Posted: Apr 26, 2022

Category: Live Performance

stage rules live performances gear gigging the legit musician stage banter timeliness

**Guest post written by Scott Aumann, originally featured on The Legit Musician blog.

 

"I have played many live shows where I have seen bands do some unprofessional things. A lot of these things are simple things that can be fixed. Most of them will improve your overall image as a professional musician. Some of them will improve your relationships with other bands as well. Here are 10 things you need to stop doing on stage immediately."

View Full Article

Posted: Sep 20, 2021

Category: Live Performance

live performing practice lords of the trident jacktrip online jamming low latency

**Guest post by Fang from Lords of the Trident, the most METAL band on earth!

 

"Playing live with other musicians [online] USED to be impossible, but thanks to a bunch of incredibly smart Stanford scientists, it's now 100% possible to perform LIVE with other musicians - even if they're hundreds of miles away! Check out Jacktrip."

View Full Article

Posted: Aug 23, 2021

Category: Live Performance

live streaming nashville music venues touring live performing nyc know your audience house shows plan ahead kristen ford coronavirus national independent venue association

**Guest post written by Kristen Ford, Nashville based indie rock act with a passion for music business and a book on DIY touring in the works.

 

The East Room is one of 13 Nashville venues where either "Proof of a Vaccine or Negative Covid Test" is required for entry...All of New York City has this policy, as well as all NIVA (National Independent Venue Association) venues...Music festivals such as Folk Alliance and Kerrville already have similar policies for future events. This means regardless of your local rules and regulations, or your personal views on vaccinations, touring artists need to be ready for this policy change.

View Full Article

Posted: Jul 12, 2021

Category: Live Performance

show booking tour booking live streaming lodging touring live performances fan engagement online presence cover songs bandzoogle practice gigging original material plan ahead be prepared kristen ford

**Guest post written by Melanie Kealey for Bandzoogle.

 

"As restrictions are starting to ease in some parts of the world, we thought it would be beneficial to have a conversation with Kyle Weber (founder of live show & tour booking platform Indie on the Move) and Kristen Ford (singer-songwriter and touring artist) to gain some perspective on how artists are going about booking or re-booking tours..."

View Full Article

Posted: Apr 12, 2021

Category: Live Performance

show booking promotion selling your act value talent buyer live performances justin paul pollstar ticket sales

**Guest post from Justin Paul, music/career coach, A&R, DJ, and producer.

 

"First and foremost, talent buyers look at how many tickets they believe (based on data) an artist can sell. The more tickets an artist can sell, the higher the performance fee they can command. Sometimes talent buyers are tastemakers, and they take a chance on an up and coming artist/band that may not have much data available. Typically, those are opening acts or the middle of the lineup. Up and coming artists may even play for free or a smaller amount and are often more suited for club events."

View Full Article

Posted: Mar 15, 2021

Category: Live Performance

show booking make money stage rules live performances marketing plan super fans gigging timeliness lords of the trident

**Guest post by Fang from Lords of the Trident, the most METAL band on earth!

 

"👴HUH? WHAT!? YOU'LL HAVE TO SPEAK UP JIMMY, I'M QUITE OLD."

View Full Article

Posted: Jun 29, 2020

Category: Live Performance

live streaming diy youtube live performing music business fan engagement online presence professionalism stay relevant home recording lords of the trident

**Guest post by Fang from Lords of the Trident, the most METAL band on earth!

 

"Want to make your music livestreams as AMAZING as possible? Don't just sit in front of your webcam with a guitar! Follow this tutorial and your streams will be INCREDIBLE!"

View Full Article

Posted: Jun 15, 2020

Category: Live Performance

live performances gigging kristen ford coronavirus relationships with fans touring tips ask peers health be prepared venmo safety

**Guest post by Kristen Ford, Nashville based indie rock act with a passion for music business and a book on DIY touring in the works, featuring members of the health, scientific and musical communities of Nashville.

 

Until we have a vaccine, have increased testing capacity and learn more about antibody testing and if having the Coronavirus antibodies in your system means you cannot contract the Covid-19, we must move forward in a "new normal" environment...

