YO, HERE IS SOME ADVISE ON BECOMING A HOMETOWN HERO... REAL SHIT, TAKE NOTE AND LEARN. DAGO UP, HATERS DOWN!
Clubs are looking for the best artists... Be a pro, treat the club like gold and benefit from your reputation with demand for more shows.
PERFORMANCE ARTIST CODE OF ETHICS
Be Prepared In Advance.....
From the very first show, no matter how small the club or how little experience you've had... get prepared.
When you book the show, ask what publications the club will be advertising your show in, and offer to give them bio material and photos immediately to include in the ads if possible. Give them a version of your logo that is easy to read in a basic black and white newspaper format. Bold, simple print works best in the music rags. Save the elaborate logo for slick print ads and t-shirts.
Once you know where the club advertises, ask if you can call their Advertising Rep to request a hook-up with the editorial department to cover your band and the show. Try to have something special to mention about the show itself when making the request. The answer won't always be yes, but eventually it will be yes. Do this for every show and do not be shy to ask. It never hurts to ask, and it always helps to be known as the band that is the hardest working, hardest promoting band in town! Word of mouth will be your best friend.
Inspect the club in person days ahead of your show, be sure the booker/manager or owner is in, set an appointment if possible, and make an eye-to-eye connection. Ask about placement of your merchandise for the show. Offer your t-shirts free to the staff to be worn the night of your show. Ask about how you can use your band banners and other promo material. Ask to meet the sound engineer and check in with them. Make the sound engineer your best friend. Ask if they have any special instructions for you. The club sound engineer can make or break your show. Have a meeting with your band about the details of the show. Get directions in every band members' hands about drive time, parking, loading, and phone numbers for the club and each other.
Promote the Show / Promote the Club
Promote at the Club
Since myspace was invented, many bands have made the mistake of being lazy and doing only computer promotion. You can not build local relationships on the computer. Get to be best friends with the local clubs. Bring posters about the show to the club at least a week in advance. Ask the club if you can bring fliers to the club in the days before the show and hand out inside the club. You especially want to do this the same day of the week that you will be playing. If you're playing on a Saturday, visit the previous Saturday as a minimum. Customers will tend to go out on the same nights of the week, and you want them to remember to come out to your show. Hand out fliers/cards/demos to the people inside, and leave on empty tables. Introduce yourself, look the customer right in the eye and say, "We want to invite you to our show next week…" Shake their hands. People love personal attention. Hand them a demo if possible along with your best two or three songs, with an inserted flier listing all your scheduled shows.
Promote at other Clubs
Visit other busy clubs the same night and give out fliers outside those clubs (it is not good etiquette to do so inside unless you have a show booked with that club in the future on your flier. HINT: Try to put multiple shows on your fliers so you are able to combine promotions like this. If the fan can't make the next one, maybe they'll make one out of your next 10 shows if they love your demo, and once they see you live they will be a solid fan if your show rocks.)
Promote in the Press
Make a list of all local press: Newspapers, magazines, radio, internet sites. Add to it every time you encounter another one. Do a simple PRESS RELEASE and email out bragging about your band and the club for every show. Use blind copies, though, so it does not come off as spam. Be SURE to send to the club also so they see how hard you're working for both yourself and the club. In a months time you may be the only local band to do this. You will be remembered.
Be Professional
Be on time. Be extremely organized. Be extremely prepared. Be extremely flexible. Learn the names of the club staff. Don't just be "artistic"; be a business person. Prepare guest lists, set lists, tech lists, stage plots in advance. Provide as much information as possible to staff - especially the
sound engineer. Club owners talk. Be the band that makes a good impression at every opportunity.
Come Early / Stay Late
Don't just roll in prior to your set time. Bring your posse to support the bands playing before and after you. BRING THE PARTY! Eat dinner there if possible. Make an evening of it. Stay in the club until the very end. If you play first, stay and watch the last band. If you play last, come early. If there is one audience member still in the club, you are also still in the club. If you are the band whose fans blow out the door right after their set, you will always be a step down from bands who hang out in the club, buy drinks and help the club pay their bills.
Be Fully "Plugged-In" to the Scene
Be up front to congratulate other bands after their sets. After your set, get back to the audience as fast as humanly possible. This is not the time to go hang outside with your friends and girlfriends and smoke. Before the next band starts, get in front of your fans and let them worship you. Be aware of the new people trying to catch your eye. Spread the band out and work the entire club. Hand out demos. Initiate conversations with the crowd. Ask where they're from… is this the first show they've seen? What was their favorite song? Don't be arrogant. Be humble and openly appreciative of their support. If you build 5-10 new loyal fans from each show you play, you will be one of the most sought after bands in your town in a fast hurry.
