Whether you’re an established band or one trying to make your way to the top, remember these tips for every show you play. Even pros can make rookie mistakes sometimes.
_____
Never-ending Sets
Just like playing in smaller venues, playing shorter sets is a good thing. It piques people’s interest in your music and leaves them wanting more. Playing a lengthy set does the exact opposite. It doesn’t matter if you took an extra ten minutes to set up, or if your friends came out to see you.
The Loudness Wars
If there’s one thing that all inexperienced bands have in common, it’s their desire to play loud. Really loud. They pay zero attention to the size of the room, turn the amps up to 10, and worst of all, drown each other out. It’s a common mistake to have the instruments overpowering the vocals at this kind of show.
Stage Presence
Professionals are always be mindful of their space. No matter the size of the stage, a veteran band avoids unanticipated collisions and the bad notes they cause. The next time you attend a high energy punk show, take a look at how the musicians careen around the stage without crashing into each other.
Playing Too Often
There is nothing a promoter hates more than booking a band, then finding out the same act is already playing at the venue down the street one week earlier. Behavior like this will quickly earn you a bad reputation among promoters. It will also wear out your fan-base.
If you’re going on tour soon or are currently on tour, here’s five smart tips to make things a little easier on the road. Be sure to follow the link at the end to read all of the details on DIY Musician. I know you’re not doing all of these, but if you are… high five!
_____
1. Don’t drive long shifts – Not only are there safety risks involved when people get tired behind the wheel, but switching drivers more frequently is good for your physical and mental health too. Seriously.?
2. Exercise often – When you do have a free moment, you go record shopping or find the hippest restaurant in town, right? Try taking a long walk instead. Go for a run. If you’re staying in hotels, use the pool.
3. Party in moderation – Some musicians treat touring like a vacation, and don’t get me wrong, there can be plenty to celebrate. But never forget that you’re also doing a job. Sometimes partying and networking is part of that job. But it doesn’t mean you have to get blitzed to the Nth degree every single night.
4. Spend time alone – Explore a new city on foot. Eat at a different restaurant than everyone else. Read a book in the hotel lobby. You’ll inevitably be spending MOST of your time with your tour-mates anyway, so don’t feel like you’re missing out if you want to break off from the pack and do something solo.
5. Eat right – Get a small cooler. Go to markets and grocery stores instead of Burger King. Buy fresh fruit, dried fruit, nuts, trail mix, vegetables and hummus, anything small and snack-like you can eat throughout the day and while traveling in the van. The more little meals of healthy stuff you have, the less likely you’ll be to gorge yourself at the first late-night sign of Taco Bell.
Tom Windish has been booking bands for 16 years. In that time a lot has been seen and so maybe it’s all a lot more simple than everyone is making it out to be. Music has been on the hunt to crack the code about success and music. Maybe it just as simple as touring, and working with people who give a shit, back you up and get you great shows. As the industry gets smaller, it becomes time to multi-task, and handle more aspects of everything. Sounds like Windish and Co. have that formula dialed.
Give us the quick one-two punch on the history of you starting Windish…it’s humble/or not so humble beginnings.
Started from my apartment in 2004. I started booking tours from my parent’s house in 1995 with a small roster of artists.
It seems like the role of the booking agency has expanded a bit in the last few years. Is it true and if so how?
The role of touring has always been important but has become increasingly important in recent years. An agent has always been critical to developing an artist’s career, perhaps increasingly so as other areas of the music business downsize.
How important is touring for a young band these days? How soon and how far should they start trying to tour?
It’s incredibly important. For many bands, it is the foremost way to promote themselves. What works for each band varies and there is no hard and fast rule about how much or little touring is best. I think the more one on one connections that are made between an artist and their fans and potential fans, the better.
What’s some advice for a young band coming up, looking/hoping for an agency to pick them up (besides being a good band)? What do you look for?
It helps to have a team in place that will help to promote the artist. A publicist, a record company and a manager can all be valuable assets.
What’s on your breakfast plate in the morning?
