Top 10 Ways to Get More Money from a Gig
From MusicMarketing.com

You are an artist, it's true. But just because you’re an artist doesn’t mean you don’t need to get paid. Money makes a lot of things possible, including time in a recording studio, new and better instruments, and paying your rent so you don’t have to live in a cardboard box and burn your guitar for warmth. There’s nothing wrong with making money from your shows, and if you’re smart you’ll try to optimize that earning power. You don’t have to be a marketing genius or a public relations guru—just think outside the box and make the most of what you already have going for you.

1. Don’t be afraid to ask for what you’re worth.

Just because you want the gig doesn’t mean you have to beg for it. If you’ve got experience performing, and you regularly draw a crowd, your venue stands to benefit as much—if not more—than you do from the show. So don’t let them tell you that you’re not worth paying as much as a “bigger name”. It is also a good idea to go in and tell them exactly what you’re doing to generate a buzz about the show. If they can see that you’re working to get a crowd in, they’ll be a lot more willing to pay you a good rate.

2. Don’t run up a huge bar tab.

Take a lesson from the Blues Brothers. If you’re buying your own drinks at the show, it’s going to eat in to your bottom line. You don’t want to end up owing them money for playing a show. A couple beers to keep you loose isn’t a big deal, but when you start buying round after round of top shelf drinks you’re going to rack up quite a bill. Not to mention that it’s going to affect your performance. You might not think it’s a problem…but then, neither does Amy Winehouse. Stay on top of your game while you’re on stage. There’s plenty of time to party after the show.

3. Sell T-shirts, bumper stickers and CDs at the show.

A small investment in your own marketing merchandise can help generate income. Make sure whatever you’re selling is cool in design and functionality. You can’t go wrong with T-shirts, as long as they don’t look cheesy. Don’t try to sell them for $40 each. You’re not Pink Floyd (yet). The kids that are going to your show aren’t loaded, but they’ll gladly buy and wear your shirt around if it’s affordable and looks good. That’s free advertising. Stickers and other inexpensive items can also bring in some extra money. Remember, you’re not trying to get rich off this stuff—just clear a little profit and get your name out there.

4. The Tip Jar

It never hurts to set it out there. And even if you only get a few bucks, it’s a few bucks more than you had before. Make sure that you sincerely thank the audience for their tips before you close the show.

5. Generate a buzz to ensure a big crowd.

If you’re getting part of the cover, you want to do everything in your power to get people in the door. That means going out and hitting the streets for weeks before the show, printing flyers and cards, asking friends and family to spread the word, and using your contacts to get people to the show. Even if there’s no cover, the more people at your show, the more opportunity you have to sell your CD’s and T-shirts and get tips. Don’t leave it to chance—work hard to get people to the show and it’ll pay off in more ways than one.

6. Make sure your venue will attract people who will like your music.

If you’re an acoustic singer/songwriter, don’t try to play at a club that is known for head banging. It sounds simple enough, but there’s something to be said for playing up to the regulars that are used to going to the venue where you’re playing. Go to a few shows at the same venue beforehand and hang out. See who’s there and talk to some people about your upcoming show. People that are already at the venue are more likely to come back than people who’ve never been there before—even if they know who you are.

7. Look for different types of venues—not just the same old bar scene.

There are lots of places you can play to earn a few bucks. Big corporations often throw parties a couple times a year to celebrate holidays or sales performance. Schools have festivals and events. There are endless places where you can attract a crowd and sell your CD’s. Think outside the box!

8. Make sure you have a website and blog—and a mailing list to remind people where they can see you!

This is such an important piece of getting recognition and money. Make sure people know how to find you online. Every piece of advertising or marketing you do should have your website address on it. Keep your site updated regularly and post information about upcoming shows. When your shows are over be sure to immediately post pictures and videos. Respond to inquiries from fans, prospective venues, and press. You can also sell MP3’s of your songs or the entire CD on your website to generate income. There are literally endless possibilities, and with today’s web tools, it is easier and easier for anyone to create and manage their own website. Most importantly, once you’re on the web, people from all over the world can find you and hear your music. Think big, and make yourself available to an unlimited fan base.

