Working for venues and booking tours for several artists I have an all around view of the process of a tour. Venues want bands to play, bands want to play, however money is a priority in both parties so choose your venues wisely, and learn how to pitch and promote yourself. Here are 5 steps to follow when booking a tour.
Step 1: Finding Suitable Venues and Locations
If this is your first tour, you need to evaluate where you want to go, where your audience is, and what markets will be beneficial to you. If you haven't ventured far from your home city, it might be a good idea to stick to surrounding states. Why? Because you're budget is limited, your fan base is limited and might not expand outside of that region, and you'll be more likely to know people to hook you up with a place to stay, venue contacts, and several other helpful perks. Create a rough route of where you want to to and what areas on what days. Be flexible but efficient in your planning.
As for venues, don't waste a venues time with your press kit if you are not a good fit for their establishment. In short don't ask to play an arena when your draw is 50, or ask to play a blues bar when you play metal. Do some research, impress them with your knowledge of them, and know the bands they book. A helpful tool to booking is a site called Indie on the Move. It has an almost complete list of venues, gig swapping options and so much more, for free.
Step 2: Getting the Gig
If you don't have a CD, Biography, Band Photo and a Facebook Page, don't bother trying to tour. You need music to impress the venue, a biography to tell them who you are and a band photo for them to promote you with. A Facebook page is just standard, it tells a venue how many fans you have, a good idea of how attracted they are to your music and shows. Prepare these items and make them available online in the form of a press kit. This can be thru a site like Sonicbids.com or on your own webpage or in a downloadable zip file you can mail out or link booking agents too.
Many venues have a booking email address or phone in hours. Read their booking directions carefully and follow their preferred methods. Most now days prefer an email sent to them. Make sure to have a well written cover letter that includes who you are, what genre of band you are, your location, your target market, the size your draw in that area, and what qualities you bring to the table to be an asset to them. Is your band really good a getting the crowd to buy alcohol? If you're pitching yourself to a bar, then include that detail. Are you great motivational speakers? Then pitch that to the youth group you want to play for.
If you have played in the area before, make sure to tell them when and and where and the draw. Also include that you plan to market and promote your show with your marketing team. If you say you will, follow thru otherwise you wont get a show again if the turn out is bad.
Step 3: Make Friends in the Area
You should have 3 months to figure out how you are going to get people at your show now that it is booked. Step one is finding your new fans; best way to do that is by finding a similar band and making friends with them. Offer cross marketing with each other, they tell all their fans about you and your show on their Facebook page or at shows and you do the same in return. Create an event listing on Facebook and encourage their fans to RSVP and share it with their friends. Utilize all social media sites to find people in the area, get creative just stay ethical.
Step 4: Use the Press
Submit your show details to local events calendars, radio stations, and night life magazines. People may not know your name but knowing live music entertainment is happening somewhere, can attract a small audience itself. Ask the venue if they have a local press list, this will give you all the local radio stations, tv stations, record stores, and newspapers in the area. You can send posters and CD samplers to the stores, a press release to the newspapers and a one sheet and cd to the radio stations, to try and get press about the show. If your band has a unique hook write a press release and use that hook to try and peak some interest to get the press talking about you. If nothing else it might drive people to your websites and increase your online fan base.
Step 5: Organize Your Information
Now that everything is planned, make sure to organize it all in day sheet. Put load in times and show start times along with load out times all in a neat easy to read layout. List contact information for the venue, where you'll be staying, and local press. Make a list of equipment necessary for the show, do you need to haul in your PA, is there a place for those funky lights you use? Have it all figured out ahead of time to make things go on without a hitch. Attach printed maps to the location just incase "Tom Tom" decides to not work.
