Writing a Business Plan by Peter Spellman

Writing a Music Business Plan?

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by Peter Spellman

One thing I would never do is invite friends to Boston without first sending them a map. More than most cities, Boston (for the out-of-towner) is an urban tangle with few rivals. I remember my first visit to the city back in '77. It was a psychological and emotional roller coaster to say the least. And I had a map!

Maps - they lay out the land and point us in the right direction. A good music business plan is a lot like a map, though the "land" you'll be dealing with here - the music industry - is both more tangled than the city of Boston and can end up pointing you in any variety of "right" directions at the same time.

A good music business plan is the map to the fulfilment of your goals. Whether you're a band, soloist, production house or some other business, a plan can turn foggy notions into operational strategies, hunches into actions, dreams into reality.

Dreams. This is where it all begins isn't it? For this reason I like to think of one's business plan as a "vision/mission." It starts with vision. Before your first gig you envisioned yourself playing it. Remember? Vision precedes mission and fuels it with the necessary energy to go the distance. A mission implement vision and provides the vehicle that moves you towards your goal. Together they're unstoppable!

Why Write A Music Business Plan?
There are a number of specific benefits to writing a music business plan.
A well-thought out business plan will:

§ Clear the way for creative thinking
§ Pinpoint strengths and weaknesses
§ Identify obstacles and problems
§ Expose hidden opportunities
§ Set proper priorities
§ Coordinate your marketing program
§ Take the guesswork out of budgeting
§ Allow for meaningful review and revision

Your business plan should never be viewed as a one-time draft written in stone but instead as a provisional guideline to help you take strategic and effective steps toward the achievement of your goals. It is never really complete because it parallels and reflects the dynamics of your own growth and development.

Besides the benefit of self-revelation, there is another important reason to draw up a business plan:
To attract investors and secure loans. No one needs to tell you how much it costs to launch a successful music career in the 90's. Between equipment, insurance, taxes, travel, recording, mixing, manufacturing, promotion, advertising and various fees and commissions, today's musicians and bands are left with little else to call their own. Enter investors.

Investors are willing to put up a certain amount of dollars to launch your music project with the hope and expectation of a return on their investment. The most important thing they'll need in order to decide to invest in you or not is a well-thought out business plan. The same goes for seeking bank loans. A plan reflects professional responsibility to the lending institution and greatly increases your chances of securing a loan.

How to Structure A Music Business Plan

A music business plan will have six main components.
1. A summary page
2. A description of your business
3. A marketing plan
4. An operations statement
5. A project time-line
6. Financial projections

We will look at each in turn. You may want to make a rough outline for your own plan as you read this article. Don't be surprised, however, if your complete plan ends up being forty pages long! This should be expected.
Would you like some free help drafting your plan? Then contact your local SBDC (Small Business Development Center). This is a federal program that is part of the SBA (Small Business Administration) designed to provide small business owners with counsel and resources. Your tax dollars pay this so use it! The SBA has a Small Business Answering Desk (800-827-5722). which can answer many general business questions including the location of the SBDC office nearest you.
While you may not find them to be experts on the music industry, they are experts in creating and developing small businesses, and you are one. Let's first get an overall sense of where we're going by displaying a complete outline of a business plan:

I. Summary statement

II. Description of your business or project.

A. History and background
B. Management description
C. Business structure

III. The market for your product or service

A. Market description
1. General market information
2. Specific market information
3. Competition profile

B. Marketing plan
1. Positioning
2. Marketing mix
3. Pricing philosophy
4. Method of sales/distribution
5. Customer service policy

IV. Operations

A. Facilities and equipment
B. Plans for growth and expansion
C. Risks

V. Project time-line

VI. Financial information

A. Financing required
B. Current financial statements
C. Financial projections

I. Summary Statement.
Here you want to answer the following questions as succinctly as possible: Who are you? What will you do? (goals). Why will the business be successful? How will it be financed? - and When do you think it will turn a profit? (Remember, a 'profit' is not how much money you make, but how much you keep). Be ruthlessly realistic!
It is also in the summary statement that you list the products or services being offered (e.g. CDs, tapes, performances, etc.) as well as the names and positions of all personnel involved. The summary should close with mention of anything that is unique about your project.

II. Description of your business or project
This section begins to flesh out the summarization above.
A. Begin first with the history and background of your project. This provides the overall context in which to view your current work. List all data that pertains to the various facets of your present business. Don't pad it with your whole life story, just the pertinent highlights that have brought you to the present moment.
B. A management description should follow next. How is your business project organized? What does the leadership look like? (it's style and command chain.) How are decisions made and facilitated? What kind of ongoing business meeting schedule will be followed to insure smooth operation?
C. Decide on the business structure you will use (i.e. sole proprietorship, partnership, corporation, etc.). This is one of the first questions the start-up business person should ask. The answer to this question has many legal and tax implications, varies greatly from state to state and from time to time. Again, seek the advice of your small business advisor at your local SBDC office.

III. The Market for your Product and/or Service
Now we are getting into the essence of what you're uniquely about. Marketing means selling and it is an absolute truth that unless a start-up business can sell its offering it will not survive. Getting orders - selling your recordings or performances to paying customers - is of crucial importance to a new business.

To compete successfully in the music business, then, you must follow the same strategy that every successful business person uses. You must:
* Develop a product- in this case, your music.
* Locate clients for your product - do market research.
* Bring your product to the marketplace - use sales technique to convince potential clients to buy your music.

Does this mean you're "selling out"? NO! Or I should say, it all depends on your attitude. If you have a killer recording or a hot performance to sell and you market it accordingly, then you're not selling out. You're simply bringing a desirable product to a ready audience.

If, on the other hand, you would sacrifice your mother for a chance to claw your way to the top, then yes, you're probably selling out. Again, it's attitude. And you have to determine this for yourself. O.K., now that we've cleared that up let's look at some of the various facets of your marketing plan.

A. Description of the market for your product/service.
The first thing you need is information about your market in order to correctly position your product and find your own unique niche within it. This is called market research and, like all of your planning, should be viewed as an ongoing process. You will need both general and specific information about your market.

1. General Market Information. The general market for musicians is the music industry. Without a general understanding about this larger market context you will have a difficult time trying to find your way within it. It is crucial, therefore, for today's musician to have a grasp of such things as record company structures, music publishing, recording contracts, distribution and music media, and how all of these work together to bring music to people. You can learn about the industry by talking with industry people, taking courses and reading books and trade magazines (see free resource list offer at end of article).

2. Specific Market Information. Here you will want to ask: What part of this larger market do I fit into? In other words, who are my customers? What is their general age, their sex, professions, lifestyle and interests? This information will prove crucial to the development of your marketing strategy.
In addition to your customers you'll also want to describe your competition. Be as specific as possible. Gather information on three or four successful competitors, assess the relative strengths and weaknesses of each, and compare your product or service with similar ones in terms of price, promotion, distribution and customer satisfaction.

B. Marketing Plan
Now that you've gathered information on both your general and specific market share, you're now ready to develop your marketing plan or strategy. This too can be broken down into several component parts.

1. Positioning - This is related to finding your market "niche." No matter what products or services you provide, you can carve out a niche for them based on your experience, skills, and interests and then build up that niche as you work to serve it. Ask yourself questions like: What do I do best? Who needs that the most? Where can I provide that product or service that will give me a chance to expand what I do to utilize my other interests? What do I have to offer that is special or unique? The answers to these questions will help you "position" yourself to most effectively promote what you're selling.

