BTTV BLOG

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.

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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.

Read more @ We All Make Music

A little guest post from the boys at Bandzoogle. We’ve got 3 “ways to impress” right here and 2 more if you jump over to Bandzoogle. Some good common sense ideas coming from someone who spent 5 years dealing with bands like yours.

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I spent three years as program director for two venues here in my home city of Montreal, overseeing 500 shows during that time. Here are 5 ways that you can impress venue bookers and give yourself the best chance to get more gigs:

1. Think 3-4 months in advance

Many venues are booked at least 3 months in advance, and the more popular a venue, the further in advance you should contact them. This is especially true if you’re looking to play on a Friday or Saturday night. So be sure to contact the booker at least 3-4 months in advance.

2. Be patient

Bookers are very busy people, so be patient. If you didn’t get a response right away, it doesn’t mean that they’re not interested in booking you. Chances are, they just haven’t had time to evaluate your music yet. Follow-up politely to see if your e-mail/message has been received, but whatever you do, don’t try to rush them or sound annoyed that they haven’t gotten back to you. Be persistent, but always be polite.

3. Be honest

Whatever you do, don’t lie about your draw. You’re better off being honest with a booker about what your draw really is rather than stretching the truth and disappointing them. If you tell a booker that you can pack the place and only your mom shows up, chances are you won’t be booked at that venue again. But if you were honest about what your draw realistically is and you match or surpass it, then the booker will no doubt want to book you again.

Read more @ Bandzoogle

Really interesting piece from NPR about the price of concert tix, where the money goes and how much bands can expect to make. Plus a few interesting stories on how much it takes to actually quit the day job and pull off touring/playing full time. A little taste is below but definitely pull into NPR for the full story.

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“At club level, many [bands] can’t even generate enough to cover basic expenses,” Bongiovanni wrote. “From a club or promoter perspective, the act is only worth part of what it can dependably bring in the door. The stronger the draw, the safer the risk, and thus the artist can command more of the money. At this level it really is eat what you kill.”

Dawn Barger, who manages indie bands – some of whom still play small clubs and some of whom, like The National or The Antlers, have moved on to larger venues – says that’s about right.

“If you look at the finances of having a band on the road at the small club level … you’re barely covering costs in a lot of cases,” Barger says.

For bands at this level, every ticket really does count. Smaller venues – in an effort to compensate fairly – often poll audience members at the door, and pay each band on the bill the portion of the total receipts that corresponds to the number of fans who said they came to see that band play. For groups starting out in this situation, Barger paints a lifestyle ruled by modest expectations.

“I mean, if you’re selling out every night, you’re probably supporting yourself and you’re able to quit your job,” Barger says, “but you certainly have roommates, you’re barely getting by, you’re watching how many hotel rooms you get each night.”

Read more @ NPR

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!

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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.

via DIY Musician

Yep, it’s upon us. In a couple weeks your taxes are due. Early on I learned a lot from a buddy of mine about the importance of saving receipts and doing your taxes…the right way. There’s a HUGE benefit to keeping track of expenses when you’re broke and trying to tour. It’s called a tax REFUND.

Read below for some quick tips and click through for more details on each. If you’re in the market for a great tax guy, hit up my people at Fox Tax. They are in Minneapolis but can do taxes nationwide. Tell them BTTV sent ya. (That’s a pic of their office / art gallery).

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It’s a common misconception that if you don’t receive a 1099-MISC for something then you don’t have to report it.  Income or compensation that you receive for anything – shows, session work, teaching, bartending or whatever it may be – must be reported, including cash, regardless of whether or not you get a 1099.   If you’re in a band with several members, beware that club owners and promoters hate issuing individual 1099’s to each band member, so often times the band “leader” will receive the 1099 and report the entire amount on their Schedule C.  The “leader” then has to issue 1099’s to each member of the band or any other person paid (sound, lighting, guest musicians) so that it can be taken as a deduction on the Schedule C.  Don’t stick yourself with all of the income and forget the deduction.

Here’s a list of the most important items that can potentially lower your taxes.

Travel

Meals

Equipment

Vehicle Expenses

Home Office or Studio

via KnowTheMusicBiz.com

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

Heads up bands! This one’s for you…and also for hosts and music fans too.  We dug in and updated the site with one super simple but very cool feature. We are calling it “Shows Near Me”. Basically it’s a simple alert that will notify you daily, weekly or both of bands touring near you.

This is awesome for two reasons:

1. Hosts or music fans! You can keep tabs on bands coming through or near your city. You decide how far out (in miles) you want to be notified of shows happening and BTTV does the rest.

2. Bands! It works for you in 2 ways. First, you can enter in shows on your BTTV band profile and people in those cities will automatically get notified of your show. Second,  you can keep tabs on other bands coming through your city.

We turned it on for everyone to begin with, if you want to make changes or shut it off, it’s super easy.

Login to your BTTV profile and go to “Edit My Profile”.

Next, scroll down to “System Notification Settings” (yes, we know it sounds like Tron) and you’ll see “Shows Near Me Alert”. There you can set up which alerts you want to get, either Daily or Weekly or both and then pick how far away from you (in miles) the shows are you want to know about.

Hit “Update Profile” when you’ve got it dialed in and you’re good to go.

That’s it! We wanted to get this out before SXSW so bands can put in all of their shows (either tour dates or SXSW shows) and everyone can stay on top of all things happening during SXSW.

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!

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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

Read more @ How To Run A Band.