I see lots of musicians sharing their music, shows, merch, news, and more with... well... lots of musicians. I see lots of musicians 'liking' and sharing music, shows, merch, news, and more from... well... other musicians. I see lots of musicians networking with other musicians. I see lots of musicians with cool, slick looking profiles on the latest and greatest indie whiz bang EPK sites with play counts, fans, shows - you name it - that are full of... other musicians. And, I see lots of musicians working to book shows through social media sites FULL of... you guessed it... other musicians. That's all fine and dandy.
Now to be clear, I am not knocking other musicians - not at all. I would never do that. It is indeed important to hang with your peers. It's imperative to support fellow musicians and encourage other artists to keep reaching for the stars. We are all in this thing called life together. We need to run with the pack at times. We need to share our successes, our music, our charitable activities, even our shows, with our fellow rock and rollers. Yes indeed we do need to support one another.
However, if you want to book shows that pay, and if you want to find venues that are a perfect fit for your act, and if you want to shine through the digital online clutter, and if you want to make money and actually find people who want to book you... well, you are not going to get very far spending most of you time and resources targeting... yep... other musicians.
As an Indie musician, YOU are most likely your sales team. To get shows, book gigs, and close deals it is essential that you connect with the folks making the hiring decisions for entertainment. Reach out to venues where you want to perform. If you wait for them to come to you, well... you'll be waiting a long time.
Focus the vast majority of you booking / sales / marketing resources on the people and organizations who might actually hire you to perform. Reach out to:
-CVBs
-Chambers of Commerce
-City / County / Sate Officials
-Venues
-Event Managers
-Parks Departements
Ask questions, get information, and sell. Operate YOUR business that is YOU... and your music. Create and nurture long term lasting business relationships.
Hang out, network, swap stories, and share information with your fellow musicians. Market to the folks who will sign your check. Go for it.
Turn it up!
H
Now to be clear, I am not knocking other musicians - not at all. I would never do that. It is indeed important to hang with your peers. It's imperative to support fellow musicians and encourage other artists to keep reaching for the stars. We are all in this thing called life together. We need to run with the pack at times. We need to share our successes, our music, our charitable activities, even our shows, with our fellow rock and rollers. Yes indeed we do need to support one another.
However, if you want to book shows that pay, and if you want to find venues that are a perfect fit for your act, and if you want to shine through the digital online clutter, and if you want to make money and actually find people who want to book you... well, you are not going to get very far spending most of you time and resources targeting... yep... other musicians.
As an Indie musician, YOU are most likely your sales team. To get shows, book gigs, and close deals it is essential that you connect with the folks making the hiring decisions for entertainment. Reach out to venues where you want to perform. If you wait for them to come to you, well... you'll be waiting a long time.
Focus the vast majority of you booking / sales / marketing resources on the people and organizations who might actually hire you to perform. Reach out to:
-CVBs
-Chambers of Commerce
-City / County / Sate Officials
-Venues
-Event Managers
-Parks Departements
Ask questions, get information, and sell. Operate YOUR business that is YOU... and your music. Create and nurture long term lasting business relationships.
Hang out, network, swap stories, and share information with your fellow musicians. Market to the folks who will sign your check. Go for it.
Turn it up!
H