9. Treat your booking professionally.

Make sure you keep track of phone numbers, dates, and venue contacts. This is going to ensure repeat bookings. Until you make it big and have yourself a real business manager, you’re going to have to keep things organized. Some people are naturally good at this, and some people, well…aren’t. Bare minimum, get a big calendar and scribble phone numbers and important dates and times on it to keep track. The more you treat your band like a business, the more money you’re going to make.

10. Stick around after the show and work the room.

Don’t just pack your stuff and high tail it out of the club when you’re done playing. Unless it’s closing time, spend a while chilling out with the crowd and talking to people. When you’ve finished your show, you’ve got a little bit of ‘star quality’ that comes from having been the center of attention for the duration of the show. When you take the time to walk around and thank people for coming, introduce yourself to people and tell them your CD is for sale, or hand them your card with your website on it, you are doing yourself an invaluable service. Try this for three shows in a row, and I guarantee you’re going to see huge results.

diy60 - Brought to you by the fabulous PR genius Jeffrey Smith with Crash Avenue Publicity.

Spin Me.com - One of my personal heroes, Joe Taylor keeps you up to date on what is working and what isn't in the music industry.  He is also the author of some of my favorite books: How to Grow Your Bands Audience, Music Management for the Rest of Us, More Gigs Now and Host Your Own Concerts.  He is also a fabulous consultant for hire.  I could go on.

By Jem

So, why aren’t bands making money? Why are venues closing? What is the strange phenomenon that seems to be sweeping the local music universe and plaguing it with the inability to flourish as it once did? I could probably focus on a million issues, but there seem to be just a few that stand out that I want to go over with everyone and hopefully encourage some people to stop the cycle and stop giving up on their scene and correct things within themselves.

First of all, let’s point out that you are a part of the scene. If you think your scene sucks then maybe you should look at yourself. It’s a crappy way to put it maybe, but you can’t say your family is dysfunctional and not look at yourself to try to find out if you are the cause of the problem. Just consider it. No one likes to be wrong or told that what they are doing is wrong, but usually because they know there is some grain of truth to it.

Day after day I have conversations with bands that seem entirely self-confident as to why other bands don’t have a crowd and wonder endlessly what happened to their crowd. Most of the time I see that band repeating the same patterns they are complaining about. Everyone has a solution it seems, but no one is using it.

What should you look at? What are the things that you need? The tools you are responsible for as a band to bring to venues or to yourselves or your tour? It may seem silly, but read through these points and see if you might be actually doing these things. Not if you believe that I’m right or wrong, but if you maybe aren’t practicing what you preach. Really think about it and get to the heart of the matter.

POINT ONE: THIS IS A BUSINESS OF FAVORS!
Anyone who says otherwise isn’t going to be around too long. They may be able to get by on their good looks and even their good music for a short period of time, but they will either become disrespected to the point that people will stop doing business with them or the industry will swallow them up and they’ll find themselves owing an unnecessary amount of money to an industry that is crippled, falling apart and leaning on the uneducated in this industry to owe them money to stay alive. The sad part is that many of these bands are falling for it because they have done no one else any favors and in turn remained uneducated in the way things are taking place today and concentrating on the way things were 20-30 years ago.

Favors aren’t even as significant as they might seem, they come naturally in this industry. If a venue allows you to play, even if there is a business transaction at some point of the night, it is a favor that they picked you. If a band is willing to play my venue, I consider it a favor. Without them coming in I wouldn’t have a leg to stand on with the club. This should create a mutual respect between bands and venues and allow for them to help each other out in other areas of business when it’s needed. Forging these relationships is necessary.

The next favor can come with meeting with the bands at your shows. Is someone on your show from out of town? Are you the out of town band? Meet these people. Find out if they can help you out with a show in the future whether you are going to their town or vice versa. Even less obvious can be forging relationships with bands in your own town that you may want to align yourselves with for some future shows. Do they have similar fans? Don’t worry as much about the size of them as if you can utilize that crowd to help build a bigger crowd for both of you. Don’t be the petty band that says, well, we already draw more than you, so we don’t need you. You never know what else you can gain in term of fans, favors, other relationships with other bands, the list goes on.

