Tate Music Group Unleashed: Tate Music Group Bookings

Showing posts with label Tate Music Group Bookings. Show all posts

Monday, April 2, 2012

Check Out Some Venues Booked for Tate Music Group Artists

Artists and Labels have been submitting music for the 2011 music festivals for a couple months now and will continue on throughout the year. Live shows are so crucial for growing a fan base for your music, and we are blessed to have such hard working artists.
Here at Tate Music Group, we have been busy building relationships with festivals and venues across the US and we are excited to share with you a few places you can see TMG artists this year!

Whisky

Whisky A Go-Go - Los Angeles, CA www.whiskyagogo.com

“As long as there has been a Los Angeles rock scene, there has been the Whisky A Go-Go. An anchor on the Sunset Strip since it’s opening in 1964, the Whisky A Go-Go has played host to rock ‘n’ roll’s most important bands, from the Doors, Janis Joplin, and Led Zeppelin to today’s up and coming new artists.” – Whisky A Go-Go
(Photo by Whisky A Go-Go)

The Viper Room - West Hollywood, CA www.viperroom.com

“On any given day of the year at the Viper Room, you’ll find musical talents who have meaning and that are developing and leading the music scene of Los Angeles and the nation.” – The Sunset Strip
(Photo by Alen)

Epicentre - San Diego, CA www.epicentreconcerts.org

“Epicentre is also an all-age music venue that is dedicated to discovering the underground music talent from San Diego and throughout the country.” – Epicentre
(Photo by ElectricFritz)

Unity Fest - Pensacola, FL www.unityfest2011.org

“To bring praise and honor to our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ. To reach out to our community and bring forth his word of salvation and unconditional love for us all through song. We look to bring forth God’s Church by unifying a diverse Body of Christ through praise and worship.” - Unity Fest

(Photo by Unity Fest)

The Bamboo Lounge - Lancaster, CA www.bamboomusiclounge.weebly.com/

“We have entertainment here from Rock, Metal, Punk, Alternative, Jazz, Blues, Funk bands to Comedy shows.” - Bamboo Lounge
(Photo by ACJ Photography)

The Talking Stick - Venice, CA www.thetalkingstick.net

“The Talking Stick is a great place to play. It’s a laid back atmosphere that artists and audience both appreciate. We’re all about hearing and hosting the creative expressions of musicians and others.” – The Talking Stick

Cornerstone Festival - Bushnell, IL www.cornerstonefestival.com

“This event called Cornerstone Festival is far more than a massive musical experience. It is more than a collection of hundreds of solo artists and bands representing every style and sub-genre on the current musical landscape… Cornerstone Festival is the annual gathering of a community of believers that is spread out all over the world.” - Cornerstone Festival
(photo by Cornerstone Festival)

Rocketown - Pompano Beach, FL www.rocketownfl.com

“Rocketown is a 12,000 square foot non-profit entertainment facility on Federal Hwy consisting of a music venue, cafe, recreation, and programming. We provide a safe, alcohol and drug free environment for youth to enjoy concerts, classes, video games and much more.” - Rocketown
(photo by Rocketown)

Rock the Universe - Orlando, FL www.universalorlando.com/

“The songs that move you. The faith that lifts you. It all comes alive in one weekend, where the biggest names in Christian rock take the stage at Universal Studios^®.”
- Rock The Universe
(Photo by Universal Studios)

South by Southwest - Austin, TX www.sxsw.com

“At night, SXSW showcases hundreds upon hundreds of musical acts from around the globe on over eighty stages in downtown Austin. All this and so much more, combine to make SXSW one of the most revered music events, year after year.”

- SXSW

For more information about Tate Music Group, visit www.tatemusicgroup.com

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.

Monday, August 1, 2011

TMG Artist Against the Downpour Playing Unity Fest

Tate Music Group Artist Against the Downpour will be playing Unity Fest in September. Against the Downpour is a young Alternative Christian Rock band with a catchy and dynamic sound. Look for their music at tatemusicgroup.com later this fall.

Reality of Getting Shelf Space in a Major Store

Everyday I talk to artists who are focused on getting their music in a major retail chain. They speak of it as if it were the Holy Grail of the music industry . I hate to break the news to you but this is not 1999. Music does not sell off the shelf anymore. If you don't believe me walk through a Walmart, Barnes & Noble, or Best Buy music section and see for yourself how sad those sections of the stores have become. The reason why the brick and mortar stores have all but eliminated their music sections is because they are not seeing product moving off their shelf and therefore the music is taking up retail space where they could be placing product that will sell. Digital download sales are increasing by 15% to 20% yearly and retail sales are dropping by the same amount. You can do the math. The world leaders in music sales are iTunes, Amazon, and Rhapsody. The brick and mortar stores know this and subsequently have moved much of their music product online. If artists themselves don't even purchase music from retail stores then why would they expect their production to sell in stores? Vanity. Vanity never made an artist successful. Hard work, appropriate placement, and marketing makes artists successful. If your music never makes it into a single store don't you worry. Some of the biggest names in the industry are in the same boat and happy to be there. Ask Lady Gaga where she would rather have her music, on a store shelf collecting dust or online selling thousands. I bet you know the answer.

