Tag: gigs
Secrets to NOT Getting Booked for a Gig.
by claybutlermusic on Feb.08, 2010, under Band Management, Career Building, Marketing & Promotion, Uncategorized
You’ve seen the tips on how to get booked for a gig. But I bet you haven’t seen the secrets of how to NOT get booked (or booked again) by a club or venue. Here are seven sure-fire ways to ensure that you won’t get a call to perform:
1.) Don’t give them a complete press kit. Venues and club owners want to know what they’re getting when they book you. While CDs are a given, most venues would like to see a bio, press clips, or fact sheet.
2.) Don’t put your contact info on everything. Press kits get misplaced and separated from CDs. If the venue loves your music and wants to book you, but your contact info isn’t on your demo, then you can bet you won’t get the call back.
3.) Don’t follow up. Club owners get busy. After all, they do have a business to run. If you don’t get called back after a reasonable time, it may not always be because they don’t like you. They may not have gotten around to listening to the demo, or they may have forgotten to get in touch with you. Out of sight, sometimes really is out of mind. So not following up with leads may just make you lose that gig.
4.) Don’t start on time. Fashionably late doesn’t exist when it comes to gigs. Similarly, taking breaks that are too frequent or too long are deal-breakers. Crowds get antsy. Owners get antsy. Keep them waiting, and you likely won’t get hired back.
5.) Don’t fill the venue. Club owners really don’t care about your music. They care about filling their establishment with PAYING patrons. They want to sell enough food and drinks to cover your band and make a profit for the night. Playing to an empty club definitely won’t get you hired again.
6.) Don’t cater to the audience. Even though your adoring fans show up to support you, not everyone in the audience is there to see your band. Some people just like the establishment. Make that crowd react negatively with your music, volume, or antics, and you won’t play there again.
7.) Advertise other gigs on nights that compete with the current venue. You’ve got a gig tomorrow night at a competing club across town? Great! Your fans need to know it, but do it discretely. Announcing that gig on the microphone tells a club that you’re stealing their crowd. That’s bad business. Do it and you won’t be asked back.
What other tactics can you think of that ruin your chances of getting booked?
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Are You Leaving Money on the Table by Not Having a Table?
by claybutlermusic on Aug.19, 2009, under Band Management, Career Building, Marketing & Promotion, Uncategorized
An odd question, right? But as a band, you may be missing out on money-making opportunities from your live show by not having a table–a merchandise table.
There’s more to the music industry than just music. Much of the music industry is also in your image as a band, and, perhaps more importantly, how marketable that image is. Extending beyond CD sales, a band has other lucrative avenues to explore. Here are a few examples:
- CD’s
- Glossy photos for autographs
- Posters
- Stickers and decals
- Buttons and pins
- T-Shirts
- Hats
Taking the merch booth one step further, it’s also a hub of post-show activity. It’s a place to meet and greet your adoring fans, sign autographs, take pictures, etc. It can also act as in information kiosk, where you include a sign-up sheet for your mailing list, order forms for other merch, registrations for contests and drawings, flyers, bios, and so on. The ideas and opportunities to solidify fans and make more money with a merch booth are virtually limitless.
As a general rule of thumb, always negotiate with a venue to have a merchandise table or booth on-site when you play. This rule is particularly significant if you are playing for free. Most venues, clubs, or events won’t mind if you have a table, but beware of the ones that won’t allow you to have one. They’re making money off of you for virtually nothing in return, and that’s always a shady deal.
So, in closing, don’t forget to set up your merchandise booth at your gigs. They can be a real income booster for your gigs. In fact, there were times when my old band would make as much (or more) from merchandise than our performance fee. Double your money is always a great deal!
Facing the Facts: Hard Lessons for a Young Cover Band
by claybutlermusic on Jun.23, 2009, under Band Management, Career Building, Uncategorized
Length of the Gig
First of all, playing a clug gig requires knowing a lot of material. They were under the assumption that going to a club gig was like going to a typical concert-type gig, where the headliner plays a 90-minute set (at most). Jaws hit the floor when I explained that they would have to perform four hour-long sets, or about 40 songs total.
It’s Not About You
Finally, and perhaps the hardest reality they had to face, is that the gig isn’t at all about the band. It’s not about how cool the band is. It’s not about the band’s cool music. It’s about one thing to a club owner: can they make the club money? I had to inform them that the owner’s main concern is that you fill their club and sell a lot of drinks in order to make them a profit for the night. If you can’t do that, rest assured you won’t be playing there again. The same holds true, especially when the band “plays for the door”. If the band makes money solely off of the cover charge, it would greatly behoove them to bring in a couple hundred people!
I remember when I had to face these realities in my younger days, so I could empathize with them on the thrill of being approached by a club, immediately crushed by having to turn down the gig. But, in the long run, it’s far better to be prepared for a gig than to have the wrong expectation going in, thus blowing the gig, and ruining your reputation as a band. I’ve been there too.
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