I just came across this great site - Digital DJ Tips - written by a British DJ with years of experience.
A lot of the posts are technical and about making club records, DJ'ing and the like, but equally lots are about wider music making and music promoting issues - and the content is really good.
I spent hours wandering about reading stuff and you probably will too.
I could've chosen anything about music promotion but decided to list this 4 part series on hosting and promoting your own events. Of course, this works especially well for dance music and running a club night, but it can be applied to any genre with some tweaking.
Plus a lot of the promotional principles apply to anything!
You read so much stuff about how 'freemium' or 'pay what you want' pricing works for musicians and other creatives, but you don't often see artists (who aren't major label escapees!) prepared to test it and then disseminate their results.
So, it's great to see a post where the artist has done it and passes on their experience.
I am sure you have come across this model recently, artists making their work available for whatever fans want to pay for it. It has been called by many names (pay what you want, pay what you can, pay what you think it’s worth etc), but they all essentially mean the same thing. The artist gives the audience the choice as to how much money they spend on the music.
And with this in mind, I come to the main point of this post: using the pay what you want model with merchandise at live shows. I started doing this over two years ago when I toured around the UK. I know of a few musicians who do the same now, but have mainly encountered a response of fear when encouraging others to try it.
Concert posters are a REAL source of revenue for every band with even the smallest of followings.
Once you have a fanbase that turns out to shows, you can use posters to both promote those shows and as a source of revenue. Fans love a quality poster as a memento of the event.
Phish are the masters of this with each new set of dates accompanied by the pre-sale of an individual poster for each show. Before they even start prmoting the gig (let alone playing it) they have earned several thousand dollars.
You might well not be at that scale, but selling posters from your site and from the merch table is something you should be looking at - high quality art and a distincive approach to branding is obviously a key ingredient (see Phish for ideas!)
But, there are issues with ownership and rights that you need to sort out.
Concert posters have long been the standard when promoting gigs. It’s simple, efficient, and people generally love seeing these unique pieces of art. In today’s DIY market coupled with fading music sales, artists are beginning to rely heavily upon poster design as an additional merchandise revenue stream but few realize concert posters/design pack a hefty legal punch. In short: Who owns the concert poster? The band that’s performing? The designers who designed the poster? Perhaps the venue that booked the artist? If you don’t think these issues are important, think again.
You have to accept that a gig that seems pointless - nobody turns up, no merch sold, it actually costs you money....that sort of thing - might turn up a great opportuntity.
Of course, some shit gigs will be just that - shit.
But you have to play every one as though it counts. Don't put on a sub-satndard show if it's just the barman and you. You don't know - that barman may have a brother who is head of A&R at EMI.
This is a great post that covers some of the same ground as our free eBook for musicians - which you should get if you haven't already!
All I'll add is that the advice in this post and in our eBook isn't intended to make anyone give up, but it should be taken to heart. You need to be able to analyse what is and isn't working with your music or band and make the changes that are stopping you moving forward.
I have had the privilege of sitting as a judge on the largest annual Band Competition in Finland. It has 200 bands attending every year, and I’ve been part of the judging panel since 2005. The competition is aimed at unsigned bands, and is open to anyone. The entrants are picked in the order of entry submissions, so the bands are not required to have previous gigging experience. Some of the bands are playing their first ever gigs, while others have been playing youth clubs for years. Needless to say a bit of experience goes a long way. Year after year, I’ve witnessed the same problems that the bands make in the beginning of their journey. Here is my top list:
Great post from the Surface Festival folks about improving your live performance.
In a nutshell - do all you can to be good, and be professional!
For a musician live performances are one of the greatest joys of being in a band. The results of hard work and creativity are displayed for all to experience. The adrenaline can be mesmerising and leads to some intensly memorable performances. Here are some practical performance tips from the Surface Festival for the next time you’re on stage:
The problem with doing this music tip aggregating thing is that I find something and I don't just post it - I root around and see what it's all about.
Great stuff, since I can then apply it in my music marketing efforts for my clients, which is what it's all about.
But, it eats up time.
I've not used Ustream before for any of my clients, although I am obviously aware of it and have seen colleagues do some good stuff.
Then, this article from Musician Coaching got so many ideas and questions going that I have spent half the morning digging around the Ustream site, the web and even calling people up who've used it!
They all love the experience and the feedback that they get from fans.
It's not easy to just jump in and you want to spend time setting up a channel and working out how you want to use it, but the veiwers are there and the fan engagement is very strong.