View Full Article

Posted: May 11, 2020

Category: Live Performance

live performing gear practice gigging organization soundcheck be efficient be prepared making mistakes drum helper gideon waxman warm up

**Guest post written by Gideon Waxman, a London based drummer & music educator.

 

"...it [performing live] can be stressful if you are not adequately prepared and if your musical equipment isn’t in top condition...your mindset can also be holding you back from reaching your full enjoyment...Whether you are playing at a local open mic night, or if you’re performing a theatre to a thousand people, we’ve got you covered with these top tips to help prepare you for successful and enjoyable live performances."

View Full Article

Posted: Apr 27, 2020

Category: Live Performance

live streaming diy make money live performing music business fan engagement instagram coronavirus donate plaze

**Guest post by Casey Burke of Plaze, which helps musicians connect to the people & resources they need.

 

"Thankfully, musicians have found ways to maintain their livelihood in the absence of physical human contact. Enter: the Instagram livestream. While not strictly new, this format has taken off during all the unrest, and it’s likely to develop for at least as long as social distancing is the norm..."

View Full Article

Posted: Mar 30, 2020

Category: Live Performance

live streaming touring twitter youtube stageit spotify call-to-action instagram persistence house shows gigging paypal craigslist facebook live the legit musician teach fiverr venmo soundbetter

**Guest post written by Scott Aumann, originally featured on The Legit Musician blog.

 

"I wanted to come up with a few ideas for you if you are dealing with lost revenue from a gig being cancelled. I also wanted to make this post more universal than just for this latest pandemic. My hope is that you can use these ideas for a cancelled gig under any circumstances."

View Full Article

Posted: Mar 2, 2020

Category: Live Performance

music venues show booking make money support slots networking live performances music business built-in crowds travel acpg podcast

**Guest post written by James Redhead, one half of the duo behind the music podcast Anyone Can Play Guitar.

 

"We thought it worthwhile to give a balanced view [about support slots] based on what we’ve learned so far, to help all you bands and artists make as informed a decision as possible when you’re presented with such opportunities, or even before you start actively seeking them out. Let’s start with the negatives…"

View Full Article

Posted: Oct 7, 2019

Category: Live Performance

stage rules live performances practice improv eki shola band dynamics making mistakes

**Guest post by Eki Shola, a musician and physician that creates a healing and transformative space for the listener through sharing her lush, jazzy-soul, live electronica vibes.

 

"We all do it but I’m not sure if we openly talk about it. Instead, what I’ve observed are a range of reactions - some subtle and others not. I’ll chat about two different scenarios but in reality, I think we all fit on a spectrum, save for the bands that appear to play completely perfect and are tight all that time (but I guarantee they did not start that way)..."

View Full Article

Posted: Sep 30, 2019

Category: Live Performance

networking live performances community support music career support your scene ditto stage banter open mics stage presence debut new material

**Guest post written by Joe Hoten; an avid writer of songs, content and song related content, and regular contributor to Bands for Hire. Originally featured on Ditto.com.

 

"Any stage can be a platform for you to propel yourself into the musical stratosphere, and, in your capacity as an intrepid and curious musician, you will always find people worth talking to at such events [open mics]. And, at any rate, you only get as involved as you want to..."

View Full Article

Posted: Apr 29, 2019

Category: Live Performance

make money exposure live performances rocket to the stars gigging free shows 6 minute music business podcast pa house bill 561

**Guest post written by Wade Sutton of Rocket to the Stars Artist Services.

 

"You know how difficult it can be for bands to create leverage when trying to negotiate better guarantees from venues? Well something is happening in Pennsylvania that is going to make that even more difficult ... and musicians nationwide should be keeping an eye on this because it is something that could spread to other states."

View Full Article

Posted: Aug 20, 2018

Category: Live Performance

live performing stage rules fan engagement perfect your performance have a story addressing your crowd thecraftymusician.com improv conversation teach stage banter

**Guest post written by Anitra Jay of TheCraftyMusician.com.

 

"The difference between a really good show and a terrible show is not how good the music was, but how good the connection was between you and your audience...The best way to break the ice and make a connection with your audience is by employing some skillful stage banter..."

View Full Article

Posted: Aug 6, 2018

Category: Live Performance

live music venues live performing house shows coffeehouse bar alternatives the music entrepreneur lounge create opportunities music clubs

**Guest post written by David Andrew Wiebe, founder & CEO at The Music Entrepreneur HQ.

 

"One of the things I’ve learned after performing live for seven years is that just about any place of business can be a live venue. It doesn’t have to be a club, a bar, a pub, a lounge or a coffeehouse. It can be a clothing store or an office or a mall. It can even be a house!

