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 ArticlePosted: 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.
Posted: Sep 3, 2019
Category: The Musician Business
merch make money touring live performances spotify career goals cd's booking agents tour routing jake shane second job cost of living
**Guest post written by Jake Shane, an American singer-songwriter and guitarist who resides in Spain. He makes his living as an independent artist by touring around Europe. His fourth album will be released in October, 2019.
"A recent article by Larry Fitzmaurice titled “17 Indie Artists on Their Oddest Odd Jobs That Pay the Bills When Music Doesn’t” is by turns comforting and deflating to the indie musician...Contrastingly to me, none of those artists makes their living exclusively from music, and many of them actually lose money touring. So, what does this mean for musicians in general, and me specifically? Well, a variety of things, but I’ll limit myself to three important factors..."
View Full ArticlePosted: Aug 5, 2019
Category: Health
touring live performances health eat healthy plan ahead mental health emotional health physical health electraland radio
**Guest post written by Electra (The Rock-n-Roll Health Chick), an Integrative Health and Nutrition Consultant and Coach, specializing in the health of musicians.
"No one likes a hypocrite, and I want to feel great as well. I’ve been having the lemon and salt water in the mornings and more fruits and veggies. That leads us to the second most important change you can make to think and feel your best...EAT WELL."
View Full ArticlePosted: 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 ArticlePosted: Sep 4, 2018
Category: Fans
social media marketing live performances relationships with fans newsletters super fans ariel hyatt cyber pr be strategic data
**Guest post written by Ariel Hyatt, originally featured on the Cyber PR Blog.
Posted: Apr 9, 2018
Category: The Musician Business
amateur bands don't bad-mouth engineer john kay & who's to say live performances producers recording support your scene
**Guest post written by John Kay, a touring and performing songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer, and the leader of John Kay & Who’s To Say.
"..the burning question which keeps those who are truly passionate about their local music scene is: Why? Why does “the scene suck”? Why does it need fixing? What is the root of the problem? It’s more complicated than a one-answer summation, but I proffer that a major contributor to why a local scene suffers—and new/young/up-and-coming bands ultimately fail—is the recording engineer’s decision to manipulate an amateur band’s recorded performance into a near-perfect production."
View Full ArticlePosted: Mar 5, 2018
Category: Show Booking
booking agents diy live performances megaphone agency music career show booking touring
**Guest post written by Jordan Gates, of Megaphone Agency.
"In the early days, a lot of bands book their own shows until it becomes necessary to seek out an agent or when an agent finds them. For serious artists, hiring a booking agent can be a big step in launching their music career to the next level. If you are wondering when you should get a booking agent, here are some things to consider..."
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!..."
Posted: Jan 2, 2018
Category: The Musician Business
ask fans branding career goals create videos joshua rich know your audience live performances
**Guest post written by Joshua Rich, a pop pianist out of Washington, DC.
"The best thing I have learned as a performer is how to get out of my own way - to look at myself through other people’s eyes...Listening to others and being open to what your strengths are can be the difference between making it and not..."
View Full ArticlePosted: Dec 11, 2017
Category: Show Booking
acoustics find venues live performances load in merch show booking talent buyer vibe
**Guest post written by Adam Young, CEO and founder of Event Tickets Center, a marketplace for tickets to sports, concert and Broadway events.
"Playing a concert takes a ton of preparation, especially when it’s your band’s first time on stage...But when it’s finally time to make your debut, it’s important plan for the venue—and it’s hard to know what to expect until you start going to performances at a wide range of bars, clubs and concert halls in any town. When you do, here are a few things to keep an eye out for..."
View Full ArticlePosted: Nov 27, 2017
Category: Fans
cd baby live performances movies music discovery pandora playlisting radio airplay spotify tv youtube
**Guest post written by Amanda Kenyon founder of Blue Crane Music, a New England based artist management, booking, and consulting service dedicated to helping musicians grow their careers.
Posted: Nov 20, 2017
Category: Touring
andrew tufano buy in bulk convenience delegate responsibilities health live performances make money merch networking practice touring
**Guest post written by Andrew Tufano, Nashville based Acoustic Pop Singer-Songwriter.
"When you’re strapped for cash on the road, it can be a relief to have a bandmate in the passenger seat, lifting your spirits and holding things together. At the same time, splitting $42 in tips and then going out to drink every night can make turning a profit feel like a luxury you can’t afford. Here are some of the pros and cons to touring alone versus with your friends."
