So your all set up
& ready to go - or are you? Getting the best sound at your gigs
entails learning the basics of sound engineering, you don't need to do
a course or spend loads of time in a studio but it is important that
you become acquainted with your new equipment.
Keeping your band on the road gigging is a constant challenge for any artist. As a self-managed,
self-booking artist, you need to be even more diligent in your attempts to book tour dates. In your efforts to
build a loyal following in specific markets, it is important to book return dates at venues you've already played.
There is no better time to begin negotiating a return date as at the time you are settling the current date.
There are several ways to get your media onto Amazon. Multiple online services acting as distributors can do it for you, but the most direct way is to join the Amazon Advantage program. Check out the Advantage FAQ here..
There are two good ways to get into music or audio recording: school,
or finding somebody that will take you under their wing. What school
can do is help you find internships under the right people. It's all
about working in the professional studio environment." -Ringo
Castle, Audio Engineer
A good studio will have everything a rehearsal studio has and more,
including full recording facilities, effects, sound engineer and
possibly seperate drum and vocal booths. How you record your tracks
depends on your competance and preferred method of working.
March is get down to business month. With the summer festival season on the horizon,
this is a great time to contact and line up your summer events calendar. Many of the major festivals
already have their talent lined up and contracted. There are still some filler slots open at most of
the major festivals. But why rely on the major festivals to fill up your calendar? There are so many
town, city, county and state-wide events that will take place throughout the spring, summer and fall
that book local and regional talent along with some of the big name acts. Now is the time for a bit of
research on your city’s website, your county government website, your state’s tourist department website
and the US Chamber of Commerce website.
In my article, How To Get Tour Support for Your Musical Act, I discussed alternative
methods of funding touring expenses if you are an independent artist. This article focuses on how to
work with your record label and what expenses might be likely for the label to fund. Most of you who
have been signed to a label are probably working with a smaller independent label unlikely to have the
financial resources at their disposal that most of the major labels have. All is not lost. This is a
process of working with the label, whether an Indie or a major label. Creativity is one of the greatest
resources we have and it will be greatly appreciated here.
You have reached that point in your career development when adding an agent to your
team would be a logical next step. Before you pick up the phone and start calling around, I suggest you
do the following three steps.
Folks are gearing up for the big holiday hoopla as this Fourth of July begins
to get noisy. Thinking about this holiday reminded me of the challenges of booking tours around
holidays. I thought I would offer some tips about holiday bookings, which ones to go after and
which ones to avoid. Some holidays can be a gold mine, others a big bust. Some days aren't even
holidays, but should be treated as such when it comes to booking gigs. Holiday awareness can net
you additional gigs and also help you plan ahead for travel challenges like traffic and
airport delays.
July 16th is the anniversary of the death of Harry Chapin, one of the world's great
humanitarians and one of music's finest story-song writers. I remember the exact moment I heard the news
on the radio that Harry Chapin had been killed in a car accident on the Long Island Expressway. He was
heading to New York City to meet with his manager to discuss cutting back on his performance dates. His
detailed songs, filled with life's reality touched me, like many during Chapin's heyday. He wrote about
subjects most other writers dared not touch. His legacy is his profound devotion to the performing arts
and helping to solve one of the world's most unnecessary problems, hunger. The organization, World Hunger
Year, is a testament to Chapin's charitable efforts during his lifetime and it remains one of the leading
organizations fighting hunger today.
As emerging artists, it's often hard to find promoters or venues that will take a chance on an
untested artist. When a promoter finally catches on to your act and gives you a chance, it is important that you
recognize that promoter's efforts. If success finds you, make sure you return the favor to those who have
invested their time, belief and money on you back when first started.
So many performers shy away from doing benefits, most often because they think "benefit"
means they don't get paid. I would like to offer a different perspective on performing benefits. In fact,
I suggest that you strategically incorporate benefits into your tour plans every year.