2. Marketing Mix - The particular combination of marketing methods you choose for your marketing campaign is referred to as your "marketing mix." Methods can include news releases, sponsorships, networking, publicity flyers, contests and giveaways, classified ads, trade shows, radio spots, charitable donations and literally hundreds more.
When making your selection, keep in mind this fundamental rule of successful marketing: The measure of a successful marketing campaign is the extent to which it reaches at the lowest possible cost the greatest number of people who can and will buy your product or service. Generally speaking, the more of your time a marketing activity requires, the less money it costs you, and vice-versa. For example, networking costs almost nothing in money but plenty in time. On the other hand, advertising in a city newspaper costs a bundle while requiring little in time.

3. Pricing Philosophy - How much you charge for your product or service will depend on many variables. Here is where your research about your competitors comes in especially handy. Undercutting your competition is one common way to gain market share. But there is another approach. Research has shown that buyers, when making a purchase decision, select what they consider to be the best value - all things considered. And this suggests that value is equal to the benefits they perceive divided by the price. Price, therefore, is only one part of the purchase decision process. If you want to increase your customers' perceived value of your product, you can do so by either increasing the benefits or decreasing the price. It is almost always preferable to work on the benefits, both tangible and intangible, both rational and emotional, both large and small, that will make it possible to sell at a higher price.

4. Method of Sales/Distribution - This is related to your marketing mix and details the methods you will employ in implementing the various parts of your mix. For a musician, one method might be the use of a booking agent. Another might be a record distributor or, perhaps, mail order.

5. Customer Service Policy - When considering customer service it is always useful to ask yourself why you continue to frequent certain businesses. More than price more than product quality, you will often return again and again to these businesses because you feel taken care of. The people of those businesses go the all important extra mile to make you feel special. They anticipate your needs and provide for them in the various ways they deal with you.
See if you can translate elements of this customer service policy into your own. Write down your philosophy and then list all applications you can imagine related to your business. How can you go the extra mile with your clients? Find ways of distinguishing yourself from your competitors in this area and you will insure a faithful clientele for years to come.

IV. Operations -
This has to do with the overall physical and logistical manufacturing of your product or service. It typically has three parts to it:

A. Facilities and Equipment will encompass such things as your rehearsal space, office space, studio, manufacturers you use, your instruments, sound and light equipment and vehicles you use to haul it all around. A brief note on equipment insurance should also be included here. Investors like to see the founders of a company have a cash investment in the business in addition to "sweat equity".

B. Plans for Growth or Expansion - Here is where you project your more general goals three to five years into the future, What will you need when you progress from local to regional success? Regional to national? National to international? Perhaps you'll want to develop sub companies within your primary company. Maybe a publishing wing, or a video branch, or perhaps a recording studio. Think it through as clearly and completely as possible.

C. Risks - This is another very important part of the plan. Not only does it show you're being open and honest with your financing source, but it forces you to consider and assess alternative strategies in the event your original assumptions do not materialize.

V. Project Time Line -
Here you want to articulate the schedule for your goal achievement, both short-range (e.g., obtaining radio airplay, booking high-profile gigs, procuring management, etc.) and long-range (e.g., signing a recording contract, having your song performed by a mega-star, etc.). Think through the essential steps needed for the attainment of each goal.

VI. Financial Information -
No matter how wonderful your plan is it isn't going anywhere without capital investment, whether it's yours or someone elses. This final section of your plan should be broken down into three sub-sections:. The financing required, current financial statements, and a three-year financial forecast. Needless to say, this is the part of the plan potential investors and lenders will concentrate on the most. So the following is written primarily with seeking investors in mind.
A. Financing Required - While your first thought may be to ask for cash exclusively, there may be other resources that would help you even more. Perhaps what you really need is some people power assistance, or a touring van, or a new computer. These can sometimes be provided more easily than cash.

Whatever you decide you need, make sure it's based on a hardheaded and realistic assessment of the true costs of achieving your goals. A basic rule of thumb in estimating costs is to add 15% onto whatever figure you come up with. This covers all those additional "hidden" and unexpected expenses, which inevitably accrue.

B. Current Financial Projection: Financial projections are a key part of a business plan. They provide the reader with an idea of where you think the business is going. Perhaps more importantly, they tell a lot about your intrinsic good sense and understanding of the difficulties your company faces.

Often, financial projections are optimistic to an outlandish extent. They are usually prefaced with words like, "Our conservative forecast is..." Do not use the word "conservative" when describing your forecast. Be careful also not to use the "hockey stick" approach to forecasting, that is, little growth in sales and earnings for the first couple of years followed by a sudden rapid upward surge in sales and totally unrealistic profit margins. Excessively optimistic projections ruin your credibility as a responsible business person.

Include monthly cash flow projections, and quarterly or annual order projections (e.g. for studio time, CO manufacturing, etc.) profit and loss projections, and capital expenditure projections (see your accountant for explanations of the above terms). In making financial projections it is usually a good idea to include "best guess," "high side," and "low side" numbers. Sensible investors want to know what returns they can expect and especially how they will achieve liquidity. Tell them. Again, include alternative strategies.
Don't worry if you feel a bit overwhelmed by the avalanche of detail your business plan requires. Who wouldn't? Give yourself time. It's helpful to set yourself a goal for completing the first draft of your plan - say three months from now.

Begin with one section at a time and meet periodically with your small business advisor to review your plan's development. He or she will be able to discern blind spots as well as affirm the plan's overall direction. If you're thinking of foregoing the effort altogether and just "winging" it, just remember that no planning inevitably leads to wasted time, money and energy - all three in short supply.

Remember too that the musicians you currently respect rose to their success with strategic planning and a keen sense of what "doing business" really means. Furthermore, today we are seeing the smarter bands being brought home because they know the inner workings of the music business and how to best organize their limited resources in order to penetrate it. How about you? Are you planning for success?
by Peter Spellman - Copyright © 1999-2000 MUSIC BUSINESS SOLUTIONS

Director of Career Development at Berklee College of Music, Boston, and author of The Self-Promoting Musician: Do-it-Yourself Strategies for Independent Music Success (Berklee Press). You can find him at Music Business Solutions.

© Copyright FMC Ireland 2001

While the author (FMC) has taken all reasonable steps to ensure that the information contained in this article is accurate, such information is not guaranteed. The author and the FMC will not be held responsible for individual decisions taken as a result of information contained in this article which is intended for general information purposes.

How To Find the Right Venue for Your Live Show

How To Find the Right Venue for Your Live Show
By Jeri Goldstein
© 2006 The New Music Times, Inc.

Yes, it is so important to play as often as possible. It is also just as important to make sure you play rooms that help move your career forward. Once again this topic requires you to review your long-term goals and keep them in mind as you tackle every new aspect of your career. In this case, selecting appropriate venues can be challenging but rewarding. The challenge lies in that there are a finite number of venues where one may play and an infinite number of other acts competing for those venues. The reward is realized when you begin to qualify the venues you choose to play, in order to fulfill your commitment to reach your career goals. This is a different way of approaching booking.

Keeping your career goals in mind, consider the following factors each time you approach booking a gig:

1.

Know your audience.
I think this is the overwhelmingly most important thing a band can do, understand and know their audience. When you know your audience, you are able to immediately determine whether one specific venue is right over another. For example: Is your audience more likely to be downloading songs from iTunes or listening to NPR?

