First of all, if your first priority is making fast money just forget about it and look for a new line of work . Many new Indie bands start off playing for free and are just glad to find a venue that will book them.
SO YOU NEED A GIG? - There isn't a whole lot of venues that book original music in the first place so you really need to work this. If you haven't done many public shows you're going to need a demo CD so the venue can check it out. Don't ask for a booking without a music example. If you have done a few shows put together a press kit. This is your booking resume' that shows what you play (include a demo CD) and where you've played at. Be professional, if possible visit the venue in person to shoot the breeze, break the ice, and “Sell” your band.
BE VENUE FRIENDLY – If you want repeat bookings don't bite the hand that feeds. Some things venues truly dislike is music that's unnecessarily loud. Venues can and do get fined for music that's too loud. Respect the venues property, many music venues have “House” sound equipment and tend to get annoyed if it gets damaged, stolen, or not put away.
Use common sense... your goal is to get your music heard, not getting drunk or rowdy.
WHAT SHOULD YOU CHARGE? - Pay-to-Play or being forced to sell tickets to your own show is outright nonsense and you should avoid it whenever possible. Be reasonable with the venue, they need to make a buck too. If you have 8 people show up for you show don't think you deserve a whole lot of payment. What I do here which works for both band and venues is having a cover charge. You'll need to market yourself and get as many people as possible to come to your show. Make a prior agreement with the venue what the cut will be. Some venues do a 50/50 split of the cover some do better. Here we let the band keep 100% of the door. We know you need to make at least gas money.
HOW DO YOU AFFORD STUDIO TIME? - Paying a studio $65 an hour to record a Demo isn't a good idea. With todays computer technology and cheap software you can set up your own basic recording computer or laptop for the price of 3 hours in a regular studio. Don't pay a lot for studio time until you really need to master that perfect album.
MARKETING – You need to let people know your band is out there. Always post fliers for every show, make contacts on-line with MySpace or other social network. Never go to a show without Merch. You'll need CD's, stickers, buttons, tee-shirts if you can afford it. This will make you a few bucks plus get the word out.
This are the ground level basics and there many other tricks to the trade.
Good-Luck!
No comments:
Post a Comment