How many hot bands do you know that have just so-so music, but have a crazy fan base? That's right! The music is the reason you're there, yes… but the promotion, club support and fan loyalty will be the factor that drives your band to success.
Work With Other Bands
Your peers are an essential resource - not competition! Many bands by nature tend to be selfish and not want to share even the same friends. This is a huge mistake. The minute you get behind the idea of team work you will see a huge change in your career. For instance, let's imagine you are playing a gig and the band before and after you are your friends, and you all want to maximize your set times to the limit and spend as much time on stage as possible. If you all shared the same drum kit you would eliminate that extra tear-down and set-up time between bands. Each band would get one more song to play. This is only one aspect of team work that helps each band. What if your guitarist breaks a string, and forgets his back-up? It's great to have enough trust among bands to always get a hand in a crisis instead of having to cancel a set.
If you found one band at each show that matched your style and music, and offered to share bookings with them, how fast would your show schedule grow? Sharing fans between bands of a similar appeal is a great way to explode your fan-base. Initiate a relationship. Work with them. Support their show. Keep in touch with them. Offer your resources. Anticipate future collaboration. If you get offered a show you can't do, have a list of bands to offer to the club to help them, and help that other band get a leg up. Take leadership opportunities whenever you can. Make the most of circumstances. Get out of your own head - there's a bigger picture you probably can't see.
Think Long Term
Don't burn your bridges. Think about every decision and action in terms of your career over the span of a lifetime. Every time someone mentions your band name, you are building a reputation… good or bad. Take small steps forward. Don't get ahead of yourself. Take advantage of every opportunity. Be creative in viewing every situation (positive and negative) as an opportunity. You can create opportunities out of any situation. Invest in relationships: with other artists, with clubs, promoters, fans, everybody and anybody. Make your fans your #1 priority. Invest as much time as possible in thanking them, calling them, becoming friends with them, and communicating with them on a one-to-one basis. Sell one record and gain one fan at a time.
Be Thankful and Humble
You will NEVER be in a position to not need other people. You will NEVER be timeless and successful without the respect and love of the people around you. Give and forget. Have faith that it will come back. Educate. Let other musicians know about the code of ethics. Educate other artists by example. Let fans help. The most effective promotion is word of mouth. Encourage everyone you meet to open his or her mouth. Talk and reputation will define your career.
WWW.MYSPACE.COM/THEREALCRHYMES
WWW.MYSPACE.COM/DIEGOSCORE
WWW.DAGOSD.COM
Clubs are looking for the best artists... Be a pro, treat the club like gold and benefit from your reputation with demand for more shows.
PERFORMANCE ARTIST CODE OF ETHICS
Be Prepared In Advance.....
From the very first show, no matter how small the club or how little experience you've had... get prepared.
When you book the show, ask what publications the club will be advertising your show in, and offer to give them bio material and photos immediately to include in the ads if possible. Give them a version of your logo that is easy to read in a basic black and white newspaper format. Bold, simple print works best in the music rags. Save the elaborate logo for slick print ads and t-shirts.
Once you know where the club advertises, ask if you can call their Advertising Rep to request a hook-up with the editorial department to cover your band and the show. Try to have something special to mention about the show itself when making the request. The answer won't always be yes, but eventually it will be yes. Do this for every show and do not be shy to ask. It never hurts to ask, and it always helps to be known as the band that is the hardest working, hardest promoting band in town! Word of mouth will be your best friend.
Inspect the club in person days ahead of your show, be sure the booker/manager or owner is in, set an appointment if possible, and make an eye-to-eye connection. Ask about placement of your merchandise for the show. Offer your t-shirts free to the staff to be worn the night of your show. Ask about how you can use your band banners and other promo material. Ask to meet the sound engineer and check in with them. Make the sound engineer your best friend. Ask if they have any special instructions for you. The club sound engineer can make or break your show. Have a meeting with your band about the details of the show. Get directions in every band members' hands about drive time, parking, loading, and phone numbers for the club and each other.
Promote the Show / Promote the Club
Promote at the Club
Since myspace was invented, many bands have made the mistake of being lazy and doing only computer promotion. You can not build local relationships on the computer. Get to be best friends with the local clubs. Bring posters about the show to the club at least a week in advance. Ask the club if you can bring fliers to the club in the days before the show and hand out inside the club. You especially want to do this the same day of the week that you will be playing. If you're playing on a Saturday, visit the previous Saturday as a minimum. Customers will tend to go out on the same nights of the week, and you want them to remember to come out to your show. Hand out fliers/cards/demos to the people inside, and leave on empty tables. Introduce yourself, look the customer right in the eye and say, "We want to invite you to our show next week…" Shake their hands. People love personal attention. Hand them a demo if possible along with your best two or three songs, with an inserted flier listing all your scheduled shows.