If you think you should be playing at the one and only club downtown that starts most shows at 11pm, and you've noticed your audience is generally between the ages of 25-50, your audience may not follow you into that venue. If on the other hand the age demographic of your audience is 17-25, then attempting to book yourself in the club downtown may be appropriate.

Consider the following factors:

Age- A majority of people in the 25-50 age group have considerations that influence their decisions for late night entertainment such as, family and children, early work days, availability of discretionary funds, desire for creature comforts like soft-seat theaters. Those in the 17-25 age group may not have the constraints as above. Late night start times may not impact their day schedule as much. They also may not be as concerned with seating or a non-smoking environment.

Time- When are you at your best? If late night starts impact you and your ability to perform at your best, certain venues may be wrong for you. If your audience is more of the 8pm crowd, they just won't be there for the second show starting at midnight. If there is such demand, do a second night rather than two shows on the same night. Perhaps schedule a matinee or early evening show and then a 8pm show later the same day.

Types of room- Are your fans accustomed to standing for a show or sitting? If your fans are used to sitting for shows and people know that a particular venue never provides seats, your audience won't appreciate seeing your show there and ticket sales will slump. If, in your attempt to play a bigger, hip venue, but your audience is not used to seeing you in that type of venue, you may also lose sales.

In an attempt to raise the profile of one of my acts, we decided to work with a promoter who chose to put the act in a room unlike any the act had ever played before. All of the above factors came into play. The room was wrong for the artist and the ticket sales were poor. The promoter did not understand the act's audience and their method of promotion and choice of venue proved that fact.

When you are just beginning to tour and book gigs, consider your music and the type of fan the music will attract. Who do you think your audience will appreciate your act-narrow it down? It is not helpful to simply say, "I think everyone would like my music." Do yourself a big favor and be specific. If your music is similar to another act, check out their audience, see which venues they are playing. Who consistently buys tickets to their shows?

Knowing your audience can influence the type of venue in which you chose to perform. Even when you have identified your fans to be the ones who will buy tickets for a standing show starting at 11pm, some venues may be chosen simply as stepping stones and others may be recognized as showcase clubs. You might want to use the stepping stone venue for a while to create that "buzz" and get a following. When it comes to career movement, though, it is important to identify the important clubs in major markets. A showcase club is one where people in the industry are likely to be scouting for new acts and where media, print and radio, are likely to attend to write reviews and promote a new artist. Wetlands in New York City is such a club.

If your audience is of the soft-seat theater variety, you must use a similar tactic of selecting the right theaters as you build your audience on your way to playing the select theaters. You might be playing university performing arts centers and community centers at first with the goal of playing much larger concert halls and eventually outdoor sheds.
2.

Where do you want to play?
Are you comfortable in bars or theaters, intimate house concerts or concert halls? Once you've determined who your audience is, determine the best space to present the music you perform according to your goals and comfort level. This pre-determination helps eliminate a lot of unnecessary phone calls. Now you can concentrate on the appropriate venues according to your goals, your audience and your preferences.

Begin to call each appropriate venue to establish a relationship with the booking person at the venue and decide whether this particular venue is right for your act

Details to consider:

1.

Capacity- are you ready for the room? Is the room too large or too small? Have you ever sold out a room that size? Prior to calling a venue, research the venues by using some of the available directories such as Pollstar's Concert Directory or Club Directory; Musician's Atlas; Billboard's Musician's Guide to Touring and Promotion or many of the online gig directories. Each of these directories will list the venue, address, phone, email, contact, capacity, type of music presented and submission policies. By evaluating each venue before calling, you may determine which ones will suite your act and which ones are just not right. Make a note of the ones that may be perfect in a year or two so you include them as ones to get back to later.
2.

Stage size- Often this may not matter. In some instances, knowing this information when you begin discussions with the booking person may help you decide if you can fit your entire six piece group with drum kit, keyboards and all the other players comfortably on stage or not. If you can't fit and the stage configuration is not flexible, then this venue may be wrong for your act. Always keep in mind that you want a situation to showcase your act at its best. Move on to another venue when you run into an insurmountable obstacle. Try not to compromise the integrity of the performance.
3.

Technical requirements- If you bring your own sound, lights and engineer and the venue will accommodate you, then you are set in most rooms. If, however, you require sound and lights to be provided for you, checking the specifications offered by the venue can also be an important qualifying factor. If the venue does not have most or all of your required equipment, will they rent what's necessary at their expense?
4.

Budget and fee- Most clubs will determine the fee or the percentage they are willing to pay an act based upon the act's prospective ticket selling capacity. An act in public demand commands better guarantees and percentages. I will discuss negotiating fees in another article. For now, I believe you understand the fact that known acts get better fees and unknown acts have to build a track record of ticket sales in order to have more leverage to command higher guarantees and more advantageous percentages. It is not unreasonable however, to ask the booking person for an approximate budget they might spend on a similar act. Most clubs will not offer this information, but you can determine such information by asking what other acts have they booked recently. When you have some knowledge of the other acts performing in your market, you can quickly get a sense of the kind of money the venue is spending on their talent. For instance, if the booking person names only major acts who are known to the general public and does not include any local or regional talent with whom you are familiar, you may see that you are out of your league. Unless you can persuade the booking person to include you as an opening act, it is unlikely that they will be booking your act. If, on the other hand, all the acts named are similar to yourself, local and regional, and you know what some of these bands are getting paid, you have a sense of the venue's budget and may be confident of being booked for a similar fee.
5.

Box office and ticket outlets- Is there a box office where one may purchase tickets in advance. Does the venue use outside ticket venders? If the venue uses local business to sell their tickets, are these familiar and easily accessible to your audience. Are phone reservations possible? Knowing this will give you some advance indication of how the show is selling. This can give you some sense of how the advance promotion is going and you can work with the venue to increase the promotion when advance ticket sales are slow.
6.

Door sales- When there are no box office sales, then tickets are usually sold at the door. Who collects the money? Does the venue provide a door person to collect the money or can you provide your own person? In many situations, having someone working for you at the door that you trust can mean a great difference in the amount of money you make. You get to determine who is a guest and who is not. If you are unable to insist on your own door person, make sure you can have your own person at the door checking the count.
7.

Advertising and Promotion- What kinds of advertising does the venue do? What is the advertising budget for each act or for each week? Many rooms only place strip ads in the local papers in the entertainment section that comes out once a week. Will your act get enough attention by this means of advertising? Is the venue willing to do more? What other forms of promotion can you expect? When you are an opening act, make sure you are included in all promotion and advertising. Ask about the proposed advertising budget to determine how it will impact upon your final fee.
8.

Hospitality- Will the venue provide meals, refreshments or housing? Some of these things may help make doing this gig possible. If you are not getting a large guarantee or are playing for a percentage of the door, having a hotel room or rooms provided by the venue may help your budget. Similarly, knowing that a meal will be provided rather than again having to spend your own money on means is another budget-saver. Ask the booking person these questions when entering into a negotiation.

These few items will assist your decision making process when determining which venues are right for your act and which are not. Some rooms you will grow into over time, others are simply to be crossed off the list. When you approach your bookings with this method of evaluating each venue, you are once again making your determination by using facts rather than feelings, research rather than impetuousness. Just as each venue booking person will attempt to qualify you and determine whether you are right to perform in their room, you now have some tools to equalize the process and be pro-active rather than reactive. Sometimes playing the wrong room can do more to stall or thwart your efforts to reach your career goals. Qualifying each venue will save you time, effort and money and boost your career to the next desired level.

