IndieMusicLounge.com Newsletter (Issue 22)

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Why You Have To Play Live

Just as it is important for a musician to record an album it is important that this musician also plays live. Playing live brings your fans and potential fans right before you. Once this happens you open the gates to many great things and promotions. Here are three reasons why you as a musician need to play live.

Playing live at shows gives you immediate feedback to songs by crowd reactions. If a song is a true hit the listens will surely let you know and if a song is a dud you’ll figure that out to. You also get a chance to work on other important things like imaging. While you are still a little known artist is the best time to practice and change your image around. Once you’re more well known the public may be reluctant to take to any new image changes you make.

No other way puts you this close to potential fans. You have a huge opportunity of converting people into fans at live shows in ways that only a cd could never do. The greater the show and songs the greater the response should be. Once you get a killer show together expect more gig requests to follow.

Not just by album sells, but from the live performances themselves. Starting out a musician can usually expect a percentage of the door (money collected at the door per person), but as your fan base grows and enhances you should begin to get guarantees. Guarantees are when you begin to get paid an amount regardless of how many people show up any given night. This is why live performances are such an important thing to musicians in terms of salary.

Many times as a group begins to grow locally members of the press will begin to take note and start looking for a chance to catch a show of the artist. Write ups in your local newspapers and magazines make for a killer press kit and also a great way to get word out about your band.

These are four reasons why you need to play live as a musician. It is highly important to the career of any musician that they play live. Your band will have been expected to have some level of on stage experience before any major label would sign you so give it a try.

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Turn Your Music Career On High

By Brandon Marcel

Do you desire to take your career to the next level of success? How is this done? Though it isn’t quite as simple as following a step-by-step guide, there are many things you can do to gear your band toward the next level of success in hyper-speed. Below is a combination of online and offline tactics that if combined should help you to easily become a force within your target geographical areas (assuming you’re motived and your music is actually any good).

Conquer the College Market - By getting radio play at local colleges, playing shows at the colleges, and cafes and coffeehouses that are nearby your band will conquer the college market. It may take some digging to get the proper contact information for booking college gigs but it is extremely worth it. A group can earn easily enough to live off of for a year one in the college market.

Open Mics and Paid Venues - Open mic nights are a great starting point and testing ground for new musicians. They are open to everyone and you get your chance to show the venue owners and bookers what your band is made of. This should open up several opportunities for your band to start to receive paid gigs as a result.

Internet Promotions and Marketing Campaigns - Utilizing your email list and social networks your band can really start up a buzz. Your band should be constantly marketing to your target demographic month after month, year after year. This works well for companies and will work well for your band too.

Active Email Lists - The larger the better. Email lists keep you and your fans in constant communications. This is a great way to make online sell because those on your list usually are your hardcore fans.

Freebies and Other Swag - By giving out freebies and swag items with your band’s url address you are exposing more and more potential fans to your band. This works very well.

These are just a few of the easier tactics your band can tackle whether you are just getting going in performing and marketing your band or a seasoned veteran. There are many other ways you can quicken your success factor and gain more exposure, but these are most of the main ones for making a splash in your local market. Once you conquer your local market you can simply magnify these tactics to your entire region, and then the nationally and then...possibly...internationally! Take good care and utilize all of these high speed music career tactics and look to see your music career excel.

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