View Full Article

Posted: Feb 12, 2018

Category: Live Performance

be courteous be prepared have fun live performances setlist sound engineer zing instruments

**Guest post written by Roz Bruce of Zing Instruments.

 

"So, you've been rehearsing with your band mates for several weeks now, you have a set together and are finally feeling ready to start gigging. But what can you do to make sure everything runs smoothly? As someone with 10 years of gigging experience, I would like to share some first gig: dos and don'ts with you, to ensure that your first gig is memorable for the right reasons!..."

View Full Article

Posted: Oct 2, 2017

Category: Live Performance

10000 hour rule be focused be specific comfort zone dr. anders ericsson get feedback practice soundfly

**Guest Post by Ian Temple of Soundfly.

 

"If you’re anything like me, your practice routine is something you do intuitively. It often involves sitting down with your instrument, playing a few scales, banging around for 20 minutes on a few songs or improvs, maybe working on something specific for 10 minutes in a repetitive manner, and then bowing out. Basically, it’s casual, repetitive, and thoughtless. The problem is that these tendencies are the exact opposite of what we should be doing if we want to see real improvement, according to Dr. Anders Ericsson."

View Full Article

Posted: Aug 28, 2017

Category: Live Performance

constructive criticism content dead space image invest live performances live streaming recording the legit musician videos

**Guest post written by Scott Aumann, originally featured on The Legit Musician blog.

 

"One of the best things to do in order to improve your live performance is to record your shows. You can record audio only, or record video. Either way, make it a point to review your recordings and critique yourself. Don't be too critical, but be honest with yourself. This is a great way to find what works, and what doesn't work."

View Full Article

Posted: Jan 23, 2017

Category: Live Performance

lighting microphones npr perfect your performance position songwriting tiny desk contest video marketing videos

**Guest post by Niki Walker, lead videographer of NPR's Tiny Desk series. Originally posted on NPR Music’s Tiny Desk Contest Tumblr.

 

"The Tiny Desk is essentially the opposite of a concert venue or a music video. There’s nothing to hide behind except a real, tiny desk, in a real, very-active office. In some ways, our look is easy to replicate, because it’s all about the music...A lot of people film their Tiny Desk Contest entries on their own, so we thought we’d share a few things we’ve learned by filming almost 600 of these things..."

View Full Article

Posted: Jan 4, 2016

Category: Live Performance

exposure free shows have fun live performances make money musicianwages.com networking non-profit show booking

**Guest post written by David J. Hahn, originally featured on MusicianWages.com.

 

"You get a call. It’s a friend of yours, they are throwing a big party, and they want you to play for the guests...You get another call. It’s a local non-profit. They are throwing a fundraiser at a fancy venue and they want you to provide entertainment for a couple of hours...A third call comes in. It’s a local venue. They are having an event next month and 5 bands are playing a 30 minute set each. They’d like to invite you to perform...So what do you do? Do you take these gigs? You know that you have to make a living, but you know you also have to get out there and play for people."

View Full Article

Posted: Nov 9, 2015

Category: Live Performance

ask fans fan engagement grassrootsy house shows live performances make money newsletters postcards social media

**Guest post written by Joy Ike, creator of Grassrootsy.com and Independent Musician, as featured on Grassrootsy.com.

 

"For a while there, house concerts were a trendy idea for independent artists that caught on pretty quickly...But now house concerts are actually becoming the primary means for many artists to make their living...Here are 5 ways that I’ve used to generate solid house concert leads."

View Full Article

Posted: Sep 14, 2015

Category: Live Performance

eat healthy gear merch newsletters posters professionalism promotion sleep social media

**Guest post written by Megan Liscomb, originally posted on TakeLessons.com.

 

"Congrats on getting the big gig! Whether you’re preparing for your band’s first show or your album-release party, these tips will help you learn how to promote your band, make your best impression on stage, and get invited back to the venue to do it all again."

View Full Article

Posted: Jul 13, 2015

Category: Live Performance

built-in crowds convenience draw exposure fan engagement friend support local concert goers promotion

**Guest post written by Cristof Ensslin, cellist/manager of The Wilhelm Brothers, folk rock with cello infusion from Asheville, NC.

 

"Are you booking for an indie band? Have you ever come across a venue mentioning you ought not to play another show within a certain radius and timespan? Chances are, you have." But what if you could play multiple shows in the same town in the same week and the venue could also benefit...

View Full Article