Promote at other Clubs
Visit other busy clubs the same night and give out fliers outside those clubs (it is not good etiquette to do so inside unless you have a show booked with that club in the future on your flier. HINT: Try to put multiple shows on your fliers so you are able to combine promotions like this. If the fan can't make the next one, maybe they'll make one out of your next 10 shows if they love your demo, and once they see you live they will be a solid fan if your show rocks.)
Promote in the Press
Make a list of all local press: Newspapers, magazines, radio, internet sites. Add to it every time you encounter another one. Do a simple PRESS RELEASE and email out bragging about your band and the club for every show. Use blind copies, though, so it does not come off as spam. Be SURE to send to the club also so they see how hard you're working for both yourself and the club. In a months time you may be the only local band to do this. You will be remembered.
Be Professional
Be on time. Be extremely organized. Be extremely prepared. Be extremely flexible. Learn the names of the club staff. Don't just be "artistic"; be a business person. Prepare guest lists, set lists, tech lists, stage plots in advance. Provide as much information as possible to staff - especially the
sound engineer. Club owners talk. Be the band that makes a good impression at every opportunity.
Come Early / Stay Late
Don't just roll in prior to your set time. Bring your posse to support the bands playing before and after you. BRING THE PARTY! Eat dinner there if possible. Make an evening of it. Stay in the club until the very end. If you play first, stay and watch the last band. If you play last, come early. If there is one audience member still in the club, you are also still in the club. If you are the band whose fans blow out the door right after their set, you will always be a step down from bands who hang out in the club, buy drinks and help the club pay their bills.
Be Fully "Plugged-In" to the Scene
Be up front to congratulate other bands after their sets. After your set, get back to the audience as fast as humanly possible. This is not the time to go hang outside with your friends and girlfriends and smoke. Before the next band starts, get in front of your fans and let them worship you. Be aware of the new people trying to catch your eye. Spread the band out and work the entire club. Hand out demos. Initiate conversations with the crowd. Ask where they're from… is this the first show they've seen? What was their favorite song? Don't be arrogant. Be humble and openly appreciative of their support. If you build 5-10 new loyal fans from each show you play, you will be one of the most sought after bands in your town in a fast hurry.
How many hot bands do you know that have just so-so music, but have a crazy fan base? That's right! The music is the reason you're there, yes… but the promotion, club support and fan loyalty will be the factor that drives your band to success.
Work With Other Bands
Your peers are an essential resource - not competition! Many bands by nature tend to be selfish and not want to share even the same friends. This is a huge mistake. The minute you get behind the idea of team work you will see a huge change in your career. For instance, let's imagine you are playing a gig and the band before and after you are your friends, and you all want to maximize your set times to the limit and spend as much time on stage as possible. If you all shared the same drum kit you would eliminate that extra tear-down and set-up time between bands. Each band would get one more song to play. This is only one aspect of team work that helps each band. What if your guitarist breaks a string, and forgets his back-up? It's great to have enough trust among bands to always get a hand in a crisis instead of having to cancel a set.
If you found one band at each show that matched your style and music, and offered to share bookings with them, how fast would your show schedule grow? Sharing fans between bands of a similar appeal is a great way to explode your fan-base. Initiate a relationship. Work with them. Support their show. Keep in touch with them. Offer your resources. Anticipate future collaboration. If you get offered a show you can't do, have a list of bands to offer to the club to help them, and help that other band get a leg up. Take leadership opportunities whenever you can. Make the most of circumstances. Get out of your own head - there's a bigger picture you probably can't see.
Think Long Term
Don't burn your bridges. Think about every decision and action in terms of your career over the span of a lifetime. Every time someone mentions your band name, you are building a reputation… good or bad. Take small steps forward. Don't get ahead of yourself. Take advantage of every opportunity. Be creative in viewing every situation (positive and negative) as an opportunity. You can create opportunities out of any situation. Invest in relationships: with other artists, with clubs, promoters, fans, everybody and anybody. Make your fans your #1 priority. Invest as much time as possible in thanking them, calling them, becoming friends with them, and communicating with them on a one-to-one basis. Sell one record and gain one fan at a time.
Be Thankful and Humble
You will NEVER be in a position to not need other people. You will NEVER be timeless and successful without the respect and love of the people around you. Give and forget. Have faith that it will come back. Educate. Let other musicians know about the code of ethics. Educate other artists by example. Let fans help. The most effective promotion is word of mouth. Encourage everyone you meet to open his or her mouth. Talk and reputation will define your career.
WWW.MYSPACE.COM/THEREALCRHYMES
WWW.MYSPACE.COM/DIEGOSCORE
WWW.DAGOSD.COM
