Live Music Equals Revenue
For the bedroom-recording
artist, it’s time to hit the road! As we all know, the economy is still in a
down spurt. Since the Millennium, album sales have declined. Digital sales have
tapered. Due to piracy, artists have to give their music away for free to
acquire a fan. However, there are multiple streams of income-generating avenues
to pursuit, but today the suggestion will be that of live shows. More
specifically, live music festivals are the key to supplemental income.
According to Pollstar.com
box office sales reports more than $4 billion in annual domestic ticket sales.
HERE ARE SOME
POTENTIAL MUSIC FESTIVALs:
COACHELLA-INDIO,
CA
TASTE
OF CHICAGO-CHICAGO
BONNAROO-MANCHESTER,
TN
ATLANTIS MUSIC CONFERENCE-ATLANTA,
GA
SASQUATCH MUSIC FESTIVAL-GEORGE,
WA
SXSW MUSIC
FESTIVAL-AUSTIN, TX
RHYTHM
AND SOUL AWARDS-ATLANTA, GA
MULTIFEST-WEST
VIRGINIA
So how does an
artist get on a music festival? Well, to keep it real, an artist must be able
to draw people numbers to a show. Yes, this means you must work even harder
than trying to sell CDs on the street after a club or online. According to MediaWeSource.com,
here are some preliminary steps to getting onto a festival.
Formulate a Press Kit - The first thing your indie act or garage
band should do is to get a band press kit together. Band Press Kits and Music Press Kits are an integral part of any
musician’s band or a music career. Sometimes they are referred to as
media kits or an artist bio. Band Press Kits are used for music
promotion, music publicity, booking agents, and band promotion. Once you have
your press kit, you'll have a vehicle to start promoting your indie band.
Video- Make sure there is some kind of an online
presence via your social media site such as YouTube, Vimeo, Viddler, personal
URL or website. Yes, you are going to have to perform on video. Promoters like
to see how you sound. Perhaps, uploading a video of a live show would enhance
your chances.
Music (MP3s, CDs, or Downloadable cards) - For most gigs, a club owner or party
planner will want to hear how your music sounds. So record your indie
band Demo CD or Tape. You may want to buy or rent a portable home
recording studio such as Protools, Logic, Cubase, Record/Reasons, Nuendo,
Ableton, or FL Studio. Make sure your songwriting is of professional
quality.
Open Mic Nights - Start off playing open microphone (Mic)
nights at local clubs. Not only will this give you a little experience on
stage, you'll actually have a built in audience. Many open mic nights are
hosted by more established local bands or indie acts. Make valuable
contacts for the future with the hosting bands and other local bands playing at
the open mic night. Check your local music newspapers, perform an Internet
search for open microphone nights in your city, or search music websites to
find this information.
Gig for Free - The reality is that you’re not going to
get paid when you first start out. Offer to be an opening band for free for a
local band you know. Network with bands than you may have met at an open
microphone night. E-mail more established indie bands in the area and offer to
play an opening gig for them. Many indie bands love opening acts. They don't
have to pay you much and they don't have to play as long of a show. Hand out
business cards and press kits to any clubs you play. Make sure to follow up
with the venue after you have given them your press kit. Call or e-mail to
make sure they get back to you. Be persistent. Prospective indie bands and
garage bands are constantly approaching booking agents and club owners.
• Promote, Promote, Promote - Now that you've played gigs at open
mic nights, start calling clubs and soliciting your Press Kit and Demo. It's a
good idea to visit clubs that play your style of music and talk with the booker
of the club. Leave them a press kit and demo CD. Give the club
booking agent a day or two to listen to your demo. Call back and get some
feedback. Ask for the gig or show for your band. Again, be persistent!
Approach Town
Fairs, County Festivals, or City Concert Venues - Another way to get exposure is to gig for
a large audience at a local fair or festival. Most of these gigs your band
would play for free to get exposure. Some festivals do pay bands once they get
a following or fan base. Do some
research on the Internet to see what local agencies take care of bookings for
festivals or town fairs. Give out your band business cards at the show. This
is a good promotion tactic. Someone in the audience may want to book your
indie music act in the future (MediaWebSource.com).
Final note, please
be advised that if you sell your product at an event, the venue will more likely
want a percentage of your gross sales in merchandising.
References:
Coachella.com coachella‑music‑festival‑jack‑johnson
Media We Source.com (October, 2011). How to Get Band
Gigs
For Your Band, Local Band, or Garage Band
Retrieved from http://mediawebsource.com/howtoget.htm
Pollstar.com.
(October, 2011). http://www.pollstar.com/atpDetail.aspx?SearchBy=A
Ring,
Julian. (April, 2011). Music Festivals Take Center Stage
Events like Coachella, Lollapalooza begin to overshadow
the concert market
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