Posted: Jun 21, 2016

Category: Show Booking

be patient be realistic be strategic branding cold pitching grassrootsy hometown national acts pay attention show booking touring

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

"Nailing big opportunities is one of the major things that kickstarts the career of an independent artist. Sometimes it’s having a video go viral. Other times it’s falling under the good graces of someone who knows someone. But sometimes it’s getting to open for a national touring act and getting your name out to a larger audience of new listeners...here are 7 excellent tips for making it happen."

Posted: May 2, 2016

Category: Touring

couchsurfing.com ezekiel morphis gear marketing plan merch original material plan ahead show booking social media touring touring strategy vehicle web presence

**Guest Post by Ezekiel Morphis, San Diego based Americana/Folk Singer-Songwriter.

"If you just started playing music last week, this article will aid you further down the road as long as you stay committed and work on your music first. If you are like me — two EPs completed, well practiced, working on an album, playing for a handful of years, don’t mind smelling like beer and shame for days on end and still want to know how to tour DIY — then this is the article for you."

Posted: Mar 7, 2016

Category: The Musician Business

adapt bret alexander calendar listings jack of all trades music business physical vs. digital record deal show booking

**Guest Post by Bret Alexander of The Badlees and Saturation Acres.

"Pretty much for all of the 1990s, I played with one band. One band. That was it...Ours was a pretty typical scenario for a band around that time. The object of worship was the CD. Or even a few cassettes and vinyl. Those little circles of information were your lifeblood….. and your salvation...Cut to 2016. Things have definitely changed. Quite a bit. CDs barely sell on an independent level. Vinyl has some appeal, but I would think on the ground floor it would be a break even proposition at best. There are download sales, but as we all know if you want the music for free it ain’t too hard to find...Musicians no longer worship that little round piece of plastic. Their new object of worship is square. And much bigger. It’s called a calendar."

Posted: Feb 29, 2016

Category: Show Booking

bandzoogle be courteous be honest be patient be respectful gigging please and thank you show booking tour booking touring plan

**Guest Post written by Dave Cool of Bandzoogle.com.

Posted: 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..."

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."

Posted: Oct 5, 2015

Category: Music Festivals

be realistic community support epk have fun music festivals networking practice promotion show booking

**Guest post written by Amir Mozafari, Director of BD for Everfest and formerly of C3 Presents.

1. Develop a relationship with local promoters. 2. Practice, practice, practice! 3. Keep your EPK (Electronic Press Kit) up to date...

Posted: Apr 27, 2015

Category: Live Performance

advanced tickets bar coffeehouse diy grassrootsy house shows music album release music festivals show booking

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

"...we thought it would be important to talk about the different types of shows out there and give you a comprehensive understanding of the types of shows you should be taking at certain stages in your career depending on what city you are in and depending on the timing. Yea, that’s a mouthful, but stick with us and you*ll get what we mean..."

Posted: Nov 10, 2014

Category: Show Booking

compensation fearsome folk how to run a band joshua powell make money promotion show booking tour booking

**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.

"Your bobber just exploded and somebody took the bait. Now it’s time to let out on the line. One of those thirty-four venues replied to your excellently crafted pitch email and now you’re in negotiations to set the stage for your impending show. But the thread of your line is steadily unspooling, and sure, your cast was masterful, but there are other things to which we must attend. We’ll do that here—in the follow-up..."

Posted: Sep 29, 2014

Category: Touring

diy eva alexiou-reo fata booking agency indie show booking tour booking

**Q&A with Eva Alexiou-Reo of FATA Booking Agency.

This is a great question! I feel that a band should take on a booking agent after they have booked a few tours themselves or if they have a high demand by fans to be in national markets. Since an agent's job is to find and route live engagements, then it should be during a time when there is something going on in those markets...

Posted: Aug 18, 2014

Category: The Musician Business

don't bad-mouth free shows merch networking orange county music league pay to play show booking support your scene

**Guest post written by John Safari, President and Co-Founder of Orange County Music League.
 

"A lot of bands complain about the music scene for one reason or another. In my opinion, most of these bands aren’t thinking of the bigger picture, or outside of their band for that matter. I started Orange County Music League to put an end to pay to play. Bands are not a dollar sign. Here are some things that local bands are going to need to start doing in order to build a thriving scene..."

Posted: May 19, 2014

Category: Show Booking

ask peers draw indie on the move networking persistence selling your act show booking tour booking

**Guest post written by Paula Tolly, one half of the Boca Raton based Americana duo 33 Years.

"You know the scenario.... you’ve been trying to get into this local bar for who knows how long and your buddy just gave you the name of the new booker. You email him or text or whatever his preference is and you get the dreaded dead end comment back: "How many people can you draw at my venue....?" Your heart sinks, your confidence dwindles and you think, "Hey, is there anyone out there who really cares about the music nowadays?""...

Posted: Apr 7, 2014

Category: Show Booking

booking agents networking persistence selling you act show booking tour booking touring tips

**Guest post by Chris "Seth" Jackson, a bass guitarist and composer and founder of HowToRunABand.com.

OH no! I can't get a show! I keep sending out booking emails that never get replied to. What do I do?...