Jeri Goldstein is the author of, How To Be Your Own Booking Agent The Musician's & Performing Artist's Guide To Successful Touring 2nd Edition UPDATED. She had been an agent and artist's manager for 20 years. Currently she consults with artists, agents and managers through her consultation program Manager-In-A-Box and presents The Performing Biz, seminars and workshops at conferences, universities, for arts councils and to organizations. Jeri has released a 3-hour seminar on CD-ROM, Marketing Your Act. The Seminar is set up in 5 modules with information about Marketing, Creating Effective Promotional Materials, How To Access the Media, A Marketing Template and Niche Marketing. No expensive conferences to attend-learn at your convenience to boost your career. Her book, CD-ROM and information about her other programs are available at are available at Performingbiz.com or phone (434) 591-1335 or email Jeri.

No offense...

So, I've been noticing how offended people get lately by things that are completely unoffensive. Now, I know I just wrote an article on how I think it's ok to take things personally in this business and I stand by that, but things that are non-offensive?

Here are some interpretations for your useful future as a band.

Jem: "That date is not currently available"
Interpretation: That date is not currently available. It doesn't mean that I don't want to work with you or that I think you suck. It simply means that the date is already promised to someone else and you wouldn't want me booting you if I promised you a date. Not only that, most of you I don't even know, so it's hard to want know who might do better until we get you in. It doesn't mean give up and hate us forever (unless you're just that type of person, which means you've probably just bridged the elusive gap of the ages 5 and 22). It just means the date is not available.

Jem: "Sunday through Thursday's are $100 rentals."
Interpretation: Sunday through Thursday are $100 rentals. I know you want to be paid, but how are we supposed to have a place for you to play in the future if there isn't a venue left. I know, I know. Gas prices suck. If you haven't noticed, so has the economy. We have to make ends meet too. In order to open up the club I have to be able to pay my staff. Your $100 goes directly to the sound engineer and door guy. It isn't a secret stash of money that we are saving up to pay bands we like better than you. Someday, we hope to free everyone of this burden. Someday soon. We just need a little help, just like you do.

Jem: "How many people do you bring to a show?"
Interpretation: We'd like to know how many people you can bring to a show not because we won't book you if you don't bring a lot, but so that we don't book an entire night of low drawing bands. Again, see the point on the economy above. I know a lot of bands just need a chance to get in front of some people, but that's not going to happen if I book your low-drawing band with two or three other low-drawing bands. I don't know everyone and what they draw. I'm sorry, but I don't. I'm working on it though and hopefully it won't matter how many people you draw in the future. For now, though, that's the way people's minds are set.

Jem: "Well, the last time you were here you were disrespectful/unprofessional/didn't pay your [insert whatever]".
Interpretation: Means we really don't want to work with you again unless you can honor your obligations or apologize or find some masterful way to make it up to us. There will be times we don't meet your expectations too because we're humans. If you don't tell us that we didn't meet your expectations though, we have no idea how to fix anything. I prefer to let people know how our needs were not met rather than just ignoring emails and hiding behind ignorance.

Jem: "Your band isn't even that good and you suck and the last six times I saw your band it was terrible and I walked out. You're not even a real band. I'm taking the time to search through thousands of pages to delete your profile."
Interpretation: Just kidding. I don't say things like this. I'm not seven.

Personally or Professionally?

I've been told several times in the past few days to not take things personally when bands are canceling shows that I have been promoting for months. I finally decided today that I will take it personally. This is a business built on emotion. Now, can I deny bands the right to take a better offer or a better opportunity? Not really. Can I ask them to honor their committments they've made... or simply to buy a calendar and mark down the dates that they commit to?

I might be wrong, but I think that a band would take it personally if they were told that due to the lack of interest or lack of their ability to hold an audience. I think they would be offended (and I've seen them be offended) when they are booted because something "better" come along.

Here's the thing about venues (bars particularly) with built in crowds. Those people will dance to anything. They'll drink, eat and be merry, sometimes they'll even buy your CD and we all need those places to help us get to the next stop on our tour or boost our ego. The likliehood of those people following you to the next gig is very slim though. The chances of them looking up where your next show is and going out of their comforst zones or telling their friends about you is highly unlikely. Not that they may not be excited when you come back to their bar, but you are catering to them. No one is helping you at all. Again, I'm not saying don't play these shows, but recognize them for what they are. If you have trouble getting those people to find you in the future then maybe you're playing out too much or you're really not that good. Maybe you are, but really take a moment to figure out where your weaknesses are and sort that out.

Also think about how you are presenting yourself professionally. It is a waste of my time to search through 50 pages of emails (since My Space has no way of sorting a damn thing) to find where you committed to a show 3 or 4 months ago that you were unable to find a pen and piece of paper to write it down on. This is why I only really do booking through email... and I highly recommend this for everyone else. Even though I had to do this for three bands in one day, I was still able to prove that I was the one that had kept track of things and they hadn't. That was just one day. So, you want to know what I did instead of listening to your bands press kit? I spent about 2 hours searching for confirmation emails for shows that were scheduled 4 days from then or two weeks from then and then scrambling to find bands that would fill the bill on short notice.

You say, "No one was at our last show", but why is that? Is it because you're playing out too much? You didn't promote? You maybe aren't that good and your friend was doing you a favor? There is a list of things that I do to make sure that everyone knows you're playing at my venue, but you didn't even bother to write it down or put it on your calendar, so it's really been a big flipping waste of my time.

Since these things consume me and I'm passionate about trying to make things right in the music scene as much as I am capable, then it's hard for me to not take things personally when someone else can't be professional. I would expect you to take it personally if I said some of the things that bands say to buyers and promoters. Look at the emails you're writing. Think about how you would feel about it if a venue wrote that email to your band... especially if the venue is actually trying to help you out.

Why bars won't promote you and why promoters always seem to not promote....

Why bars won't promote you and why promoters always seem to not promote....
by Jem

Now, I am well aware that this isn't true for every bar and venue, but I do know for bands that this is how it usually feels. I have worked from every side of this coin. Being a band, being a promoter and now running a venue. I try very hard every day to do nothing more than promote the club, the bands playing it and to go above and beyond the call of duty to work hard even though the results always seem minimal. I'm not so worried about that though. That's the state of the economy and the state of mind of people and those are two very hard things to change. It's been a very long time since masses of people would go to a club to watch bands just for the sake of hanging out, doing musicians, drinking themselves silly and finding some new music to connect to.

Instead, what I am finding more and more frustrating these days is the amount of time and energy I put into promoting a show only to have the bands cancel on me because they feel something better has come along, they broke up and failed to tell anyone or they're just that unprofessional. So, I began to think that this is why many venues have given up on helping you all out and I've come very close to giving up on it myself. Lucky for you, I'm a geek and could live for nothing more apparently than to do meaningless work which lead to me writing these articles.

Another common complaint is on promoters, the supposed middle man between bands and venues. The guy or gal that promises you the awesome show and then pulls out at the last minute to save his or her own ass, dicking everyone else in the process or plain old not promoting the show to the best of his or her ability then expecting you to pay him for his lack of work. These situations, while always similar, all revolve around one person who probably thought that the music industry would be a great way to make money fast (probably watched a movie about the awesomeness of the music industry and took it the wrong way). Again, a stereotype, not always a fact.