View Full ArticlePosted: 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.
Posted: Dec 12, 2016
Category: Show Booking
booking agents branding hometown keys to success live performances networking show booking songwriting the unsigned guide this is now agency tour booking x-ray touring
**Guest post written by Louise Dodgson, Editor at The Unsigned Guide.
Posted: Dec 5, 2016
Category: Marketing
conversion rate live performances marketing merch newsletters rocket to the stars track the numbers
**Guest post written by Wade Sutton of Rocket to the Stars.
"What I am going to talk about in this article is rooted so deeply in common sense yet so few bands actually do it. Your live show will ALWAYS be your most powerful tool when it comes to marketing your music, your merchandise, your music brand, and getting people to sign up for your e-mail or text lists..."
View Full ArticlePosted: May 23, 2016
Category: The Musician Business
live performances make money max garcia conover merch music business taxes the diy musician touring
**Guest Post by Max Garcia Conover, modern folk singer-songwriter out of Portland, ME.
"i just did the taxes for my first year as a full-time independent songwriter and i wanted to share some details about the business side of the work i’m doing...so here’s me...taking some pride in humble, honest, hard-won earnings:"
View Full ArticlePosted: Apr 26, 2016
Category: The Musician Business
bret alexander career goals have fun joy live performances the marshall tucker band
**Guest Post by Bret Alexander of The Badlees and Saturation Acres.
"Many years ago I remember standing on the side of the stage talking with a crew member of The Marshall Tucker Band...We were in the middle of our first tour as a major label act and I was chatting with him about our experiences on the road...After a while, the roadie pointed up at the sound check that was taking place onstage and in his thick Southern accent he said, “These guys are just happy to still be playing.” Things had certainly changed for these guys over the years, but they were still at it. Why?"
View Full ArticlePosted: Mar 28, 2016
Category: The Musician Business
commercials ep vs album licensing live performances make money movies music libraries mystery loves company publishing singles tv video games
**Guest post written by Carlos A. Machado of Mystery Loves Company.
"With almost 200 shows and multiple music conferences in the past two years, Maddy and I have learned a ton about the current music industry. For those wanting a career as singer-songwriters, here are a two things we think are worth keeping in mind..."
View Full ArticlePosted: Feb 1, 2016
Category: Touring
draw fearsome folk joshua powell live performances local bands make money show booking touring
**Guest post written by Joshua Powell, singer-songwriter, DIY musician, and frontman for Joshua Powell and the Great Train Robbery, as featured in his blog Fearsome Folk.
"I’ve been on and off the road with my band for over three years now, and it’s been entirely DIY, grassroots, self-booked. We’ve learned a lot along the way, but I’ve discovered one secret to touring as the single most valuable principle to make sure your tours are worth the trouble. Never play a show without booking 1-3 other bands as local support..."
View Full ArticlePosted: Jan 25, 2016
Category: The Musician Business
career goals gigging keys to success licensing live performances los colognes making it masters music business practice publishing sync placements
**Guest Post written by Jay Rutherford of Los Colognes.
"Like millions of other morons out there, I'm attempting to make music both the primary joy and primary financial security in my life. My band Los Colognes has achieved marginal success, just enough to get mom and dad off our backs, so to speak. Without further adieu, here’s me convincing myself I have achieved some wisdom, when in reality I have no psychological control over any of it yet. Pretend this is the Old Ben Kenobi version of me, from somewhere in the future..."
View Full ArticlePosted: 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 ArticlePosted: 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.
Posted: Sep 28, 2015
Category: Promotion
gigging indie 411 live performances merch networking newsletters promotion
**Guest post written by Brad Barnett, professional musician and founder of Indie 411.
Most musicians have a general idea of how to promote their upcoming shows...With so many musicians actively promoting their gigs, it comes as a surprise to me that most of them stop there. What I mean by that is they work hard to try and get people out to their event, then don’t do anything to promote or sell their brand once it’s show time...If the goal is to get as many people to know about you as possible, then there are a few things you should be doing at gigs to maximize your reach.
View Full ArticlePosted: Jun 15, 2015
Category: Live Performance
addressing your crowd fan engagement live performances rocket to the stars sentence structure
**Guest post written by Wade Sutton of Rocket to the Stars.
"In the third of a three-part video series, Rocket to the Stars' Wade Sutton continues examining how artists can improve their speaking skills when on stage performing at live shows!" Sentence structure is key...
View Full Article