Post by jeremyo83 on Oct 17, 2006 11:45:27 GMT -5
I feel like building on something that came up in another thread...
"Ah ok, you want to make money... I thought you wanted to make music."
So put a business plan together, and stick to it. Write the music that you believe in and love, and then sell that music, because there will always be a market for it; you just have to find it. Use the resources you have available and make it happen.
I'm sure there are people here with professional experience with making music work. Let's share some of that.
For myself, I may be young and naive, but I believe that with a bit of hard work, enthusiasm and belief in yourself, you can make yourself go a lot further than you thought you might.
I spent the better part of 3 years travelling around a 2 hour radius from my hometown, hitting up bars and pubs with acoustic covers. It went over well with people, and I was making a living. I even threw in some original material to some good reviews. However, I hate playing covers, and so this was not the gig for me, and after a time of frustration with what I was doing, I got out of it.
Tip #1 - If it's not what you want to do, don't do it!
Even though it was not the gig I wanted, the acoustic cover thing taught me a lot about the business side of things, and gave me a ton of live experience.
Tip #2 - Get live experience!!
My wife is a photographer, so we went and shot some pictures and drew up a press kit. I used some online resources to figure out what I should use, including this link; www.getsigned.com/presskits.html. I would also include an itinerary to show potential employers that you are playing regularly, and being invited back to venues.
Tip #3 - Put together a quality press kit!
I was putting in 8-10 hour days driving around different cities, visiting all the places in town that would possibly hire an acoustic act, even places that probably wouldn't, but hey, it's worth a shot. In my experience, it's much better to meet with a potential employer face to face. If you can physically get there instead of mailing your press kit, do it! And when there, it's really best to hand the kit to the person who actually does the booking for the venue, rather than the bartender. 8 times out of 10, it ends up in the garbage before the booker even sees it. It is not cost effective to have your press kits thrown out. If the booker isn't there, get a business card, or contact number at least, and go with your gut - if they're not there, but you think the venue would hire you, leave a kit for them anyways. Just remeber to followup on it.
Tip #4 - Get mobile, and meet face to face with your employers!
Once I made face to face contact, I would follow up with phone calls until they booked me. I had a little recipe card for each venue with contact information, whether or not they seemed interested in me, and a history of when I visited, called or played there. It helped immensely with keeping track of venues, and making the most of my time when following up on leads.
Tip #5 - Develop a system of tracking venues and your history there. Get a good long distance plan and follow up with your leads!
I had ups and downs when I was doing all of this, and that could for the most part be tracked to when I was putting in the time and effort to get things done, and when I wasn't. Let's face it, venues probably won't be banging down your door to get you on their stage until you've put in the time banging down their door and proven yourself.
Tip #6 - Put in the time and work your arse off!
Tip #7 - Don't waste all that time and effort you have spent by playing and not getting paid! Don't play for free unless it's local and you really want to show the venue how good you are. When you're out of town, at a bare minimum get gas money, but shoot for more. If you're in this to make a living, you a have a right to demand payment for your services. GET PAID!
Now, this is the formula that I used when I was a solo acoustic act. I play in a band now, and although things are slightly differenct, the same principles apply. It takes time and effort spent trying to book your band in every possible venue to see the results that will let you quit your day job.
Anyway, enough from me, does anyone else have anything to add to this? Tips for getting live shows, putting promo material or merch together, any other sort of promotions?
Let's get creative here.
johan said:
"Ah ok, you want to make money... I thought you wanted to make music."
jeremyo83 said:
I think that too many talented musicians write off the business side of music in the name of artisitic purity, but I'm convinced that we are selling ourselves short. People (not all, but many) do enjoy good music, and are willing to pay for it.So put a business plan together, and stick to it. Write the music that you believe in and love, and then sell that music, because there will always be a market for it; you just have to find it. Use the resources you have available and make it happen.
I'm sure there are people here with professional experience with making music work. Let's share some of that.
For myself, I may be young and naive, but I believe that with a bit of hard work, enthusiasm and belief in yourself, you can make yourself go a lot further than you thought you might.
I spent the better part of 3 years travelling around a 2 hour radius from my hometown, hitting up bars and pubs with acoustic covers. It went over well with people, and I was making a living. I even threw in some original material to some good reviews. However, I hate playing covers, and so this was not the gig for me, and after a time of frustration with what I was doing, I got out of it.
Tip #1 - If it's not what you want to do, don't do it!
Even though it was not the gig I wanted, the acoustic cover thing taught me a lot about the business side of things, and gave me a ton of live experience.
Tip #2 - Get live experience!!
My wife is a photographer, so we went and shot some pictures and drew up a press kit. I used some online resources to figure out what I should use, including this link; www.getsigned.com/presskits.html. I would also include an itinerary to show potential employers that you are playing regularly, and being invited back to venues.
Tip #3 - Put together a quality press kit!
I was putting in 8-10 hour days driving around different cities, visiting all the places in town that would possibly hire an acoustic act, even places that probably wouldn't, but hey, it's worth a shot. In my experience, it's much better to meet with a potential employer face to face. If you can physically get there instead of mailing your press kit, do it! And when there, it's really best to hand the kit to the person who actually does the booking for the venue, rather than the bartender. 8 times out of 10, it ends up in the garbage before the booker even sees it. It is not cost effective to have your press kits thrown out. If the booker isn't there, get a business card, or contact number at least, and go with your gut - if they're not there, but you think the venue would hire you, leave a kit for them anyways. Just remeber to followup on it.
Tip #4 - Get mobile, and meet face to face with your employers!
Once I made face to face contact, I would follow up with phone calls until they booked me. I had a little recipe card for each venue with contact information, whether or not they seemed interested in me, and a history of when I visited, called or played there. It helped immensely with keeping track of venues, and making the most of my time when following up on leads.
Tip #5 - Develop a system of tracking venues and your history there. Get a good long distance plan and follow up with your leads!
I had ups and downs when I was doing all of this, and that could for the most part be tracked to when I was putting in the time and effort to get things done, and when I wasn't. Let's face it, venues probably won't be banging down your door to get you on their stage until you've put in the time banging down their door and proven yourself.
Tip #6 - Put in the time and work your arse off!
Tip #7 - Don't waste all that time and effort you have spent by playing and not getting paid! Don't play for free unless it's local and you really want to show the venue how good you are. When you're out of town, at a bare minimum get gas money, but shoot for more. If you're in this to make a living, you a have a right to demand payment for your services. GET PAID!
Now, this is the formula that I used when I was a solo acoustic act. I play in a band now, and although things are slightly differenct, the same principles apply. It takes time and effort spent trying to book your band in every possible venue to see the results that will let you quit your day job.
Anyway, enough from me, does anyone else have anything to add to this? Tips for getting live shows, putting promo material or merch together, any other sort of promotions?
Let's get creative here.