Once you close your eyes to the opportunity to learn from anyone, no matter where you might learn the lesson, then you’ll stop growing too and not only as a band.

POINT TWO: STOP OVERPLAYING YOUR MARKET!
This one has left me at a point recently where all I want to do is say, “DUMBASS!” every five minutes to pretty much every band I’m encountering this week alone. Just in this past week I have seen four bands hurt their draws because they’re playing the next night in the same market, or even the next week in the same market and even because they’re playing the same month in the same market.

HERE IS YOUR STANDARD TO LIVE BY! MAKE IT YOUR BIBLE!

Baby bands – two year old bands: Every 4-6 weeks within an hour radius of your claimed hometown city
Two year old bands and up: If your band is doing well with this format, then by all means, please cut back to 6-8 weeks. You will have more beneficial shows. I know that this is hard for bands that are doing well because you get asked to play more shows. This is a sign that you are doing well, not a sign to over saturate yourselves and give people too many options of where to go and how often to go. You still need to be particular about how you book yourselves. Don’t lose sight because you are growing in demand.

Imagine your favorite band ever. If they played in your hometown every night, would you go every night? Even if you might want to this isn’t always possible. You have work, you have lives, you have families, whatever your excuse of the day is, and it’s just going to make it less important when they play because you can go whenever you want. It’s no longer a commodity. If they come to your town and you know they won’t be back for a year, you make arrangements, you get a day off at work, you find a sitter, and you will do nearly anything to make it there because the opportunity doesn’t come around very often. I know you’re not maybe at the same level as the band you have in your head, but it is the very exact same formula for you too!

If you are looking to play out more, then look at your two hour radius, maybe your four hour radius. What are the cities around you that might not be too hard to get to? Who are the bands there that are doing well that you might want to try to contact and trade with? I know gas is a son of a bitch right now, but I promise, if you are a good and professional band that doesn’t over saturate your market you’ll be making more in your hometown to cover such expenses if they aren’t made in the next town.

If you are a two year old band or up and you are still not drawing anyone to your shows than you are either not promoting right or maybe it’s time to look and see if your band really is all that good. If your crowd is becoming smaller and smaller every show and you are doing everything you think is right, then maybe something you’re doing isn’t right. It might be you or your music or your attitude or your demands or another band member who just isn’t cutting it.
If all you want to do is play at your friends bar to your friends in your hometown, well, then please, go play in your basement, get a keg and invite your friends over. There are bands that are serious about making this a career and need the clubs to help them build their business.

POINT THREE: STOP BEING UNPROFESSIONAL DOUCHE BAGS!
If your van breaks down in Pennsylvania and you were on your way to Cincinnati, don’t call or inform someone at the time that you’re supposed to be there. You obviously know that it would take at least 4-8 hours to get there. If you leave at 8:00 pm you obviously know you’re not going to make it. Call the very minute that you know that you aren’t going to be able to make it. And really, in all honesty… most of the time it would just be nice if you let us know at all! If you are a no call no show, you are usually immediately cut from ever being able to play a venue again. You have more of a chance of playing the venue again and maybe getting less shit talked about you if you would just give someone a heads up… PREFERABLY THE PERSON YOU BOOKED THE SHOW WITH! If you booked the show with the venue, inform the venue, not some band that was on the bill so you can avoid what you think might be some horrific confrontation that probably wouldn’t be that bad anyway.

I HATE BLACK LISTING GOOD BANDS! I HATE IT! Maybe I’m not like most venue buyers you’ve met in your lifetime, but I actually do care if the show goes well FOR EVERYONE! If you are a good band and claim to be a professional band, then present yourself as such. I need good bands! All the time! Not once a week, not once every Friday and Saturday, but every single night! It is the only way that you are going to have good shows and it is the only way that I’m going to stay a venue available to touring bands and the great bands in her hometown.



Overall point being that we need to keep it together by working together. That includes me, that includes you and it includes your fans because that is the only way a scene is a scene and a good one at that. I refuse to let those of you who have forgotten their ways by giving up, closing our doors and being bitter. This article is based on what I have learned from you, now, go out there and practice what you preach.

