MUSIC BUSINESS ADVICE - WORKING & ENJOYING MUSIC CONFERENCES / CONVENTIONS / EVENTS & FESTIVALS part 1 of 2
BAND / GROUP / MUSICIAN - ALL
GENRE / STYLE - ALL
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| Artwork by: tbonealjax.com |
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| 4 Days over 10,000 people went to different concerts as part of the Philly F/M Fest. photo: Rick Kauffman |
WORKING A MUSIC FESTIVAL
As an unsigned or inde band/group/musician Music Conferences/Conventions/Events/Festivals are a great way for you to get your name out there, show how good you really sound, and expand your business contacts. If you take the opportunity seriously, you can accomplish a lot. You will never know who will see you, hear you, or meet you. Record Companies, Concert Promoters, Managers, and the Press are mingled into the crowd of regular music fans. The music fans are just there to party & have fun. Music business persons are there on a mission; they are there to make money by discovering the "Next Big Thing" in the music world. If you are the "Next Big Thing" let me expand upon your knowledge.
Plan and prepare in advance. If you get a chance to play or go to one of these events think ahead. Bring a ton of CDs to give away, especially the night you play. Hand out as many as you can to the audience that sees you play live. As always, make sure the music is COPYRIGHTED and your name, contact address, & email address are on the CD itself and not just the sleeve or jacket.
Print a bunch of posters, flyers, or 8 x 10 cards to spread around the town the week of your gig and do it again the night before you play & throughout the venue on the day you play. Make certain that you have your band/group/musician name and playing time clear on all advertisement. If you are on the bill with a national act put their name on too. This will help you look like you always swim with the big fishes and can create a larger buzz about YOUR showcase.
If you can attend the event a day or two before you play, you should. Go out and mingle with others, network and hype your show. ASK them nicely to come and check you out. Be polite, but speak with confidence about your music. Be able to describe what they will be hearing. You can even give them a CD while you are talking to them. This maybe your only shot. Even if that person doesn't go to your show they may listen to the CD after the convention. Right at this moment in time, while I am writing this, I have 5 CDs sitting on my desk waiting to be heard by myself for the first time. Unsigned musicians and singers, just like you, gave all 5 of these CDs to me, during the Philly Film & Music Festival. Some of these artists I did not get a chance to see them perform live. After part 2 of this blog posts, I will listen and may review them on this blog. See how it works ?? Even if you are not playing, you can just mingle with people and strike up conversations about you and your music. Even if they are not big Record Company Executives, they may know one or maybe blog about your music like OriginalMusicReviews.BlogSpot.com.
When it is showtime for you to play, show up at the venue early. Make sure you play a tight set and that you play under the amount of time you are allotted. You should try to bring in as many of your family and friends to see you play the gig. This will stack the deck in your favor. It is better to play with a few brought in cheers than an audience of crickets. If you can, have someone take some good pictures or video for your website, home press, or future advertising. Don't forget to mention the name of your band at least twice during quiet times of your set, so people can hear you.
If you have merch, get a table set up and put out a sheet for a mailing list. You may be surprised how many people will sign up. Playing at a Music Conference/Convention/Event/Festival is a good thing to hype on your Bio, too. It shows that you were one out of many that were chosen for that event. That is a real good feather in your cap to advance your music career.
Some music events have Panel Discussions, which are a great source of information. Sometimes their are even Song Listening panels / groups that will listen to your stuff and give you feed back about your music on the spot. Just like OriginalMusicReviews.BlogSpot.com (hey, it's our blog. why not hype it). Some other panels could be about writing songs, or getting radio airplay, CD art & graphics, website design, or even how to set up a national tour. Find the ones, which will get you the most knowledge. When you go, be prepared to take notes like you are in school.
Hopefully, this info will help you maximize your opportunity to work your next Music Conference/Convention/Event/Festival.
Here is a list of a few of the next ones :
A3C
Oct 2011 Atlanta, GA for Hip-Hop.
CMJ Music Marathon
Oct 2011 NYC for College Radio.
FEST 10
Oct 2011 Gainsville, FL for pUnK.
SXSW (South by South West)
March 2012 Austin, TX The LARGEST Music Festival All styles/genres.
New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival
April/May 2012 New Orleans, LA for Jazz
CMA Music Fest
June 2012 Nashville for Country Music.
2012 Milwaukee Metal Festival T.B.A. for Metal and of course everyone who is anyone will be at next years Philly Film & Music Festival T.B.A.
We look forward to seeing you at one or more of these.
-Alex
Original Music Reviews
http://OriginalMusicReviews.BlogSpot.com