Step 6: Be Nice
Treat this opportunity as a chance to say thank you for everything to everyone. Thank the crowd for coming out, thank the staff for helping out, and most importantly find the booking agent or venue manager and thank you and leave them a hardcopy of your CD and contact information. If you already know when you want to come back, let them know, if they really liked you, they will want to have you back and invite you. If they don't invite you right away, then ask in the form of a follow up email that says thanks again and mention something about their staff being great, or sound being the best on tour, etc. Be genuine with your compliments, the more detail, like names or specifics makes it more effective and builds the report'. Just remember to not put a venue manager on the spot in person asking for a follow up show. Its hard for them to say no if they didn't like the turn out and generally will just result in false hope responses to get off the subject.
These are just the basics, follow these however and you should have a very successful tour experience.
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Steve Jobs and What He Can Still Do for You
Recently Steve Jobs, the CEO and creator of Apple passed away after a long battle with cancer. As a musician you have probably used some software, hardware or at least secretly wept over a Pixar film that Steve Jobs had a hand in making. He has changed the face of technology, his company has opened so many doors for the indie musician that it has completely changed the music industry. What few realize is his life story and how out of sheer coincidences and being in the right place at the right time can change your life. How being turned down, told no, or talked bad about can actually be a a good thing.
Before going on please take time to watch this video of Steve Jobs at Stanford University in 2005 giving a speech to inspire graduates to do what they love in life.
Steve Jobs: How to live before you die | Video on TED.com
In the music industry passion and inspiration are essential to success. You can use all the great technological tools created by Steve, but the most important thing you can take from Steve is inspiration. In his speech he talks about his life, and his visions of what his life priorities were. He inspired his audience by talking about how he over came adversity and learned new things he was passionate about and then paid it forward by creating some kick butt technology! But being serious pay attention to how he spoke to the audience, he brought them in with a story about connecting the dots. A story that brought him down to their level, possibly even below them and then discussed a chain of events that got him to where he is today. Although specific to his life, each viewer can relate to this and as he finishes you yourself probably started thinking back to the events that got you where you are today.
While you connect the dots, think about how your music career got from dot to dot. How did you get your first show? Did your Aunt Ella know the guy at the cafe or was it your cousin Bobs birthday party? The second show, was it booked because of someone at that first show? How about how you found your second guitarist? Was he originally in another band you had a show with? Each opportunity you have opens you up to several more. Think about that when you play your next show and want to leave right after you perform. Although Steve Jobs says you can't look to the future to connect the dots, you can be conscious of the potential dots you are erasing before they even appear. In short, each time you communicate with people or make yourself present at a gathering, you are walking down a proverbeal hallway of doors. You really don't know which one will open up to you and put you on the road to success, so treat each of them as if they were a winning lottery ticket.
Steve continued on with his speech to talk about his diagnosis with pancreatic cancer and how you should live each life as if you were dying in a sense. This attitude towards life makes you give your all in everything you do. The simple words of wisdom Steve gave to this graduating class will stay with them their whole lives. Not because it was delivered by Steve Jobs but because he was able to relate to them by bringing himself down to their level, sharing his knowledge and life experiences that they could relate to. He threw in some comedy and a quote to keep them thinking but it was that connection that got them hooked.
I'm sure we all learned some information from this speech, be it a life lesson or facts about Steve's life. More important is the delivery, because each speech a person gives is essentially a branch of their self branding and branding of the company they represent. Steve was able to take Apple off of its pedestal of a corporate God, and personalize it, make it relatable to the audience. He was able to connect with them personally be disclosing personal stories, and then made it memorable by instilling life lessons throughout and encouragement. Sure as a musician you may not be looked at for giving great life advice but you can offer stories that make you more approachable and memorable. So next time your guitar string breaks on stage instead of telling a cheesy joke, try telling a story about how when you went to a show the other week the guitarist broke his string and decided to sing "this is the song that never ends" until he replaced it and how you couldn't get it out of your head for a week. What you just did was related to your audience (by telling them you go to shows too) you overcome adversity in a positive manner (misfortunate guitar string blunder) and then provide them with a deeper understanding of you.