Resource Rundown: Health Insurance for Musiciansfrom spinme. com by Joe Taylor Jr.


Just spent most of the last week on the couch, recovering from a really freaky infection of the sinuses and inner ear. Plenty gross. And on top of that, it caused my tongue to swell up, so I couldn't even speak! Probably the worst thing that can happen when you're a professional trainer and speaker, right? Luckily, I caught it in time to get loads of medication. But it reminded me that I had been meaning to put together some resources for musicians looking for affordable health insurance.


Like a lot of us, pre-existing health conditions made it really hard for Lori and I to get coverage. When Lori got sick, Blue Cross decided to call her illness "pre-existing," only because it hadn't been diagnosed up until the point at which she almost died. So they left us hanging for six figures worth of hospital bills. Trying to find health coverage on your own without the backing of a group plan, an employer, or a trade association can finish the job that your illness started in the first place. Without support from NARAS, I wouldn't have been able to get us on to another plan to get us through until I picked up my new day job.


NARAS offers access to two Academy-supported health care brokerages:   

    * MusicProInsurance is a great clearinghouse of rates and information. The general public can use their site, but NARAS members can use their group status to qualify for a broader range of plans.

    * Association Health Programs offer even more comprehensive plans for musicians who need ongoing care.


NARAS membership costs $100 for a year.
You will most likely save that much on the cost of a health plan from most of their recommended providers. You can join as a non-Voting member just by submitting a business card or company letterhead from a record company, agency, or recording studio where you work. (This could be your own company, for example.) If you'd like to actually vote on the Grammys, there's a new "digital qualifying" option that's much less restrictive than membership has ever been. (We'll leave commentary out for now, but for the sake of getting cheap health care, it's an Association that really has taken a stand for its members on this issue over the past few years.)

In a few strong music communities, local organizations help musicians get quality health care:   
    * Healthcare for Musicians helps residents of Louisiana find low-cost clinics.

    * Health Alliance for Austin Musicians connects Texan artists with dental and medical services.

    * Ithaca Health Alliance, based in my own college town, offers discount services to New York residents.


And for folks in other parts of the U.S.

, the Future of Music Coalition manages a comprehensive guide of resources, articles, and links about health insurance for musicians.


As I've written before, it can often seem crazy to budget money every month for something you hope you'll never have to use. If it means you never have to go through the pain of suffering through an untreated injury, it's worth every penny.

 

We aren’t trying to make you feel silly, but it surprising how many bands really don’t have a clue how to promote a show or are using old school tactics that don’t really work anymore. In our efforts to better music scenes across the US, here are some tips. Nothing is surefire except that not doing anything will result in a bad show for everyone and we like people to leave happy, including us!

If you are a serious band, you will realize that a band is a job and that you can’t just be good and expect people to come for no other reason than they should have telepathic powers or just trust you. A band that wants to tour full time, gain fans and sell merch will usually work 40 hours a week **faces of shock** just like a real job!!!!!

1. No matter where you are and where you play, you are generally required to provide the customers the night of shows, especially bar shows. Some original music bars simply don’t have an advertising budget, don’t have a street team and rely on the bands to bring the people for their bar sales. Without that, the bar can’t stay open for you to pass through again. Fans are looking for a connection with a band, band member or their music. They can drink anywhere and they will unless you tell them why they should be drinking where you’re playing. Here are some simple things you can do.

a. Make flyers. Don’t just make flyers and toss them in the air though and expect anyone to care. Think about what grabs your attention to a flyer or would make you hang on to one. Try to hand out your flyers to people you’ve talked to about the show. Tell them a bit about it, help make that personal connection. Like it or not and as cheesy as it is people like saying their friends are in bands and that they’re going to see them, so you have to make them feel like they’re a part of your inner circle sometimes to do that.

b. Find a few easy, highly trafficked online calendars to simply post your show dates on. My personal favorite is Reverb Nation (www.reverbnation.com). It provides you with a “widget” that you can post easily on any site that accepts html, so whenever you post a new date, it will update your calendar wherever it is posted. You can also encourage your friends to post it on their pages and they will receive continuous updates on your upcoming shows. Other favorites include My Space, Pure Volume, Garage Band and, of course, your own personal website. Make sure that if you have a personal band website (and you should) that you update and not just you’re My Space page. If you are truly lazy or the person who runs your website is, then make your calendar page refer to your My Space page for upcoming dates.