The following link is a great article on store sales. http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/article_2320c2b0-56ea-5b94-8c44-5b4ebee869f2.html

Driven Cure Featured in Madera Tribune

Two Chowchilla police officers took a leap of faith last year when they turned in their badges and guns and picked up a bass and a microphone to pursue musical ministry.
Ex-officers Heath Middleton and Phil Cheatham — joined by Phil’s son Michael and Michael’s friend Justin Webster — took their contemporary Christian band, Driven Cure, on the road.
Together they’ve played in venues across the country and will perform next month at Spirit West Coast — one of the largest Christian music events in the country.
Middleton and the Cheathams led the church band at Passion Driven Ministries in Chowchilla for years before deciding to branch off and become an outreach worship group in 2008.
“We had a vision to go from church to church to teach people what worship is about — and what worship is about is a relationship with God,” Middleton said.
After throwing around names in the police department’s report writing room, Middleton and Cheatham decided on Driven Cure, Cheatham said.
“Jesus is the cure,” he said, to which Webster added, “We are driven to bring people to the cure.”
The group aims to take listeners on a musical and spiritual journey with their progressive rock worship style, band members say.
The band signed with Oklahoma-based label Tate Music Group in January 2009 and released its first album, Astray No More, that fall.
“Lyrically it’s straightforward Christian music that you would hear in church,” said Webster, the band’s lead guitarist. “Heath, the main vocalist, wrote all the songs. We just kind of threw together what we had and got it out there.”
The band took more time to perfect its sophomore album, Message, which will be relased August 9.
“It’s more metaphorical,’ Webster said. “The albums share the same themes, but the second was a collaborative writing effort.”
One of the underlying themes was inspired by a worshiper’s testimony, Paul Cheatham said.
“He said he made a mess out of his life, but God made a message,” he said.
“God can always use what looks like a rough or tough situation and make it into a message that can benefit that person or other people,” Webster added.
Driven Cure spends much of its time touring — as far east as Nashville and as far west as Hawaii — and the remainder of its time serving as the worship band at Good News Ministries in Madera.
“Last April we all resigned from our employments to pursue full-time music ministry,” said Webster, a former construction worker.
Although it has sometimes been difficult adjusting to widely flexible schedules and financial uncertainty — and trying to find a niche in a music industry that is ever evolving — the band members say their passion for music and for God make it all worthwhile.
“We don’t want to be doing anything other than this,” Webster said.
The band books its own tours, and will perform “anywhere they’ll let us,” Paul Cheatham said. “We can call 600 venues and 599 of them might say ‘no’ and one person will say yes and we’ll jump on it.”
“We play everywhere from as tiny as a little 10-people church to coffee shops to music festivals to as big as the main stage at Spirit West Coast,” said Micheal Cheatham, the band’s drummer and a former marketing student at UC Merced.
Spirit West Coast is a big step for the band, members say.
Last year Driven Cure had to “pay to play” at the event, which means their fans had to purchase a certain number of tickets for the group to be able to perform.
“We ended up doing more than $10,000 in ticket sales and they put us on the Air One mainstage,” Webster said.
This year the event’s organizer booked the band to play two concerts at the three-day festival, held at the Laguna Seca Raceway in Monterey.
The band is also in the midst of the Igniting the Body Tour — a worship tour featuring Driven Cure and Good News Ministries’ pastor Eddie Gallegos. Tour information can be found on the band’s website, DrivenCure.com.

By Farin Montanez

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

TMG Artist Driven Cure On the Road

What a great video to show the dedication and time it takes in this industry! These are some of the hardest working artists we know...and we love them! Great music and a great display of the joy an artist (or band) can have by doing what they love to do - playing music!

Check out the video and see more from Driven Cure here - http://www.tatemusicgroup.com/epk/?id=15260

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

What to Look for in a Record Contract

I talk to artists every day who are looking for any way to get a leg up in the industry, whether it's a recording studio, a music distributor, radio promotion, a booking agent, or a manager. In my experience as a signed artist and now an A&R representative for a label I've repeatedly heard the same needs and concerns. The problem I continually come across is that artists in general don't know how the industry truly works or what an "industry contract" looks like. They get all their knowledge from what they see on television. Based on this, here are a few of the most important things I feel you should look for when searching for the right record label for you:

Look for a label that lets you keep your rights. You should never give up the rights to the music that you wrote and poured your heart into! You wouldn't work for a company that asked you to sign over your personal property so why would you sign with a label that did.
Look for a label that lets you maintain a level of creative input concerning your project. Why would you spend time writing an upbeat rock song only to have a label turn it into a country ballad?
Don't get tied down for x number of albums or x number of years. If it didn't work out for you for the first album or your needs and ambitions change, wouldn't you want the freedom to move on?
Typically the label is also your manufacturer. Ask whether there's a minimum product purchase. Who wants to be stuck with 1,000 albums in their living room or the trunk of their car? The label should meet your needs where you are at. There is no need to tie up capital in a mass amount of CD's if the demand is not there yet. That is money you can invest in your music elsewhere.
Read the fine print. If you're fortunate enough to be one of the few who are offered an advance or the label is fronting 100% of costs (very rare in today's industry), be sure you're prepared to pay that back in full if your CD, merchandise, and ticket sales don't cover the label's investment in you. In the industry, this is called recoupment and is a very common practice. Recoupment clauses typically state that an artist must fully pay back the label prior to them being able to earn royalties or profit from the project. I large misconception of the industry is that the music business is a giant ATM machine handing out money and resources. It is a business and a business doesn't have longevity if it just throws money away.

If you want to see how TMG works and the opportunities and resources we provide get in touch with me. I am glad to answer your questions. I hope this helps with your search for representation in the industry. tdavenport@tatepublishing.com.