Take every opportunity to brand yourself, open up a few windows to let the market see whats inside but always be conscious of what window is open. Learn from what Steve Jobs has just delivered, use his words in your personal life and in your career. Being a successful musician is more than just marketing your music, its about branding yourself, and knowing how to make yourself memorable and connecting with your audience.
Before going on please take time to watch this video of Steve Jobs at Stanford University in 2005 giving a speech to inspire graduates to do what they love in life.
Steve Jobs: How to live before you die | Video on TED.com
In the music industry passion and inspiration are essential to success. You can use all the great technological tools created by Steve, but the most important thing you can take from Steve is inspiration. In his speech he talks about his life, and his visions of what his life priorities were. He inspired his audience by talking about how he over came adversity and learned new things he was passionate about and then paid it forward by creating some kick butt technology! But being serious pay attention to how he spoke to the audience, he brought them in with a story about connecting the dots. A story that brought him down to their level, possibly even below them and then discussed a chain of events that got him to where he is today. Although specific to his life, each viewer can relate to this and as he finishes you yourself probably started thinking back to the events that got you where you are today.
While you connect the dots, think about how your music career got from dot to dot. How did you get your first show? Did your Aunt Ella know the guy at the cafe or was it your cousin Bobs birthday party? The second show, was it booked because of someone at that first show? How about how you found your second guitarist? Was he originally in another band you had a show with? Each opportunity you have opens you up to several more. Think about that when you play your next show and want to leave right after you perform. Although Steve Jobs says you can't look to the future to connect the dots, you can be conscious of the potential dots you are erasing before they even appear. In short, each time you communicate with people or make yourself present at a gathering, you are walking down a proverbeal hallway of doors. You really don't know which one will open up to you and put you on the road to success, so treat each of them as if they were a winning lottery ticket.
Steve continued on with his speech to talk about his diagnosis with pancreatic cancer and how you should live each life as if you were dying in a sense. This attitude towards life makes you give your all in everything you do. The simple words of wisdom Steve gave to this graduating class will stay with them their whole lives. Not because it was delivered by Steve Jobs but because he was able to relate to them by bringing himself down to their level, sharing his knowledge and life experiences that they could relate to. He threw in some comedy and a quote to keep them thinking but it was that connection that got them hooked.
I'm sure we all learned some information from this speech, be it a life lesson or facts about Steve's life. More important is the delivery, because each speech a person gives is essentially a branch of their self branding and branding of the company they represent. Steve was able to take Apple off of its pedestal of a corporate God, and personalize it, make it relatable to the audience. He was able to connect with them personally be disclosing personal stories, and then made it memorable by instilling life lessons throughout and encouragement. Sure as a musician you may not be looked at for giving great life advice but you can offer stories that make you more approachable and memorable. So next time your guitar string breaks on stage instead of telling a cheesy joke, try telling a story about how when you went to a show the other week the guitarist broke his string and decided to sing "this is the song that never ends" until he replaced it and how you couldn't get it out of your head for a week. What you just did was related to your audience (by telling them you go to shows too) you overcome adversity in a positive manner (misfortunate guitar string blunder) and then provide them with a deeper understanding of you.
Take every opportunity to brand yourself, open up a few windows to let the market see whats inside but always be conscious of what window is open. Learn from what Steve Jobs has just delivered, use his words in your personal life and in your career. Being a successful musician is more than just marketing your music, its about branding yourself, and knowing how to make yourself memorable and connecting with your audience.
Friday, October 14, 2011
Networking With The Indie World via A2IM
A2IM is the American Association of Independent Music, it serves as a coalition to represent the Indie market with one voice. Its objectives are to put the indie music market on the same level as the major labels. Developing distribution outlets and providing access to technology that evens out the playing field.
