating business savvy. But behind the bizarre costumes, gratuitous profanity, and sound that ranges from skater punk to neo-psychedelia, is a wealth of promotional knowledge, the product of years of experimentation and thinking outside the box. We spoke to the Flute Squad’s Nikc Miller about what it takes to successfully market a band, and why there’s more to it than the often-futile quest to get signed.

The Flute Squad has been around since 2005. Throughout all the promotional experimentation you’ve done, has anything worked particularly well, or surprisingly poorly?

We’ve tried alot of things and have alot of ideas in the pipeline. Recently, we tried to start a rumor to get people to come to a big show. That fell flat on its face. We also tried to pay a washed-up 80s singer to sing on our next album, that didn’t turn out so well either. Right now we’re working on day-trading our band funds so we can attract an untapped market: “Stock Rock.” The point is that when you try a method of promotion that’s outside the norm you end up learning something about yourself and your audience, whoever they might be.

The Flute Squad was selected to compete on The Next Great American Band, and has received sponsorship from Michael Guitars. Why do so many bands fail to achieve this type of exposure?

I think they fail because they look for support in the most obvious of places, where there is likely to be the most competition. There are literally thousands of places to go for free stuff, from exposure to gear, but many bands get caught up in “trying to get signed.” One of the underlying messages of the blog we’re writing is to get bands to clearly define their goals before going after them. I think getting as much free stuff, perks, and vacations as possible is a great goal for any band.

You went to the NACA conference this year, but you didn’t make it on to the performers roster. Is it worth it for bands to attend these events if they don’t have a chance to perform?

I think it’s worth it just for the opportunity to speak one-on-one with your target demographic. That being said, it is a costly endeavor. Whenever you put a good amount of money towards band marketing, you should either plan to maximize your ROI, or have the best time possible blowing it all. If you can do both, you really win. If you do neither, then you should consider getting a real job.

Has the internet has created more opportunities for unsigned musicians, or has the scene just become more competitive?

Artists, writers, and musicians are in the midst of the Renaissance of distribution. It’s the only time in history where an artist can actually do better on their own than with the industry. There is a ton of competition out there, but I feel that it’s really unnecessary to compete. There’s enough room in the market to carve out your own niche. The trick is realizing your niche early-on and maximizing it, otherwise you risk burning out.

What have been some of the biggest challenges in terms of getting the unique Flute Squad sound out there, in Baltimore and beyond?

The biggest challenge is the time it takes to do all of this stuff. We could spend time bitching about how crappy the venues are, or that people just aren’t into music like they used to be. But when you boil it down, the venues are out there, the people are out there and all it really takes is time to figure out what the band’s about and how we can reach the people effectively.

You started the Hilltop Hightops—a version of the Flute Squad geared towards children’s entertainment—to pursue something fresh when it wasn’t feasible to quit your jobs and tour. What are some of the major challenges facing independent bands that want to tour?

There are several challenges involved with actually touring, the problem we faced is more like “Is it worth it?” Most bands don’t saturate their own market before attempting to expand it. I think we decided at one point that instead of shifting location we could shift ourselves and have the same degree of measurable happiness.

To learn more about what works and what doesn’t in the indie music promotion industry, check out the Flute Squad’s excellent blog – Weird Experiments in Band Marketing.