Posted: Mar 17, 2014

Category: The Musician Business

create scarcity fan support hometown marketing music career professionalism show booking

**Guest post written by Samuel Mahler, marketing manager, booking agent, and band member of "The Electro-Lights".

One of the major problems that has plagued today’s music world is the bad stigma placed on bands’ lack of “Professionalism”. This seemingly simple word that should be self-explanatory has been the death of many a band. Why is this, you may ask?...

Posted: Mar 3, 2014

Category: Show Booking

booking agents draw music business selling your act show booking tour booking touring strategy touring tips grassrootsy

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

THE QUESTION: I have a question that I hope someone here can help me with. After you’ve sent an email and you don’t hear back for a week or two, is it ok to resend the same email in the case that it got lost in the shuffle? I don’t want to come off as being pushy, but I want to make sure that they actually received the email.

THE ANSWER: Art, this is a really great question that I think a lot of people struggle with. It’s hard to know how to follow up on a email when you don’t know if it was ever read, if it reached the correct person, or if the receiver purposely didn’t get back to you. So we’ve got a few suggestions on what you can do...

Posted: Dec 23, 2013

Category: Touring

epk facebook prerequisites show booking tour booking web presence youtube

**As featured in Indie on the Move's Touring Tips Section.

If you are considering going on tour, there are a few prerequisites that must be met in order for you to make everything happen...

Posted: Dec 2, 2013

Category: Show Booking

grassrootsy music business show booking tour booking touring strategy touring tips

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

"STEP 1: Perfect your performance. Play as many open stages as you can to network with others and solidify your stage presence. Become a familiar face and make sure you get to really know the people. Give this a 6-month time period." Click the title to read numbers 2-7, including an in-depth description of each crucial step...

Posted: Nov 25, 2013

Category: Delegate Responsibilities

show booking tour booking lodging promo press and radio

When it comes to touring independently and really maximizing success and profits along the way, it certainly helps to delegate show booking, radio/press/media promotions, and other responsibilities amongst everyone involved in the project - after all, you have to run your band like a well oiled business machine these days if you expect to make a splash and build a buzz.

Posted: Nov 18, 2013

Category: Show Booking

apca college gigs make money naca show booking tour booking touring touring plan

**The following is an excerpt from MusicBizAcademy.com's "The Truth About NACA: Gigging on the College Circuit" by Fran Snyder, originally published in 2001.

"The National Association of Campus Activities, established in 1960, is a non-profit organization that puts on regional conferences where music acts, comedians, lecturers and other entertainers showcase in front of campus activities programmers from around the country. There are 1200 member colleges and 600 associate members (talent or agent) which makes NACA the largest organization of its kind." So how do you land one of these coveted showcase slots and secure college bookings with fantastic guarantees?... 

Posted: Nov 4, 2013

Category: Show Booking

ask fans ask peers facebook indie on the move show booking tour booking web presence youtube

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

Booking a tour can be a difficult process. Not only are you spending hours upon hours emailing venue after venue, but you’re also taking a major gamble on the venues you’re contacting. It’s often hard to know if the spot is a good fit for your band, if there is decent foot traffic, how hard you will have to work for your draw, and how well their booker will work with you to make the event a success. It’s just one huge gamble.

Posted: Aug 26, 2013

Category: Show Booking

draw hometown make money music business pay to play show booking tour booking touring tips

**Guest post written by Ari Herstand, a DIY singer-songwriter from Los Angeles, CA with 500+ shows under his belt, as featured in his blog "Ari's Take". 

"...But what all the non-superstar musicians in LA have in common is, when we play a show in town we accept shitty shitty deals...This isn't going to be a post about LA (as that could fill a book), but rather the issue of "pay to play" clubs. Let's explore some of the many scenarios bands get offered by venues and promoters every day..."

Posted: Aug 12, 2013

Category: Show Booking

show booking tour booking touring touring plan touring strategy touring tips

**As featured in Indie on the Move's Touring Tips section.

Whether you’re planning a two-week mini tour or a two-month tour, first and foremost you should sit down and write up a mock itinerary. This will include the cities you plan to hit and the dates you plan to be in each city...

Posted: Jul 22, 2013

Category: Show Booking

draw gig swap selling your act show booking touring tips

**As featured in Indie on the Move's Touring Tips section.

When communicating with a booker, be as concise and informative as possible. Remember, he probably receives A LOT of emails every day, so the last thing he wants to read is a long-winded message. Try to keep it to 4-5 sentences while still hitting on all your main selling points...

Posted: Jul 2, 2013

Category: Live Performance

make money merch music business repeat customers restaurants show booking

**Guest post written by Nifty of MusicFullTime.com.

"Begin by thinking of yourself as more than just a “hired” musician playing for an evening in a nice (or not so nice) restaurant. Viewing this opportunity as a typical “gig” is actually a 9 to 5 mentality that’s fatal to your income potential. The restaurant has hired you, not for the purpose of doing “you” a favor, nope. The restaurant owner is trying to add value to her customers."

Posted: Jun 24, 2013

Category: Live Performance

bundio create scarcity hometown promotion show booking

**Guest Post by Julian Weisser.

"Sure, you could probably play at least one show a week in your hometown, but that’s no good for you because at best you’ll be playing to the same people, and at worst you’ll be playing to no one at all. For the fans it’s just as bad because they’ll hear the same music over and over and it will change from an exciting night that they’ve waited a month for into exactly what they just saw a week ago."