With members spanning from Indie Labels, to websites designed specifically for bands, the members are truly diverse and extremely important in the low budget do it yourself world of music. Working as one also gives its members a say in legislations that impact them, where as before only the big labels had enough power to have a say. This is very important with the changing digital world impacting existing intellectual property laws.
But why is this useful to an independent artist or venue? Even as a nonmember of this association you have access to daily news updates of the successes in the indie market, whats hot, who is on what label, awards and events going on. These are all things Indie artists need to know in order to try and get themselves in those positions. Also for venues, booking artists can be a challenge, you don't have access to Pollstar telling you the numbers the artist pulls in in each market, you have to figure it out yourself and make that gamble if you don't know. keeping up to date with indie artists who are winning awards, making headlines, etc. will help you to not pass up an opportunity to book Mumford and Sons and go with the local band instead cause you know them and not this irish sounding band who sent you an email. Knowledge is power and any website that provides content directly associated with what you do is worth reading.
Further more A2IM provides a list of its members, or as I like to think of them, resources. Reading through the descriptions of all their associates is like reading that companies overview of what they do and how they can help you. For instance if your band has some awesome songs that everyone keeps telling you should be in TV commercials, well go out and do it with Pump Audio. They specialize in getting indie music on television. They are one of the hundreds of associates of A2IM, who many of us in the scene including myself did not know about until seeing it on the A2IM site.
Although the "Local Chapter" portion of the association is a little weak to say the least, this could develop into a great opportunity for local musicians and venues to stay connected and discuss local issues they see in the scene. Right now the association really caters to services and labels in the independent market, but as more bands get hands on in their careers, I could see he American Association of Independent Music opening its doors to true indie music. Until that day comes, bookmark the site, read the news, analyze the members and get to know the people and businesses that can help you get further in exposing your music to more people.
Always remember it is easier to work as a team and A2IM embraces that concept, pulling together all the I's and Me's and making it one big We.
n.d. A2IM Home. A2IM: American Association of Independent Music. Retrieved October 13, 2011 from http://www.a2im.org.
With members spanning from Indie Labels, to websites designed specifically for bands, the members are truly diverse and extremely important in the low budget do it yourself world of music. Working as one also gives its members a say in legislations that impact them, where as before only the big labels had enough power to have a say. This is very important with the changing digital world impacting existing intellectual property laws.
But why is this useful to an independent artist or venue? Even as a nonmember of this association you have access to daily news updates of the successes in the indie market, whats hot, who is on what label, awards and events going on. These are all things Indie artists need to know in order to try and get themselves in those positions. Also for venues, booking artists can be a challenge, you don't have access to Pollstar telling you the numbers the artist pulls in in each market, you have to figure it out yourself and make that gamble if you don't know. keeping up to date with indie artists who are winning awards, making headlines, etc. will help you to not pass up an opportunity to book Mumford and Sons and go with the local band instead cause you know them and not this irish sounding band who sent you an email. Knowledge is power and any website that provides content directly associated with what you do is worth reading.
Further more A2IM provides a list of its members, or as I like to think of them, resources. Reading through the descriptions of all their associates is like reading that companies overview of what they do and how they can help you. For instance if your band has some awesome songs that everyone keeps telling you should be in TV commercials, well go out and do it with Pump Audio. They specialize in getting indie music on television. They are one of the hundreds of associates of A2IM, who many of us in the scene including myself did not know about until seeing it on the A2IM site.
Although the "Local Chapter" portion of the association is a little weak to say the least, this could develop into a great opportunity for local musicians and venues to stay connected and discuss local issues they see in the scene. Right now the association really caters to services and labels in the independent market, but as more bands get hands on in their careers, I could see he American Association of Independent Music opening its doors to true indie music. Until that day comes, bookmark the site, read the news, analyze the members and get to know the people and businesses that can help you get further in exposing your music to more people.
Always remember it is easier to work as a team and A2IM embraces that concept, pulling together all the I's and Me's and making it one big We.
References
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