2 eggs, 2 sausage links with spinach, tomatoes and mushrooms, a handful of almonds and a cup of black coffee
This sounds interesting. Fandemic is going after the show’s that a lot of bands dread. The ones where you end up playing 10-20 people, half which are your friends or the other bands. They’re still working on getting a database together and will launch with providing info on more “well attended” shows. In the long run, they aim to help us discover those that go undiscovered. We shall see…the app goes live in about 2 weeks. Stay tuned….
——
Music fans have plenty of options when it comes to finding live music around town, not only online but using apps such as SongKick. However, Fandemic is the first we’ve heard of that’s focused specifically on bands who typically play to their girlfriends, boyfriends, the opening band, and maybe, if they’re lucky, a few actual fans.
“I really wanted to fill that void, of ‘Where do I go on a Saturday night to hear some jazz music,’ and to create a platform for the local artists in each city,” said Joseph Zambrano, founder and creator of Fandemic, a $1 iPhone app set to be released in about two weeks. “I want to target those bands that are playing for an audience of 10 to 20 people, and trying to get to that next level.”
GigsWiz can help sell more tickets faster by promoting tickets together with the artists using their social media, and by posting events automatically to listing services. With the “Backstage” option, artists can easily promote gigs to fans and get paid for doing so, increasing income from shows by 10-20%. Watch this video to learn how to get started.
We see a lot of touring tips but these are few originals from How to Run a Band. Take a quick read here and click through for details on each. I’d pay attention to #6 specifically. Know your rights!
—–
Here’s a few pointers I’ve picked from the few small tours I’ve been on. These are things that no one tells you, but you end up learning the hard way.
1. Dont’ open a tab
2. Listerine has multiple uses
3. Take of your shoes and socks
4. Avoid hand cramps
5. Buy a case of bottled water
6. You have the right to remain silent and say no to searches
Really interesting stuff. It’s not all hundred dollar billz and expense accounts. You favorite band may just be scraping by, even if they are playing amazing shows. This is just a little bit of the post, click through for more.
——
The idea that musicians—even well-known musicians who sell out large club shows—have money is a misconception for the most part. Financial concerns and viability obviously vary from artist to artist; no two musicians are exactly the same when it comes to money and how it’s made and spent. But what most fans fail to realize is how much it costs to be a musician and how much more it costs to be a musician on the road.
THURSDAY vocalist GEOFF RICKLY is fully willing to admit that his personal income last year was less than $10,000. Rickly spent months of 2010 working a retail job in Brooklyn to make ends meet; and thanks partly to living in New York City, he hasn’t owned a car in seven years. If that surprises you, you’re not alone. “I saw something online once that said, ‘Oh those Thursday guys don’t care, they’re driving their fancy cars and living in their big houses,’” Rickly says. “I thought that was so funny. In our biggest year, when we were all over the radio and on TV, I made less than anyone with a desk job makes. It’s a weird misconception. But I remember when I was a kid, I saw Snapcase; and they were the biggest hardcore band I’d ever seen at the time.
You gotta take plastic. When the cash runs out from the bar tab people are more than willing to pull out the credit card to make a purchase at the merch table. On top of that, they’ll probably buy more than one thing since they may have had a couple. Not a bad plan, just be prepared.
—–
Selling merch at gigs is an essential source of income for many bands and Intuit made it more profitable by lowering both startup and transaction costs for mobile credit card processing. Intuit now offers free card readers compatible with most mobile devices and is waiving monthly fees for most customers who sign up for GoPayment by mid-February. Even better, the deal actually favors artists who don’t sell big quantities:
Bands doing a smaller or intermittent credit card processing won’t pay a monthly service fee and be charged a rate of 2.7% for a swiped card and 3.7% a keyed in card or for non-qualified transactions plus a 15 cents per transaction fee.
Bands doing a higher volume will l be charged $12.95 monthly, but with a lower transaction rates: 1.7% swiped, 2.7% keyed in, and 3.7% for non-qualified transactions plus 30 cents per transaction.