It seems that everybody really likes the Ustream app on Facebook and reaching out to their fans before a broadcast on Facebook appears to be de rigeur.
As part of a broader new media strategy that these artists are employing, and a much more accessible profile to their fan base, I definitely think we fit into an important part of that. I do think when you talk about Twitter and Facebook, we all know the biggest artists out there that are updating those feeds, and they can be easily ghostwritten. But there’s no way to get in front of a video camera and replicate talking live to your fans. I definitely think there are some artists – and Nikki Minaj and also Trey Songz would be examples of that – who have used us as part of broader and more engaged policy with their fans, and then in conjunction with traditional media have broken through to the mainstream.
Today is the 50th anniversary of the Beatles first gig at the Cavern Club in Liverpool.
It's got me thinking.
They played that venue 292 times in just over two years. (That's actually a little misleading as I'm pretty sure that multiple sets on the same day are counted more than once.) You can see their full live dates here. And you can see how they correlate to their releases here.
But, whichever way you cut it, they played at the same venue....a lot. 9 times a month by my reckoning. And, that wasn't even the only place they played in Liverpool. In fact, they played more at the other venues combined than they did at the Cavern. So they were playing their scene as often as 20 times a month.
Nobody would expect a band to survive if they tried that today.
OK, so it was a different era and kids had less to do so were more drawn to the good things that they could go out and do and all sorts of different social and cultural forces were in play.
BUT, the Beatles were drawing a crowd and creating a buzz that would drive their breakout from that niche.
And they did it (in part) by and whilst massively over-playing their local scene.
The elephant in the room here is that they were revolutionary, brilliant and creating a level of excitement that you can't hope to match.
BUT, if you're truly good and putting on a great show, all the arguments that I've ever heard about over-playing your area are bollocks. People won't come and see the same show; they can't afford to keep coming out etc.
Well, that's because you aren't doing it right and you're not good enough.
I accept that there are some truths in the arguments against playing week in and week out in the modern day with all the other attractions vying for the attention of your fans and potential fans.
My point is that great bands with a great live show can draw a new crowd, a repeating crowd, a crowd that can't get in because it's sold out - all in the same town at that crucial time in their breaking career. If they're really good enough to make it.
If your shows are empty and your fans aren't coming out, maybe you've over-played your current set.....or maybe you just aren't good enough yet.
You know when it's going off, when people are queuing up and begging for the next show. Make that your aim, not some notion that is in itself an admission that you aren't enough of a draw.
The dudes at Ultimate Guitar have cooked up this list of tips on what you can learn from bands in your local scene.
Looking at music promotion on this local level is important. If you have any live performance element to your act, you need two things in the modern music business. A great online presence to help build a virtual fanbase, and a great local following built up from your live shows which you can then add to as your physical area of influence expands - i.e the distance you can travel from home and still draw a crowd.
This piece has some great advice on making it work in your local area first.
Are you like the majority of musicians trying to move your career forward and 'make it?' If you are, you're probably already spending lots of time and effort researching and doing things that will propel you to the next level. Finding the correct things to do for your music career is easy, have you ever thought about what things you shouldn't do to hurt your chances? This is an often overlooked, but very important, aspect of building and maintaining a career in music.
Lucky for you, I'm sure you have a bucketload of examples of what not to do in your own hometown. Local bands who are stuck on the local level, when their goal is to move forward (yes, some bands do want to stay at a local level, which is perfectly fine), can be perfect examples of what you should not do if you want to move your music career forward.
Let's take a look at five lessons to be learned from local bands and give yourself a hand up on the local scene or, if you're suffering these problems, fix them!
Tom Jackson is widely held to be a unique coach for artists in the music industry - I don't know of another who preaches perfecting the art of the live performance like he does.
And he's done it for some major artists - he is the real deal.
At the core of what he teaches is that you NEED to work on your live performance. For most, it isn't natural. And, the more you do to study and work on it, the better you'll get.
Every band I've ever worked with gets better over time - you can see the process - but he shortens the learning curve.
That's what I thought when I read this piece. I had to contact the photographer who let me use the pic to find out where it is - it's the Powellapalooza music festival at Lake Powell in the US.
I know you're going to want to know!
But the piece is why you're here. This post from FanManager sets out sensible steps to take to get your band booked on festivals this summer - and now is when you need to start working on this as line-ups are already being booked and finalised.
I’ve been on both sides of the coin, acting as the talent buyer for 2 festivals and as a booking agent focused on festivals performances for a roster of 12 nationally touring artists. There are definitely some tricks to the trade for getting your artist onto a festival lineup. Here are some recommendations that will steer you towards successful festival bookings.