Sometimes though venues and promoters do everything right and you don't get the results you hoped for and so they become the ones you can blame.

Who is really to blame though? Who's in charge of promoting your band? Oh! Wait. That's you! Venues and promoters can't promote someone that no one has ever heard of unless you help get yourselves heard, unless you do some work to get known in those areas. Your name is as about as valuable on a flyer as a piece of someone's old gum if you haven't told anyone who you are.

Venues are focused on promoting all of their shows. They don't have the time to sit down and send out press releases for every single band on the bill. Most promoters also divide their time between different venues and different bands. Even when a venue and promoter help you out and the results are smashing if you haven't done anything to help them, they're less likely to do that amount of work the next time and let's face it people. In today's society if a venue or promoter manages to put together a killer lineup that you will actually gain fans from it's a matter of luck of the draw. They're trying to make every show count and sometimes the best drawing bands in town just aren't available or willing to help out.

Asking a venue to put you with the best bands in town is like saying, "Don't put me on one of those nights that you're ok with having a crappy show". No one wants to have a crappy show. Especially the venue. If you want a venue to play at next time you come through town, you have to hold up your end of the bargain too.

Point being that relying on a middle man to do your job for you is ridiculous. It's your band! Make it count! If you have music worth listening to than find ways to get it heard. If you are visiting from out of town reach out to a few people in that area, talk to them, build relationships. Don't be an impersonal My Space robot that only sends out bulletins and offers nothing but "Vote for me! We can't get by on our music alone! We have to win contests!"

Canceling shows is ridiculous for any other reason than you are physically unable to perform, you are physically unable to get to a show, or a meteor hits the earth. You are the ones wearing out the people who wanted to help you most of the time.

If you are passively sitting by waiting for someone to book your shows or someone else to make your flyers or someone else to tell you what the next step is you are probably the one sitting in the corner wondering why there are more people at your band practice than your show and you have no one to blame but yourself. You can't even blame other members of your band. What kind of band are you that you aren't communicating with each other? Telling someone that it wasn't your fault, it was your drummer or singer or whatever only makes you seem ignorant and unprofessional.

Yes, this is a lecture. I've never been known as the one to beat around the bush or not call it like I see it. Please don't think though that I'm trying to pass the buck. I'm working every day to make things as right as I am able from my end and I welcome feedback, suggestions, even lectures from the lot of you.

In closing, I must share this video with you from my boys in By All Means Necessary, one of the hardest working most professional bands I've had the privilege of meeting and working with. Enjoy your film, be encouraged and get to work!

By All Means Necessary Tour Blog 1 - Chicago

Someone bring back Milli Vanilli!

Is it technology or people that continue to disappoint me?

So, I haven't watched any of the late show shows for quite some time and I barely ever watched them to begin with. It's a long story as to why I'm even doing it now. Nonetheless, here I sit with Carson Daly just beginning in the background.

I started with Jay Leno and he had Coldplay.

I went to Conan O'Brien and he had on Dr. Dog.

You could tell that both of these performances were probably not so bad except that performers and engineers have now digressed to actual live performances rather than lip syncing. I know it's pure, noble and just for a concert, but.... **ahem** YOU ALL SOUND LIKE SHIT THROUGH MY TELEVISION! All of you. Every last actual live performance I watch sounds like crap. The Beatles sounded better on the Ed Sullivan Show.

So, here's the real question. In order to preserve the fan base of modern society should we resort back to lip syncing or would you think that we are all just so fucking stupid and that technology has not advanced to preserving a nice solid sound that is appealing to my ears and can entertain me.

Look guys... I'm very aware of the amount of work that it takes and the type of talent a person must have to successfully make a band sound good, but are television people only hiring people who went to school for sound or just the mentally retarded (no offense to actual mentally retarded people, I'm sure you're all smarter than the engineers hired by NBC)? I'm sure the engineering pay scale for working for a network station show such as Jay Leno or Conan O'Brien or what not pays enough for you to get to fucking work. If not, just get lazier and go back to lip syncing and stop ruining the sound of perfectly good bands. You are a disgrace sirs and/or madams.

I got nervous when I saw Serj Tankian was going to be on.... oh, whoever this guy is's show... you know the one that every 12 year old girl thinks is cute but he's really an overrated tight assed prude that wouldn't deserve my pinky finger up his ass? Oh, Carson Daly (I'm glad I wrote it at the top) I'm always fearful of someone ruining System or Serj for me by botching a live performance, but it goes to show that that mother fucker knows what's up and decided to just to an interview (I'm hoping).

Oh, sad. I just heard it announced that Serj is playing. Should I turn it off or cross my fingers and hope for the best?

Promotions

We aren’t trying to make you feel silly, but it surprising how many bands really don’t have a clue how to promote a show or are using old school tactics that don’t really work anymore. In our efforts to better music scenes across the US, here are some tips. Nothing is surefire except that not doing anything will result in a bad show for everyone and we like people to leave happy, including us!

If you are a serious band, you will realize that a band is a job and that you can’t just be good and expect people to come for no other reason than they should have telepathic powers or just trust you. A band that wants to tour full time, gain fans and sell merch will usually work 40 hours a week **faces of shock** just like a real job!!!!!

1. No matter where you are and where you play, you are generally required to provide the customers the night of shows, especially bar shows. Some original music bars simply don’t have an advertising budget, don’t have a street team and rely on the bands to bring the people for their bar sales. Without that, the bar can’t stay open for you to pass through again. Fans are looking for a connection with a band, band member or their music. They can drink anywhere and they will unless you tell them why they should be drinking where you’re playing. Here are some simple things you can do.

a. Make flyers. Don’t just make flyers and toss them in the air though and expect anyone to care. Think about what grabs your attention to a flyer or would make you hang on to one. Try to hand out your flyers to people you’ve talked to about the show. Tell them a bit about it, help make that personal connection. Like it or not and as cheesy as it is people like saying their friends are in bands and that they’re going to see them, so you have to make them feel like they’re a part of your inner circle sometimes to do that.

b. Find a few easy, highly trafficked online calendars to simply post your show dates on. My personal favorite is Reverb Nation (www.reverbnation.com). It provides you with a “widget” that you can post easily on any site that accepts html, so whenever you post a new date, it will update your calendar wherever it is posted. You can also encourage your friends to post it on their pages and they will receive continuous updates on your upcoming shows. Other favorites include My Space, Pure Volume, Garage Band and, of course, your own personal website. Make sure that if you have a personal band website (and you should) that you update and not just you’re My Space page. If you are truly lazy or the person who runs your website is, then make your calendar page refer to your My Space page for upcoming dates.

c. Post bulletins and event invitations on My Space. Put your personal feelings about the popularity of My Space aside and realize that it truly does reach more of your fans people of the general area than any website has ever done. Who knows if it will last forever, who cares if all your friends are doing it so you wanna be the one that different, just like everyone else… it is hands down the quickest way to reach the most people at one time.

d. Try to make every show some sort of event. Sit down with a calendar and find all the events that you might have going on that year, whether it’s a nationally recognized holiday, your birthday or a festival you want to create. Pitching an idea to club is much more appealing than just saying “my band is called this and we’re awesome”, no matter how true it is. Tell them you want to have a zombie festival, a toga party, a wet willy contest, anything you can think of that will keep anyone’s interest. Not only will it catch a venue buyer’s eye, but it will keep your fans wondering what your next show will be like and cause them to tell their friends to maybe gain some more fans.