Touring is expensive, especially when you tour with more than two people. There are so
many costs associated with launching a tour and many of those costs are incurred before playing the first
date. As an independent artist managing your own career and possibly running your own record label, you
are responsible for fronting all the money for marketing, recording and eventually touring. There are ways,
however, to get some financial support for some of the touring costs. It takes a little work, some research
and some creative thinking and can result in having someone else pay for some of the touring expenses.
Have you ever felt frantic about getting more dates on the calendar? So often, I
find that many artists are fixated with filling up their calendars with any gig that comes their
way. Depending on your goals, that may be exactly the thing to do. For those of you attempting to
create a long lasting career, that has some momentum and progresses from one level up to the next,
I would like to help you examine the types of gigs you are booking.
There is nothing more satisfying for a touring musician, than to arrive at the venue and
everything is in order. All of the requested equipment is set up and ready for sound check, the publicity
has been done, posters are hanging in the window and there is someone to meet you as you load in. Was it
an accident that this occurred? Not likely, probably all can be attributed to good planning and someone
spending some time advancing the date. The term means to call ahead to the venue and all other associated
contacts prior to the play date and confirm all the necessary arrangements with the appropriate personnel.
Whether you are on a tour or simply doing a single date, the day of the show is filled with
last minute details begging for attention. Dealing with the final logistics of each performance date has the
potential of creating a day fraught with frustrations or one which runs like clockwork leaving you calm and
in control. I opt for the second. In order for you to experience that sense of control, here is a template
of suggestions to help you plan your day-of-show and keep on top of the details.
You've done everything possible to fill each day with bookings, and yet you still end up
with one day, between gigs. You don't have to drive and you don't have to play. Depending on how long you've
been on the road, you might want to simply sleep or catch up on emails or write a new song. If however you
have done a brilliant job of planning and this day off is no accident, a great deal of business can be
accomplished. Here are some ideas to help you pass your next off-day more productively.
When you are in the start-up phases of establishing a new group, you may not want
to make an investment in a touring vehicle. Instead, more pressing items require investment dollars
such as promotional packages, photos and recordings. Rather than increasing the wear and tear on one
of the group's own vehicles, renting a touring vehicle may be the best method of getting around.
School's in session! I thought I would lend some insights into playing the college market
as you begin the fall touring season. For some artists the college market is a gold mine and for others it
simply offers frustration. Many acts successfully use the colleges as a point from which to launch their
careers while others have found it leading to a dead end. There are a number of drawbacks to playing this
arena as well as benefits. As we explore both ends of the spectrum, keep an open mind about how this market
might fit into your booking plans.
In Part 1 of "Developing A Home Base," we examined the benefits of building a solid home base
foundation before venturing out to tour beyond your local area. Now, I'd like to help you determine just how
much of a home base you have already developed and what you might do to build upon some of your successes.
There is great advantage to concentrating the majority of your development in your
hometown as you plan for future tours to new territories. I have always been a believer in starting
your career in a central place, like your hometown or a town nearby that would be conducive to your
career development. Then, expand outward systematically from that central point. I picture a stone
dropped into a pool of water—ripples cascade outward from the center where the stone landed. This
approach helps you build your fan base and business skills in a step-by-step strategic manner.
We can discuss booking strategies and marketing plans forever, but until
your group has established a working group dynamic, success may be illusive. One
of my first concerns when I worked with any group, is to see how the group worked together and
interacted with each other away from the music. I've seen situations when a band can make
incredible music together and as soon as the rehearsal or the gig is over, everyone disappears
into their own world just so they don't have to interact with one another. There is so much more
to creating a successful band than just playing the music. I want to know that the group will do
more than simply tolerate each other when it's absolutely necessary.
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.
As the saying goes,"timing is everything." That is so true in the promotion business.
Miss a deadline, and you may forfeit an entire month's itinerary information getting to the booking
personnel across the country. This could hamper the ease of future bookings. Or, if you miss the
calendar-listing deadline, your photo and upcoming gig information may not appear in the local daily
paper, reducing your chances for a good audience turnout. So let's get a handle on the timing and work
with a time-line that will keep you on track
So you are working hard to book your tour and the dates are falling into place smoothly.
