Unless you're happy
with playing in your friend's basement for the few friends that come over on
Saturday afternoon, you're going to need the assistance of others to help you
get your music out there. Sure, you can
manage yourself for a good while before you need THAT kind of assistance, but
there are still others along the way.
Gigs:
The people who are
associated with your gig - the bar owner, the promoter, etc. - are
necessary. Without them, your best venue
is your friend's basement where you can play for free, or maybe renting a hall at your expense. They are providing you with a room to play
in, and a potential audience. In most
cases, you don't have to pay for this.
If you're lucky, the bar will even have a house PA, which will save you
money on renting one yourself. So, why
do they do that? What reward is attached
to it? Well, at this point, we're mostly
past the circle of people who do things because it makes them feel good. Money talks.
When you ask yourself, "Why doesn't this club book us in to
headline on Saturday?" the answer should take the form of another
question, "Why would they?"
I've seen people post things on message boards about "We're a band
looking for gigs in Hamilton. Email us
at dreamers@noaction.ca." Yeah,
right. No demo, no effort to come in, no
follow-up = no motivation = no people.
Easy. If you were a bar owner,
what would YOU look for in a band to book at your club? What would convince YOU that a given band
will bring people and keep them there?
Sure, maybe they're good... but how do you know that anyone else knows
that?
Why do bars typically
pay cover bands more than original bands?
Because people will stay longer when the material is stuff they
know. They'll stay even longer still if
the girls are up dancing on the dance floor.
More people staying longer equals way more beer sales. Easy.
As an original band,
is this where the bulk of your money is going to come from? Will you establish your own cover charge at
the door as part of the agreement, if you're allowed? Will you make most of your money on
merchandising/CDs anyways? If this is
the case, you might want to think a little outside of the box. Rather than trying to get people out to your
music, bring your music to the people!
Hook yourself up with some house parties. You'll have a better audience - in number and
spirit - than most small to mid-sized bars you're likely to play. They're there to party, yes... but they're
already there!! If you're good, it's an
easy crowd to win over. Sell merch. Get your name out so that everyone knows
it. Add these people to your mailing
list. These people may find themselves
at some of your next bar gigs! The host
of the party may use the "live band" thing to encourage even more
people to come out to the party. Hooray
for symbiotic relationships!!
Recording:
This can get
interesting. Most home project studios
and pro studios do not offer free time.
Sure, the people probably love recording music as much as the average
person enjoys playing it. However, the
gear needs to be paid for somehow.
Recording doesn't have to cost a lot, but it will cost you. Surprisingly good results can come from
pretty affordable studios. Ah, but
that's just recording time...
In a home/project
studio, it is usually safe to assume that the hourly/daily rate (or per
song...) will include a producer of sorts - usually a music recording
enthusiast who happens to own most, if not all of the gear. (kinda like back in high school when the guy
with the van was chosen to be the drummer over the person who had a Chevy
Sprint). Pro studios will have a premium
fee for their more experienced engineers.
Bigger name producers.... well.... that's totally beyond the scope of
this article. So the obvious here, is
that the studio will record virtually anybody who is willing to pay them.
But wait!! There may be other rewards for them!! If someone has a studio that is just getting
up and running, or is trying to establish a more prestigious client base, then
the opportunity to record your band could be it's own reward. Listen to what the studio has to offer, and
if they can meet your needs, it doesn't hurt to try to sell them on this
aspect. The logical question from the
studio operator is, "Who are you, and what will recording your band do for
me?" If your band seriously kicks
ass, and has an established following, respect from other area musicians, etc.,
it could be a sell. It depends on what
the studio operator's reasons for running a studio are. If you can meet a person who is an aspiring
producer, and if they can be made to believe in your music, they can maybe help
you get into a studio - perhaps his/her own -
for a good rate for similar reasons.
Be careful of friends
who will want help you out with this stuff.
Like hockey, everyone seems to be an expert. Sure, they might be able to help you for
free, with their cracked software and their "top of the line" Audigy
soundcard, but will the end result be what you want it to be? If you're selling your CDs, will your release
sound weak and thin compared to other bands?