2. Touring bands will want to approach things the same way, but you may have to work hard and be a bit more creative. Especially if you have not played the area before. If you have done your marketing budget for your band look at how much you are spending on things like flyers and think about reapplying that money towards your fans. Flyers really aren’t going to have as much impact. I’m not saying don’t make flyers, always make flyers, but maybe just not as many. If no one’s ever heard of you making 3,000 flyers will not even earn you back one admission many times.

a. Let’s face it people love free stuff, whether it’s stuff they need or not. Think about providing raffles or compensating your bands for their tickets or drinks. If your budget is about $20 a show for flyers and promo then maybe you could offer to pay off someone’s beer tab at the end of the night by raffling it off and reimbursing them for their admission. If you’re making really shiny flyers and posters and mailing out CD’s and really trying to make a promotion push of $100 or more think about reinvesting that money back into an even bigger prize. Maybe pay for everyone’s first drink of the night. Advertise that “you should come see 'Your Band' and the first drink is on 'Your Band'”. It sounds like a lot, but these are the people that will remember you and come back again. Also, the bar will love you for bringing people, buying some drinks and look forward to you coming back. This can sound like a lot when you’re scrimping for gas money, but you’ll start scrimping less if you can make true fans that will always return to your shows and venues will start being happy to promise you some gas money because you can promise them business. Every business usually starts out a bit in debt so that they can have better results. “Spending money to make money” is something you should look at as well.

b. Keep a few promotional CD’s, business cards and press kits on you at all times. You never know who’s going to be at your show and may want to book you at their club, radio station or with their band. Treat them professionally and have something available for them. Ask for their information in return so you can follow up if you don’t hear from them in a few weeks.

c. Keep a list of all media lists for each area. Keep a schedule of when you should send your press releases out. The first press release should be sent 6-8 weeks (time permitting), the second 4-6 weeks and one more the week of (as a gentle reminder to invite the press out if they so choose). Written articles, radio interviews (even on smaller local stations) and being able to recognize your name are all more important than buying a full page ad in the local media rag.

i. Note: If you are receiving press in several areas, make a press board. Clip out your articles and post them on a poster board or frame them on your merch display. Let people know that someone is taking notice of you, so maybe they should too. Don’t overdo it. As you get more press, maybe think of making a book to keep on the table and just keep posted the more exciting reviews.

ii. If you happen to open for a national act or meet someone with some clout in the media, try to get them to make a quote about your band. It’s the same things that writers do for books, so why not get people who know about music to make them about your music. Especially if they show interest as a fan as well.

iii. See if you are in a college town. College radio will be the most receptive to playing your music and having you in the studio. Some high schools even have a radio station. They are not as controlled by corporate handcuffs, such as Clear Channel and will be able to do more to help you out.

d. Keep a mailing list. A better way than maybe making a notebook with a list is to make business card size papers to leave around on the tables for people to fill out. Have them list things like their zip code, birthdays or anything else that you might use to track your fans. Leave a bowl, bag or box up at your merch table for people to drop them off in. Ooo! And guess what else! You can reuse these for raffles and the like to encourage people to sign up for your list. It’s all a vicious cycle. One you should be taking part of.

i. Reverb Nation (www.reverbnation.com) is a great site to use for your mailing list as well. The benefit to this is that it will also allow people to sign up for your potential street team as well and will allow for you to keep everything in one place, which can be important especially while you’re on the road. It will also allow the members of your team to enter their demographic information, which is important for when you are booking shows or potentially shopping your band for management, agents, radio stations or labels.

ii. One of the most comprehensive free sites available to bands right now is Fan Bridge (www.fanbridge.com). It allows you to track pretty much any demographic you were hoping to track with your fans. You can fine tune your mailing list to certain areas, so you’re not always harassing fans that most likely couldn’t possibly make it to your show in the first place. It also allows for SMS text messaging which is always good for day of show reminders or trying to get fans to vote for you to play Warped Tour (because we know there isn’t ANYONE doing that right now ;) …).

e. Make a book with a standard form page in it for bars and bands to fill out. Something like this:
Venue/Band Name:
Contact Name:
Contact Number:
Contact Email:
Band/Venue Website:
Band/Venue My Space:

Okay, you get the point, put in any other information, address, style of music, style of bar… it really doesn’t matter what you put in there as long as you have a way to contact the people you need to the next time you come through town. Some venues may want you to rent the room out and book the lineup on a show and this will be a great way to find the bands you’ve played with before and see if they can help you out. Put the information into an Excel spreadsheet. You can then sort by state, name or whatever other information you would like to sort by. You can even provide a place to ask if they mind if you put them on your mailing list to help you fill in those demographic blanks. Let bands know to contact you if they are coming through your area. This is a business of favors and we can all use all the help we can get.

f. Keep a list of record stores in the area. Call ahead of time. See if they do any in store performances, even if it’s just the acoustic of your guitar player and singer or whatever will work. Meet people at the record store. Ask if you can bring CD’s to consign as well.

g. Some of the silliest and cheesiest things are some of the best ways for people to remember you. Bring flowers, candy, your homemade cookies or whatever you can and offer them to people in the audience before your show.

h. ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS try to talk to some of the audience members before your show. Maybe when you offer them your cookies tell them you’re in the 2nd or 3rd band of the night and you hope they’ll stick around. You are going to get more people to stick around and pay attention, once again, if they feel they have that personal connection to you in some way.

i. Street teams. Lots of people will sign up for street teams, but it’s hard to get them to do the work. These are basically fans that will work for you for free or in exchange for free show tickets, merch or to be the first to hear your album on a secret download page. Make a place on your site where they can print up a show flyer. Ask if they mind making a few copies (offer to reimburse them up to a certain amount with a receipt) and if they can hand a few out and tell people about your band. Ask if they’ll run to the local CD store and see if your CD is at that store. If they show their receipts, offer them free passage to the next show in their area. Be creative, but be careful. A lot of times you’re going to get a lot of people who seem excited and are well intentioned, but just don’t have the time or slack off. Just be smart with how you work with your street team. Maybe make a place for them on My Space, give them a special name such as “Your Bands Dorks” and make them feel special. Ask one that you know is working hard to make a fan page for you in that area. Again, be creative.

j. Especially if you are attending a conference, get in touch with hotels. Ask if you can leave promotional CD’s in the lobby or if they would even mind dropping one in each room on the pillow, desk or on the info display in each room. Try not to put them to too much work as this leads to eye rolls, but if they seem receptive it won’t hurt to ask.

So, these are some of my suggestions and ideas. There are many more. Please visit Joe Taylor’s site at www.spinme.com and sign up for his newsletter and maybe sign up for some teleconferences for more ideas. He’s the bomb and writes some of the best books you will ever read on how to manage your band, grow your bands audience and more. I heart him and so should you if you really want to take your band to the next level.
I am also the equivalent of a D&D geek about local music and ways to make scenes better. If you have done something that has worked well for you in the past, let me know and if it’s not completely stupid or repetitive, I will post it here! Just email me at outrageousproductions@gmail.com!

