|
This page: Money, Publicity, Safety, What I've Learned
“You're working very hard. You deserve to be paid”
Money
No touring musician has a set fee, but you will discover that money can be made. Many coffee bars, restaurants, and cafés pay a guarantee anywhere from $30 to $150 even if they've never heard of you. Add tips to that (make sure you pass the bucket or have it passed for you -- you will make much more if you put it in people's laps … but nicely!) and CD or t-shirt sales, and you can do quite well.
Clubs and bars generally offer a percentage of the door, which is non-negotiable; these gigs tend to be less lucrative. Borders and Starbucks pay between $50 and $100 guaranteed -- sometimes in gift certificates but also sometimes you can talk them into cash only. Colleges and boarding schools pay pretty well on average. Opening for bigger names usually pays next to nothing, but you can measure these gigs in terms of exposure and possible product sales. Sometimes a venue can't pay you very much but they feed you and put you up for the night.
If you are asked "what you cost," try not to answer right away. Instead of naming a fee that could be either outrageously high for the venue's budget, or much less than they have paid people in the past, ask them what they think is fair or what they usually pay performers. They may name a price three times higher than you expected. Or if they go too low, you can try to work the fee up. Dealing with money is always sticky business, but it's necessary to get used to it. You're working very hard at your craft and your business, and like any other vendor, you deserve to be paid.
Try to balance paying and non-paying gigs. You might open for Paula Cole at New York City's Bowery Ballroom one night and play a coffee bar for tips in Mount Kisco the next -- and the coffee bar would pay better!
“Publicity is more work than booking, but it can pay off enormously.”
Publicity
Always keep publicity in mind, especially when you're trying to build your mailing list. Going on the radio is a great way to have people hear you and learn your name -- even if they don't come to the show that night, they might come the next time or the time after that. They might go online and look for a website, or call the station about you. Press in local papers can be a great "buzz" builder -- add the articles to your press kit.
To find the local papers and radio stations, ask the venue person and check publications such as Musicians' Guide to Touring and The Musician's Atlas, which have these listings for each region. Then call, send your package, and follow up -- much like booking a gig. Publicity is more work than booking because you are contacting multiple outlets for each show, but it can pay off enormously. Now that I'm on the road full-time I try to target the one or two most important avenues in each town (maybe one station and one publication.)
You can also do a press release. This should be a one-page description of you in the third person, which a paper could literally cut and paste into their entertainment section. The less work you make for them, the better! Make sure the location, date, time, phone number, and ticket price for the show are listed clearly at the top with your contact information.
A great hands-on promotion strategy is to hit open mics. Try to get a feature slot ahead of time or just sign up for a regular slot that night. You will play to a room full of people, meet musicians on the local scene, add to your mailing list, and possibly sell CDs. Many open mic features also pass the hat, so you can make some extra cash.
Try putting up posters -- some venues will do this for you, or ask your friends in the area. I often put out an email to my local list and offer free admission to anyone who will put up the posters I send. People like to get involved in promoting you -- just make sure you thank them!
“When you see cars on the road after midnight, chances are the drivers have been drinking.”
Safety
It is extremely important to be safe on the road. Having lost someone to a car accident during my very first tour, I now know to always to wear my seat belt, (shoulder and lap belt -- one is no good without the other) and drive defensively in bad weather and late at night. When you see cars on the road after midnight, chances are the drivers have been drinking. I have too many fellow musician friends who have been struck by drunk drivers. Please use caution and don't space out. Take naps if you're falling asleep at the wheel. Try not to panic if you're lost or late -- better to miss the gig than to risk injury!
If you're taking an airplane, protect your instruments -- do not let them check your guitar unless you have a durable Calton case! Try to board early and put your axe in the overhead. Be very nice but very serious with the flight attendants.
What I've Learned
I used to take any and every gig I could get, but I'm realizing now the difference between making a living on the road and making progress in my career. You will start to develop a strategy. Some people decide to focus on one area at a time rather than traverse the nation as I do. I think there are pros and cons to each method. I have begun to build followings (I call them "pocket followings") in certain areas across the country. I'm able now to call certain venues and discover that they already know my name -- and that's a good feeling. Best of all, if I'm able to get someone from the "Industry" out to a gig, I have a good shot at delivering a polished performance.
Be persistent, respectful, organized, creative, patient, and strong. Your performance will improve and in time your reputation will spread.
See you out there....
|