There is no replacement for a selection of microphones, versatile
recording options, good monitors, and the experience and know-how to run it all
to worthwhile effect.
It might also be
worth checking out, or getting to know people in recording programs. These people need musicians to record in
order to finish their schooling and to attain the knowledge and skills required
for the real world. That is their
reward. Consider this also for video/media
arts programs, where people can help with video, CD covers, a band logo, etc.
So, you've gotten
your material recorded and are out playing live. If you stink, you're probably managing this
all well enough, as people aren't buying your CDs and clubs aren't re-booking
you because you drove all their patrons away on the night you played. Or, you've done nothing to promote yourself,
which will be the topic of a future article. Let's assume, though, that you're selling a
few CDs, starting to get some positive word-of-mouth, and bookings are becoming
easier to come by. Other bands you have
shared bills with are seeking you out to play with them again, either because
they like you and/or because you brought a bunch of people out before. Things are busy enough that these things are
starting to interfere with the musical aspects of being in a band - practicing,
writing, etc. You need help....
Management:
Until you get to the
stage above, you should manage yourself.
You could get a friend to manage you who might be willing to give up
his/her time for free to help you. If
that's the case, then great - so long as this person is able to represent you
the way you need to be represented. A bad manager can hurt you more than help
you. Once the job becomes
time-consuming, though, you have to ask, "How much time and effort is this
person going to give up for free?"
Chances are, unless they're a good friend, the answer is "not
much." If the answer is "not
much," then what's the point anyways?
Most management agreements are based on a percentage of whatever the
band makes from whatever work the manager gets them. (say, 15% of your gig money for
instance....) Will a prospective manager
bust their butt to get you gigs when they know that you won't be able to play
them anyways? Or when they know that
every club that books you never invites you back? If there is no money for them, they won't
work for you. Chances are, managing
bands is this person's business - not their hobby.
A good manager will
have contacts and relationships established that you can take advantage
of. You are opening the door to a vast
amount of networking, just by finding a good manager. Clubs, record labels, promoters, events, and
even personnel (producers, other musicians, legal representation, stage help,
etc.) that were never available to you before are now available to you because
of your manager who has developed these relationships through their career. Chances are, the manager also represents
other bands, which might enable you more opportunities to share bills with
other bigger names. Remember,
though.... you have to convince them that the reward will be worth their
efforts in helping you. Any professional,
or even semi-professional manager won't do this for free, or simply because
they love to do it. It's probably their
source of income that they rely on to eat, pay rent, etc. Also, your reputation reflects their
reputation, and vice-versa. If you look
bad, you make your manager look bad.
Why? Because s/he just sold you
to someone and given them a certain expectation. When you fall short, your manager looks like
a liar. Remember what I said about a bad
manager?
Record labels:
Look at any artist on
any record label. The biggest cost in
that artist's success is promotion and distribution. If you can get signed to Sony and get
exposure opening for Aerosmith as a result, then good for you. Chances are, though, that we're looking at
something more modest. Getting your name
out there to radio, video, and into the public's consciousness costs a
fortune!! So, why is any given label
going to invest ten, twenty, or eight hundred thousand dollars in you? Because they expect that this will be an
investment from which they'll earn their money back and turn a profit on. If they don't at least break even, you can
confidently place your bets that you'll be treated like any other money-losing
proposition - dumped in a hurry!! The
days of spending money on an artist so that they can develop over their first
couple of albums are gone. You're in;
you're up; and you either sink or swim.
The size and
philosophy of a record label will determine how much money and time they are
willing and able to risk. The language
in the contract will determine how much of the risk is shared between the
artist and the label. If you're offered
a record deal, talk to other people on that label, and get an entertainment
lawyer (yes... an entertainment lawyer!) to go over it with you. You don't want to be stuck on the bad end of
a "recoupable" clause after your deal goes south.
At this level, you
are still surrounded by people who are passionate about music, and most of them
do what they do because they love it.
However, given the amount of time and money that they are asked to
invest, you can bet that nobody is doing it unless they have a reasonable
expectation of making money from it. How
will you convince them that their investment will be worth the effort and
expense?
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