Health Insurance for Musicians

Resource Rundown: Health Insurance for Musiciansfrom spinme. com by Joe Taylor Jr.


Just spent most of the last week on the couch, recovering from a really freaky infection of the sinuses and inner ear. Plenty gross. And on top of that, it caused my tongue to swell up, so I couldn't even speak! Probably the worst thing that can happen when you're a professional trainer and speaker, right? Luckily, I caught it in time to get loads of medication. But it reminded me that I had been meaning to put together some resources for musicians looking for affordable health insurance.


Like a lot of us, pre-existing health conditions made it really hard for Lori and I to get coverage. When Lori got sick, Blue Cross decided to call her illness "pre-existing," only because it hadn't been diagnosed up until the point at which she almost died. So they left us hanging for six figures worth of hospital bills. Trying to find health coverage on your own without the backing of a group plan, an employer, or a trade association can finish the job that your illness started in the first place. Without support from NARAS, I wouldn't have been able to get us on to another plan to get us through until I picked up my new day job.


NARAS offers access to two Academy-supported health care brokerages:

* MusicProInsurance is a great clearinghouse of rates and information. The general public can use their site, but NARAS members can use their group status to qualify for a broader range of plans.

* Association Health Programs offer even more comprehensive plans for musicians who need ongoing care.


NARAS membership costs $100 for a year.
You will most likely save that much on the cost of a health plan from most of their recommended providers. You can join as a non-Voting member just by submitting a business card or company letterhead from a record company, agency, or recording studio where you work. (This could be your own company, for example.) If you'd like to actually vote on the Grammys, there's a new "digital qualifying" option that's much less restrictive than membership has ever been. (We'll leave commentary out for now, but for the sake of getting cheap health care, it's an Association that really has taken a stand for its members on this issue over the past few years.)

In a few strong music communities, local organizations help musicians get quality health care:
* Healthcare for Musicians helps residents of Louisiana find low-cost clinics.

* Health Alliance for Austin Musicians connects Texan artists with dental and medical services.

* Ithaca Health Alliance, based in my own college town, offers discount services to New York residents.


And for folks in other parts of the U.S.

, the Future of Music Coalition manages a comprehensive guide of resources, articles, and links about health insurance for musicians.


As I've written before, it can often seem crazy to budget money every month for something you hope you'll never have to use. If it means you never have to go through the pain of suffering through an untreated injury, it's worth every penny.

Booking

By Jem

So, why aren’t bands making money? Why are venues closing? What is the strange phenomenon that seems to be sweeping the local music universe and plaguing it with the inability to flourish as it once did? I could probably focus on a million issues, but there seem to be just a few that stand out that I want to go over with everyone and hopefully encourage some people to stop the cycle and stop giving up on their scene and correct things within themselves.

First of all, let’s point out that you are a part of the scene. If you think your scene sucks then maybe you should look at yourself. It’s a crappy way to put it maybe, but you can’t say your family is dysfunctional and not look at yourself to try to find out if you are the cause of the problem. Just consider it. No one likes to be wrong or told that what they are doing is wrong, but usually because they know there is some grain of truth to it.

Day after day I have conversations with bands that seem entirely self-confident as to why other bands don’t have a crowd and wonder endlessly what happened to their crowd. Most of the time I see that band repeating the same patterns they are complaining about. Everyone has a solution it seems, but no one is using it.

What should you look at? What are the things that you need? The tools you are responsible for as a band to bring to venues or to yourselves or your tour? It may seem silly, but read through these points and see if you might be actually doing these things. Not if you believe that I’m right or wrong, but if you maybe aren’t practicing what you preach. Really think about it and get to the heart of the matter.

POINT ONE: THIS IS A BUSINESS OF FAVORS!
Anyone who says otherwise isn’t going to be around too long. They may be able to get by on their good looks and even their good music for a short period of time, but they will either become disrespected to the point that people will stop doing business with them or the industry will swallow them up and they’ll find themselves owing an unnecessary amount of money to an industry that is crippled, falling apart and leaning on the uneducated in this industry to owe them money to stay alive. The sad part is that many of these bands are falling for it because they have done no one else any favors and in turn remained uneducated in the way things are taking place today and concentrating on the way things were 20-30 years ago.

Favors aren’t even as significant as they might seem, they come naturally in this industry. If a venue allows you to play, even if there is a business transaction at some point of the night, it is a favor that they picked you. If a band is willing to play my venue, I consider it a favor. Without them coming in I wouldn’t have a leg to stand on with the club. This should create a mutual respect between bands and venues and allow for them to help each other out in other areas of business when it’s needed. Forging these relationships is necessary.

The next favor can come with meeting with the bands at your shows. Is someone on your show from out of town? Are you the out of town band? Meet these people. Find out if they can help you out with a show in the future whether you are going to their town or vice versa. Even less obvious can be forging relationships with bands in your own town that you may want to align yourselves with for some future shows. Do they have similar fans? Don’t worry as much about the size of them as if you can utilize that crowd to help build a bigger crowd for both of you. Don’t be the petty band that says, well, we already draw more than you, so we don’t need you. You never know what else you can gain in term of fans, favors, other relationships with other bands, the list goes on.

Once you close your eyes to the opportunity to learn from anyone, no matter where you might learn the lesson, then you’ll stop growing too and not only as a band.

POINT TWO: STOP OVERPLAYING YOUR MARKET!
This one has left me at a point recently where all I want to do is say, “DUMBASS!” every five minutes to pretty much every band I’m encountering this week alone. Just in this past week I have seen four bands hurt their draws because they’re playing the next night in the same market, or even the next week in the same market and even because they’re playing the same month in the same market.

HERE IS YOUR STANDARD TO LIVE BY! MAKE IT YOUR BIBLE!

Baby bands – two year old bands: Every 4-6 weeks within an hour radius of your claimed hometown city
Two year old bands and up: If your band is doing well with this format, then by all means, please cut back to 6-8 weeks. You will have more beneficial shows. I know that this is hard for bands that are doing well because you get asked to play more shows. This is a sign that you are doing well, not a sign to over saturate yourselves and give people too many options of where to go and how often to go. You still need to be particular about how you book yourselves. Don’t lose sight because you are growing in demand.

Imagine your favorite band ever. If they played in your hometown every night, would you go every night? Even if you might want to this isn’t always possible. You have work, you have lives, you have families, whatever your excuse of the day is, and it’s just going to make it less important when they play because you can go whenever you want. It’s no longer a commodity. If they come to your town and you know they won’t be back for a year, you make arrangements, you get a day off at work, you find a sitter, and you will do nearly anything to make it there because the opportunity doesn’t come around very often. I know you’re not maybe at the same level as the band you have in your head, but it is the very exact same formula for you too!

If you are looking to play out more, then look at your two hour radius, maybe your four hour radius. What are the cities around you that might not be too hard to get to? Who are the bands there that are doing well that you might want to try to contact and trade with? I know gas is a son of a bitch right now, but I promise, if you are a good and professional band that doesn’t over saturate your market you’ll be making more in your hometown to cover such expenses if they aren’t made in the next town.

If you are a two year old band or up and you are still not drawing anyone to your shows than you are either not promoting right or maybe it’s time to look and see if your band really is all that good. If your crowd is becoming smaller and smaller every show and you are doing everything you think is right, then maybe something you’re doing isn’t right. It might be you or your music or your attitude or your demands or another band member who just isn’t cutting it.
If all you want to do is play at your friends bar to your friends in your hometown, well, then please, go play in your basement, get a keg and invite your friends over. There are bands that are serious about making this a career and need the clubs to help them build their business.