c. Post bulletins and event invitations on My Space. Put your personal feelings about the popularity of My Space aside and realize that it truly does reach more of your fans people of the general area than any website has ever done. Who knows if it will last forever, who cares if all your friends are doing it so you wanna be the one that different, just like everyone else… it is hands down the quickest way to reach the most people at one time.

d. Try to make every show some sort of event. Sit down with a calendar and find all the events that you might have going on that year, whether it’s a nationally recognized holiday, your birthday or a festival you want to create. Pitching an idea to club is much more appealing than just saying “my band is called this and we’re awesome”, no matter how true it is. Tell them you want to have a zombie festival, a toga party, a wet willy contest, anything you can think of that will keep anyone’s interest. Not only will it catch a venue buyer’s eye, but it will keep your fans wondering what your next show will be like and cause them to tell their friends to maybe gain some more fans.




2. Touring bands will want to approach things the same way, but you may have to work hard and be a bit more creative. Especially if you have not played the area before. If you have done your marketing budget for your band look at how much you are spending on things like flyers and think about reapplying that money towards your fans. Flyers really aren’t going to have as much impact. I’m not saying don’t make flyers, always make flyers, but maybe just not as many. If no one’s ever heard of you making 3,000 flyers will not even earn you back one admission many times.

a. Let’s face it people love free stuff, whether it’s stuff they need or not. Think about providing raffles or compensating your bands for their tickets or drinks. If your budget is about $20 a show for flyers and promo then maybe you could offer to pay off someone’s beer tab at the end of the night by raffling it off and reimbursing them for their admission. If you’re making really shiny flyers and posters and mailing out CD’s and really trying to make a promotion push of $100 or more think about reinvesting that money back into an even bigger prize. Maybe pay for everyone’s first drink of the night. Advertise that “you should come see 'Your Band' and the first drink is on 'Your Band'”. It sounds like a lot, but these are the people that will remember you and come back again. Also, the bar will love you for bringing people, buying some drinks and look forward to you coming back. This can sound like a lot when you’re scrimping for gas money, but you’ll start scrimping less if you can make true fans that will always return to your shows and venues will start being happy to promise you some gas money because you can promise them business. Every business usually starts out a bit in debt so that they can have better results. “Spending money to make money” is something you should look at as well.

b. Keep a few promotional CD’s, business cards and press kits on you at all times. You never know who’s going to be at your show and may want to book you at their club, radio station or with their band. Treat them professionally and have something available for them. Ask for their information in return so you can follow up if you don’t hear from them in a few weeks.

c. Keep a list of all media lists for each area. Keep a schedule of when you should send your press releases out. The first press release should be sent 6-8 weeks (time permitting), the second 4-6 weeks and one more the week of (as a gentle reminder to invite the press out if they so choose). Written articles, radio interviews (even on smaller local stations) and being able to recognize your name are all more important than buying a full page ad in the local media rag.

i. Note: If you are receiving press in several areas, make a press board. Clip out your articles and post them on a poster board or frame them on your merch display. Let people know that someone is taking notice of you, so maybe they should too. Don’t overdo it. As you get more press, maybe think of making a book to keep on the table and just keep posted the more exciting reviews.

ii. If you happen to open for a national act or meet someone with some clout in the media, try to get them to make a quote about your band. It’s the same things that writers do for books, so why not get people who know about music to make them about your music. Especially if they show interest as a fan as well.

iii. See if you are in a college town. College radio will be the most receptive to playing your music and having you in the studio. Some high schools even have a radio station. They are not as controlled by corporate handcuffs, such as Clear Channel and will be able to do more to help you out.

d. Keep a mailing list. A better way than maybe making a notebook with a list is to make business card size papers to leave around on the tables for people to fill out. Have them list things like their zip code, birthdays or anything else that you might use to track your fans. Leave a bowl, bag or box up at your merch table for people to drop them off in. Ooo! And guess what else! You can reuse these for raffles and the like to encourage people to sign up for your list. It’s all a vicious cycle. One you should be taking part of.

