Posted: Mar 22, 2021

Category: Show Booking

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**Guest post written by Dustin Drennen, DIY independent songwriter and musician.

"Shouldn’t music and friendship still be central to building a community and playing your songs? Absolutely. But, you don’t have to bumble along, you don’t have to loose direction or heart. That’s where this advice will come in handy. Here are four bits of advice for securing shows and building a reputation that makes it easier to do so."

Posted: Mar 1, 2021

Category: Touring

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**Guest post written by Gideon Waxman, a London based drummer & music educator. Originally posted on Soundfly's Flypaper.

"Although by no means a long run of shows, my band Familiar Spirit’s 2019 UK summer tour in support of American metal heavyweights Mushroomhead was an utterly insane and eye-opening experience — filled with wonderful people, great venues and an abundance of earth-shattering riffs. Having only formed a year ago, this was an opportunity that my band just couldn’t pass up, and I learned a lot from the experience. Here’s some of what I took away from the tour, and what I think young bands can do to prepare for and seize their own career-opening moments."

Posted: Jun 29, 2020

Category: Live Performance

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**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!"

Posted: May 11, 2020

Category: Live Performance

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**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."

Posted: Apr 27, 2020

Category: Live Performance

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**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..."

Posted: Feb 24, 2020

Category: Show Booking

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**Guest post written by Rachael Rubright of Dozmia.

"...a booking agent has a lot of artists vying for their attention or pulling their interest away from you. So, what can you do to put yourself on that booking agent’s radar? This article will outline some tips to help you get noticed."

Posted: Aug 20, 2018

Category: Live Performance

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**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..."

Posted: Aug 6, 2018

Category: Live Performance

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**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!

Posted: Nov 13, 2017

Category: The Musician Business

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**Guest post written by Joe Hoten of Bands For Hire.

"When your band breaks up, it's like losing your family, your job and your favourite hobby all in one fell swoop...This is of course a feeling best avoided at all costs, so here is a list of ten reasons explaining why it happened, and how you can hopefully prevent it from happening again."

Posted: Jun 1, 2015

Category: Live Performance

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

"Finding a comfort zone while speaking to audiences between songs is something that has been problematic for MANY singers...So I spent a large portion of time over the past year ­and ­a ­half exploring this very issue and looking for ways artists can improve at this extremely important, yet often neglected, skill..."

Posted: May 26, 2014

Category: Live Performance

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**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.

"So we’re on this bill and the first act is a singer-songwriter who sang from a digital piano. Now, I have zero intentions of discrediting him or her, or of being condescending in any regard – this blog won’t serve as an outlet for snark for snark’s sake. But in my observations of this artist, I collected some notes that demonstrate well what I believe to be three ways to NOT conduct yourself as an artist who aims to be taken seriously..."

Posted: Jun 11, 2013

Category: Renman Music & Business

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Bass player and manager Blasko discusses how he got his start as a musician, from underground hopeful to center stage bass player, and how he transitioned into becoming the manager of the Black Veil Brides.

Posted: Mar 12, 2013

Category: Live Performance

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**Guest post from Jordan Gaw of Final Drive, a Metal band from St. Louis, MO.

As an independent band, we all play countless shows in small venues and DIY spots with local promoters and club owners. Communication, respect and networking are essential for getting the most out of every gig. Gaining new fans, establishing relationships and executing an amazing show, that not only sounds, but runs smoothly, is your mission (should you choose to accept it).