Now the biggest challenge ahead of you is to create some audience excitement and media interest. I believe
that any project, tour or product you create needs to have the marketing plan in place while you are planning
the project, tour or product. You see this working all the time with national products, movies, major label
record releases. The concept produces successful results when applied to independent label releases and
individual artist tours.
The holiday season has begun and that should signal year-end planning and assessment.
Some acts may be performing a great deal during the holidays, with private parties and special events
scheduled. Others may be entering the "slow" season and find you have some extra time on your hands.
This is great time to take stock of your supplies and inventories, evaluate how well you did financially
and do some end of the year tax planning.
I often get calls from artists who want to know more about using a radio promotion
company to help boost airplay and build new audiences. Most artists believe they ought to launch into
a full-blown campaign as soon as they have their hot-off-the-press CD. Some artists should do just that,
others should not, depending on your career goals, of course.
While driving through Missouri on my way to teach a seminar, I heard a report
on National Public Radio about the power of a song. All Things Considered former producer,
Marika Partridge, had attended a festival where she heard a song by Pat Humphries nearly one
year ago. Her story was about how this one song influenced her, inspired her and stuck with her
after all that time.
I receive many promotional packets. I don't receive nearly as many as a club owner or
promoter does though. As I review the packets, a few main issues strike me—first, the most interesting
and important facts are often buried deep within the text. Second, in an attempt to look impressive,
the artist includes far too much material reducing the impact of the really "good stuff." And third the
material is not well organized. Since your promotional material often serves to introduce your act and
create a first impression, it is important to make your first shot count.
You may have heard the expression, "the right tool for the job." It works for home repair,
car maintenance and promoting your act. One of the greatest expenditures you may make to market your act is
creating an effective promotional package—including your CD or video. This is your marketing tool. It needs
to be appropriate to the audience you are attempting to reach. It needs to be right for the job at hand. If
you are booking club dates, you must be mindful of who is on the receiving end, opening it, reading it and
making the booking decisions. Perhaps you are doing a radio promotion campaign. Again, be aware of the
recipient and their needs. It is a waste of your financial resources to send more than what is necessary
and you do yourself a disservice to send a packet that doesn't represent your act effectively.
So you're barreling along, booking tour dates, doing your promotion,
playing the gigs and generally feeling pretty good about the way things
are going. Yes? But you're thinking to yourself, "How can I spice
things up, make them more exciting for everyone, especially the media
and bring a bit more attention to this road show?" The answer—Themes.
Not everyone is an emerging artist. You might be starting a new phase of your
career with new band members, a new release and a whole new outlook on the business. In the past
your band had some success, achieved some recognition and toured extensively. Don't just bury
the past; use it to boost your new efforts. As you begin to promote your new release and book
the release tour, tap into the good will you developed earlier in your career.
Your inclination might be to launch this new act without any reference to the past,
a clean, new start. That's fine, but why reinvent the wheel? If you had any amount of success
in the past, play on that notoriety to open doors, even just a crack. Work smarter, not harder.
Persistent and consistent follow-up is one of the key elements to a successful touring career.
This holds true whether you are trying to book a gig, land an interview with a local or major paper, get a
record deal or find an agent or a manager. Those who simply send out their promotional packets and wait for
a response may as well disconnect their phones and save on the monthly bill--you won't get a return call.
In any business, your contacts are your life's blood! They could mean the difference between
getting booked in a choice club, getting reviewed in a major market rag, getting that record deal or getting
your song covered by a major label artist. Don't get me wrong, talent and all of your efforts thus far play a
major role. But, from my experience and from so many stories told to me by other artists, managers and industry
professionals along with historical accounts about industry luminaries, dropping a name or two can get you in
the door. With that in mind it is so important to build solid relationships with your contacts and nurture those
relationships to benefit your future career.