i. Reverb Nation (www.reverbnation.com) is a great site to use for your mailing list as well. The benefit to this is that it will also allow people to sign up for your potential street team as well and will allow for you to keep everything in one place, which can be important especially while you’re on the road. It will also allow the members of your team to enter their demographic information, which is important for when you are booking shows or potentially shopping your band for management, agents, radio stations or labels.

ii. One of the most comprehensive free sites available to bands right now is Fan Bridge (www.fanbridge.com). It allows you to track pretty much any demographic you were hoping to track with your fans. You can fine tune your mailing list to certain areas, so you’re not always harassing fans that most likely couldn’t possibly make it to your show in the first place. It also allows for SMS text messaging which is always good for day of show reminders or trying to get fans to vote for you to play Warped Tour (because we know there isn’t ANYONE doing that right now ;) …).

e. Make a book with a standard form page in it for bars and bands to fill out. Something like this:
Venue/Band Name:
Contact Name:
Contact Number:
Contact Email:
Band/Venue Website:
Band/Venue My Space:

Okay, you get the point, put in any other information, address, style of music, style of bar… it really doesn’t matter what you put in there as long as you have a way to contact the people you need to the next time you come through town. Some venues may want you to rent the room out and book the lineup on a show and this will be a great way to find the bands you’ve played with before and see if they can help you out. Put the information into an Excel spreadsheet. You can then sort by state, name or whatever other information you would like to sort by. You can even provide a place to ask if they mind if you put them on your mailing list to help you fill in those demographic blanks. Let bands know to contact you if they are coming through your area. This is a business of favors and we can all use all the help we can get.

f. Keep a list of record stores in the area. Call ahead of time. See if they do any in store performances, even if it’s just the acoustic of your guitar player and singer or whatever will work. Meet people at the record store. Ask if you can bring CD’s to consign as well.

g. Some of the silliest and cheesiest things are some of the best ways for people to remember you. Bring flowers, candy, your homemade cookies or whatever you can and offer them to people in the audience before your show.

h. ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS try to talk to some of the audience members before your show. Maybe when you offer them your cookies tell them you’re in the 2nd or 3rd band of the night and you hope they’ll stick around. You are going to get more people to stick around and pay attention, once again, if they feel they have that personal connection to you in some way.

i. Street teams. Lots of people will sign up for street teams, but it’s hard to get them to do the work. These are basically fans that will work for you for free or in exchange for free show tickets, merch or to be the first to hear your album on a secret download page. Make a place on your site where they can print up a show flyer. Ask if they mind making a few copies (offer to reimburse them up to a certain amount with a receipt) and if they can hand a few out and tell people about your band. Ask if they’ll run to the local CD store and see if your CD is at that store. If they show their receipts, offer them free passage to the next show in their area. Be creative, but be careful. A lot of times you’re going to get a lot of people who seem excited and are well intentioned, but just don’t have the time or slack off. Just be smart with how you work with your street team. Maybe make a place for them on My Space, give them a special name such as “Your Bands Dorks” and make them feel special. Ask one that you know is working hard to make a fan page for you in that area. Again, be creative.

j. Especially if you are attending a conference, get in touch with hotels. Ask if you can leave promotional CD’s in the lobby or if they would even mind dropping one in each room on the pillow, desk or on the info display in each room. Try not to put them to too much work as this leads to eye rolls, but if they seem receptive it won’t hurt to ask.

So, these are some of my suggestions and ideas. There are many more. Please visit Joe Taylor’s site at www.spinme.com and sign up for his newsletter and maybe sign up for some teleconferences for more ideas. He’s the bomb and writes some of the best books you will ever read on how to manage your band, grow your bands audience and more. I heart him and so should you if you really want to take your band to the next level.
I am also the equivalent of a D&D geek about local music and ways to make scenes better. If you have done something that has worked well for you in the past, let me know and if it’s not completely stupid or repetitive, I will post it here! Just email me at outrageousproductions@gmail.com!