... It is imperative that you/we develop a following. The larger venues will not book someone soley based on their talent. It sounds strange, I know but it is the truth. There are a lot of highly talented artists out there. Larger venues want to see a resume’. They want to know who you are, where you have played, what the turn out was at those shows, how much product are you selling at shows, etc. and this is in addition to wondering if you are talented enough and have the type of music they want to book. Moving up in this industry is no different than moving up in any business. It takes time, hard work, perseverance, and a little luck along the way. I know it is easy to get frustrated at times. Trust me I have played some major dives and left the gig wondering why the heck we spent the time, effort and money to do that gig. The reality is that every gig is important and you never know who will be sitting in that tiny audience that can completely turn your career. Keep your chin up and keep working at it. Don’t be afraid to approach people about your music. Whether it is a venue or just someone you strike up a casual conversation with. Music is your business and people need to know about it to make it boom. It’s about who you know, not what you know.
Friday, September 2, 2011
Letter to an Artist (Bookings)
I received an email today from an artist that is hard working and out playing gigs but is ready to start getting the larger venues like state fairs, casinos, and festivals. He has been at it since February and while he is getting gigs he is ready to take that next step. It is easy to get frustrated in this phase of your music career and I think so many artists including me can relate to his situation. Below, I have included a snippet of my email I sent him because as I wrote him I felt like this is something that a lot of artists need to hear in order to be encouraged and know that they are not the only ones out their facing the difficulties of growing in this industry. (I have left the artist's name out for their privacy)
... It is imperative that you/we develop a following. The larger venues will not book someone soley based on their talent. It sounds strange, I know but it is the truth. There are a lot of highly talented artists out there. Larger venues want to see a resume’. They want to know who you are, where you have played, what the turn out was at those shows, how much product are you selling at shows, etc. and this is in addition to wondering if you are talented enough and have the type of music they want to book. Moving up in this industry is no different than moving up in any business. It takes time, hard work, perseverance, and a little luck along the way. I know it is easy to get frustrated at times. Trust me I have played some major dives and left the gig wondering why the heck we spent the time, effort and money to do that gig. The reality is that every gig is important and you never know who will be sitting in that tiny audience that can completely turn your career. Keep your chin up and keep working at it. Don’t be afraid to approach people about your music. Whether it is a venue or just someone you strike up a casual conversation with. Music is your business and people need to know about it to make it boom. It’s about who you know, not what you know.
... It is imperative that you/we develop a following. The larger venues will not book someone soley based on their talent. It sounds strange, I know but it is the truth. There are a lot of highly talented artists out there. Larger venues want to see a resume’. They want to know who you are, where you have played, what the turn out was at those shows, how much product are you selling at shows, etc. and this is in addition to wondering if you are talented enough and have the type of music they want to book. Moving up in this industry is no different than moving up in any business. It takes time, hard work, perseverance, and a little luck along the way. I know it is easy to get frustrated at times. Trust me I have played some major dives and left the gig wondering why the heck we spent the time, effort and money to do that gig. The reality is that every gig is important and you never know who will be sitting in that tiny audience that can completely turn your career. Keep your chin up and keep working at it. Don’t be afraid to approach people about your music. Whether it is a venue or just someone you strike up a casual conversation with. Music is your business and people need to know about it to make it boom. It’s about who you know, not what you know.