Networking—is it an industry buzzword or is there really something to it? The word
is bandied about in relation to conferences and showcasing but how can one take advantage of
networking on a daily basis.
Attending trade shows and booking conferences can put a huge dent in your wallet.
If you have decided to explore the world of conferences as a means of boosting your career to a new
level, the following will help make your experience more satisfying and save you unnecessary expenses.
Booking conferences seem to be cropping up in every state during all times of the year.
I thought I would offer some tips on how to approach attending a large booking conference.
You've done everything possible to fill each day with bookings, and yet you still end up
with one day, between gigs. You don't have to drive and you don't have to play. Depending on how long you've
been on the road, you might want to simply sleep or catch up on emails or write a new song. If however you
have done a brilliant job of planning and this day off is no accident, a great deal of business can be
accomplished. Here are some ideas to help you pass your next off-day more productively.
You've chosen your touring market and selected the right venue and now it has been a week, maybe
two and the club booker is keeping you dangling. You know you could do well in this venue and you really think it
will work. You are so ready to play at this club yet the booker won't make a commitment. Time marches on, booking
opportunities slip away, adequate promotion time dwindles and still you wait. How long is too long to wait for a
gig commitment?
Playing clubs usually involves door sales. Depending on the deal you negotiate, it is
very likely that your income will be partially or wholly dependent upon a percentage of the
tickets sold.
Up until now we've been concerned about getting the gig. But, what happens if either
you or the promoter has to cancel the date? The first item of business is to make sure you have a
good cancellation clause in your contract.
You've probably read numerous articles espousing the benefits of having a written contract
for all of your gigs. You might have even experienced one of those moments when you wish you had had a
written contract for that one gig you did for your friend, who just didn't have the agreed upon amount
money at the end of the night. Never mind — you are wiser now.
Whether you are booking your own band or have an agent, it is important to establish your
value within your particular market. When there is demand for your act, your fees will increase and
bookings will be easier to contract. At the beginning of your touring career, there is probably little
or no demand, therefore, the fees are low and there is more difficulty booking dates. While you are building
your reputation and following, it is important to keep track of the following factors, enabling you to begin
to establish a track record and some value. Establishing value for your act helps to create some leverage
when negotiating with promoters and booking personnel at each venue. So how do you begin to establish your value?
Now that you have some basic negotiation savvy, it is time to become familiar with some of
the standard types of deals used when negotiating performance dates. I also suggest the various situations
for which each deal is best suited. Keep in mind, however, that every negotiation can be as creative as the
individuals participating. If the following standard deals require some tweaking to suit a particular
situation, feel free to explore all of your options. Most booking personnel with whom you shall be negotiating
are familiar with these standard deals and may be more comfortable using one of them to finalize your
negotiations.
Now that you have some basic negotiation savvy, it is time to become familiar with some of
the standard types of deals used when negotiating performance dates. I also suggest the various situations
for which each deal is best suited. Keep in mind, however, that every negotiation can be as creative as the
individuals participating. If the following standard deals require some tweaking to suit a particular
situation, feel free to explore all of your options. Most booking personnel with whom you shall be negotiating
are familiar with these standard deals and may be more comfortable using one of them to finalize your
negotiations.
Each industry has its own jargon. Those in the know are able to move about more comfortably.
I thought I would lay the foundation and provide you with a glossary of basic terms. As you continue in the
business, feel free to email me with questions regarding new terminology that continues to stump you. From
time to time, I'll add to the glossary since there are sure to be many more than these. I will group terms
according to categories rather than an alphabetical listing so that you can get a clear sense of their
relationship. I'll start with two basic terms whose roles are so often confused and misunderstood, agent
and manager.
Building your audience and growing your fan base is your golden ring to success. None of the industry executives at labels, management firms, booking agencies, the media or retail can ignore a demanding, loyal fan base. Job number one, in that case, is to nurture your audience.
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P.A. system is the largest and most expensive equipment you will need
to buy if you intend to work as a 'self-contained' entertainer.