If your artist is nationally known and desired, most of the information below will likely not apply. If you are reaching out to the appropriate festivals, you’ll make a call or shoot over an email and negotiations will begin if the festival has interest in your artist. Better yet, the festival talent buyer will contact you.
Great post from a great site - have a dig a round - and I know that this little strategy will work to get fans checking out your site the next day.
The key thing is to have the stamp have a specific URL - where they will get specific rewards - mp3's or live recordings - whatever you tell them. Remind them from the stage and this is a winner.
Can't believe that I hadn't seen it before! Check our post on how to get a gig if you're struggling at that stage - then do this when you do.
Great post from We All Make Music to remind you what you should be doing to get the most out of every gig - for yourself, your fans and the venue. Just because you can get a gig doesn't mean you know what to do to get the best result from every show you play!
For the most part it's obvious and just good mannaers but we all need to be reminded now and again.
I wish that I'd written these posts that have a brilliant take on a key aspect of your music promotion.
Making the right first impresion.
The articles on Wayward Musician are written about getting this right in regard to live performances, but they apply to so many of the encounters you have in the music industry that they can benefit you in all areas where your music career crosses paths with people helping you out.
Would you go out on a first date being rude and belligerent, only to end the night by stealing plates and silverware at the restaurant?
I’m going to guess not.
Then, try not to do the equivalent when you’re playing a venue for the first time…or anytime.
Last week we talked about some easy ways to land gigs and touched upon the importance of making a good first impression.
It’s just as important in the music industry as it is anywhere else in life.
Over the next few posts I’m going to cover four different areas in which you need to nail that first impression in order to book better gigs and further your career.
Martin Atkins is a great combination of artist whose really done it all and an engaging speaker.
This video just has a couple of gems in it from a Q&A session he did after a talk. The first one is a bit specialised for people in a large band, but there are other bits of gold about not overplaying your area and how to promote shows cheaply. Plus, is SXSW a good idea for a brand new band?
If I was an aspiring musician - I'd listen to Martin a lot and buy his book! You're going to learn some great music promotion tips from him every time.
Great short post on the awesome power of compelling live performance. You might know how to get a gig, but you need to pull it off once you do!
Plus they link off to a great free eBook on how to build your fanbase one fan at a time.
Once you have determined that your music is really that good, whether you make any money in the music business will depend largely upon your personality, charisma, and most importantly, on how good your live performance is.
An artist’s live performance is the core to their success. It must be constantly improved through a labor of love as long as the artist is performing. Regardless of what kind of artist you are, be it a band, singer, rapper or DJ, practice makes perfect. Formulating a live show and practicing it until you can do it in your sleep will make it seem all the more spontaneous when you perform before a live audience. Reaching a certain level of confidence and comfort with your live performance will enable you to deliver an engaging experience that will resonate with your fans, and will ultimately steer you towards the path of greatness.
You can learn a lot about how to build your fanbase from seeing what every Church does (that is, when they get it right - you don't want Europe's dwindling congregations to be your model!).
The things that engage worshippers in Church are the same things that will get a reaction from a crowd at your gig.
Really worthwhile allegorical piece.
If there’s one thing I learned from my former years playing in houses of worship, it’s that the Sunday morning experience is designed for maximum effectiveness. Granted, some churches are more finely tuned than others, but the principles of your average worship service should apply to every single concert you play.
We are all always looking at ways to improve how we get a gig.
This is a great post on KnowtheMusicBiz that looks at the 'what's in it for me' attitude that every promoter or venue that you approach will have. It's natural that they need to have their best interests at heart, so don't fight it - play up to it.
When I used to play drums in a band I wrongly assumed that to get gigs I have to send demos out – the better my music, the high the acceptance rate. It seems sensible right? My thinking was basically that if I send more demos and make better music then I will get more gigs, which is true, but a bad way of thinking (IMO).
Here’s why.
The theory above does not take into account the two main criteria that promoters subconsciously take into account when booking bands; will they make me money? and should I make a personal effort to help them? (by this I really mean are they a friend, or have they been recommended by someone close, or do they just seem like really nice people).
So if I were to work on arranging gigs for a band now I would be thinking: 1. How can I offer more financial value to the promoter at gigs 2. How can I build a relationship between myself and promoters I’ve never met.
The problem with doing this music tip aggregating thing is that I find something and I don't just post it - I root around and see what it's all about.
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We are all always looking at ways to improve how we