POINT THREE: STOP BEING UNPROFESSIONAL DOUCHE BAGS!
If your van breaks down in Pennsylvania and you were on your way to Cincinnati, don’t call or inform someone at the time that you’re supposed to be there. You obviously know that it would take at least 4-8 hours to get there. If you leave at 8:00 pm you obviously know you’re not going to make it. Call the very minute that you know that you aren’t going to be able to make it. And really, in all honesty… most of the time it would just be nice if you let us know at all! If you are a no call no show, you are usually immediately cut from ever being able to play a venue again. You have more of a chance of playing the venue again and maybe getting less shit talked about you if you would just give someone a heads up… PREFERABLY THE PERSON YOU BOOKED THE SHOW WITH! If you booked the show with the venue, inform the venue, not some band that was on the bill so you can avoid what you think might be some horrific confrontation that probably wouldn’t be that bad anyway.

I HATE BLACK LISTING GOOD BANDS! I HATE IT! Maybe I’m not like most venue buyers you’ve met in your lifetime, but I actually do care if the show goes well FOR EVERYONE! If you are a good band and claim to be a professional band, then present yourself as such. I need good bands! All the time! Not once a week, not once every Friday and Saturday, but every single night! It is the only way that you are going to have good shows and it is the only way that I’m going to stay a venue available to touring bands and the great bands in her hometown.



Overall point being that we need to keep it together by working together. That includes me, that includes you and it includes your fans because that is the only way a scene is a scene and a good one at that. I refuse to let those of you who have forgotten their ways by giving up, closing our doors and being bitter. This article is based on what I have learned from you, now, go out there and practice what you preach.

Outside Help

diy60 - Brought to you by the fabulous PR genius Jeffrey Smith with Crash Avenue Publicity.

Spin Me.com - One of my personal heroes, Joe Taylor keeps you up to date on what is working and what isn't in the music industry. He is also the author of some of my favorite books: How to Grow Your Bands Audience, Music Management for the Rest of Us, More Gigs Now and Host Your Own Concerts. He is also a fabulous consultant for hire. I could go on.

Top 10 Ways to Get More Money from a Gig

Top 10 Ways to Get More Money from a Gig - from MusicMarketing.com

Top 10 Ways to Get More Money from a Gig
From MusicMarketing.com

You are an artist, it's true. But just because you’re an artist doesn’t mean you don’t need to get paid. Money makes a lot of things possible, including time in a recording studio, new and better instruments, and paying your rent so you don’t have to live in a cardboard box and burn your guitar for warmth. There’s nothing wrong with making money from your shows, and if you’re smart you’ll try to optimize that earning power. You don’t have to be a marketing genius or a public relations guru—just think outside the box and make the most of what you already have going for you.

1. Don’t be afraid to ask for what you’re worth.

Just because you want the gig doesn’t mean you have to beg for it. If you’ve got experience performing, and you regularly draw a crowd, your venue stands to benefit as much—if not more—than you do from the show. So don’t let them tell you that you’re not worth paying as much as a “bigger name”. It is also a good idea to go in and tell them exactly what you’re doing to generate a buzz about the show. If they can see that you’re working to get a crowd in, they’ll be a lot more willing to pay you a good rate.

2. Don’t run up a huge bar tab.

Take a lesson from the Blues Brothers. If you’re buying your own drinks at the show, it’s going to eat in to your bottom line. You don’t want to end up owing them money for playing a show. A couple beers to keep you loose isn’t a big deal, but when you start buying round after round of top shelf drinks you’re going to rack up quite a bill. Not to mention that it’s going to affect your performance. You might not think it’s a problem…but then, neither does Amy Winehouse. Stay on top of your game while you’re on stage. There’s plenty of time to party after the show.

3. Sell T-shirts, bumper stickers and CDs at the show.

A small investment in your own marketing merchandise can help generate income. Make sure whatever you’re selling is cool in design and functionality. You can’t go wrong with T-shirts, as long as they don’t look cheesy. Don’t try to sell them for $40 each. You’re not Pink Floyd (yet). The kids that are going to your show aren’t loaded, but they’ll gladly buy and wear your shirt around if it’s affordable and looks good. That’s free advertising. Stickers and other inexpensive items can also bring in some extra money. Remember, you’re not trying to get rich off this stuff—just clear a little profit and get your name out there.

4. The Tip Jar

It never hurts to set it out there. And even if you only get a few bucks, it’s a few bucks more than you had before. Make sure that you sincerely thank the audience for their tips before you close the show.

5. Generate a buzz to ensure a big crowd.

If you’re getting part of the cover, you want to do everything in your power to get people in the door. That means going out and hitting the streets for weeks before the show, printing flyers and cards, asking friends and family to spread the word, and using your contacts to get people to the show. Even if there’s no cover, the more people at your show, the more opportunity you have to sell your CD’s and T-shirts and get tips. Don’t leave it to chance—work hard to get people to the show and it’ll pay off in more ways than one.

6. Make sure your venue will attract people who will like your music.

If you’re an acoustic singer/songwriter, don’t try to play at a club that is known for head banging. It sounds simple enough, but there’s something to be said for playing up to the regulars that are used to going to the venue where you’re playing. Go to a few shows at the same venue beforehand and hang out. See who’s there and talk to some people about your upcoming show. People that are already at the venue are more likely to come back than people who’ve never been there before—even if they know who you are.

7. Look for different types of venues—not just the same old bar scene.

There are lots of places you can play to earn a few bucks. Big corporations often throw parties a couple times a year to celebrate holidays or sales performance. Schools have festivals and events. There are endless places where you can attract a crowd and sell your CD’s. Think outside the box!

8. Make sure you have a website and blog—and a mailing list to remind people where they can see you!

This is such an important piece of getting recognition and money. Make sure people know how to find you online. Every piece of advertising or marketing you do should have your website address on it. Keep your site updated regularly and post information about upcoming shows. When your shows are over be sure to immediately post pictures and videos. Respond to inquiries from fans, prospective venues, and press. You can also sell MP3’s of your songs or the entire CD on your website to generate income. There are literally endless possibilities, and with today’s web tools, it is easier and easier for anyone to create and manage their own website. Most importantly, once you’re on the web, people from all over the world can find you and hear your music. Think big, and make yourself available to an unlimited fan base.

9. Treat your booking professionally.

Make sure you keep track of phone numbers, dates, and venue contacts. This is going to ensure repeat bookings. Until you make it big and have yourself a real business manager, you’re going to have to keep things organized. Some people are naturally good at this, and some people, well…aren’t. Bare minimum, get a big calendar and scribble phone numbers and important dates and times on it to keep track. The more you treat your band like a business, the more money you’re going to make.

10. Stick around after the show and work the room.

Don’t just pack your stuff and high tail it out of the club when you’re done playing. Unless it’s closing time, spend a while chilling out with the crowd and talking to people. When you’ve finished your show, you’ve got a little bit of ‘star quality’ that comes from having been the center of attention for the duration of the show. When you take the time to walk around and thank people for coming, introduce yourself to people and tell them your CD is for sale, or hand them your card with your website on it, you are doing yourself an invaluable service. Try this for three shows in a row, and I guarantee you’re going to see huge results.