What NOT To Do When Your Band Plays Live
Got a big show this weekend? You can't beat playing live for building your fan base AND building those all-important music industry connections. On the flipside, some show behavior can mean you find your gig dance card looking mighty empty in the future. Bad attitude, late entrances and many more slip-ups can make your band appear downright unbookable. How do you make sure your current live show begets future gig invites? Avoid these five music show no-nos.
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Ace Your Music School Audition
You may be dreaming of landing a spot in music related degree program, but there is likely to be one nerve inducing experience standing between you and the first day of classes: the music school audition. Although there is certainly a lot riding on these kinds of auditions, you don't have to let the process bring you to your knees - and you definitely don't have to avoid pursuing a music education because you're worried about the tryouts.
How can you tame your nerves? First, remember what exactly the audition is all about - it's to make sure you're a good fit for the program so you have the optimum chance of succeeding once you actually enroll. The audition is a GOOD thing because it helps ensure you land at the right school. Next, keep your judges in mind. You'll be facing a room full of educators who really want you to do well. This isn't a judging team from the American Idol tryouts. They're not looking for some way to pick you apart to make witty comments that can be used as advertising soundbites. They're rooting for you, and they're definitely on your side.
How else can you make your music school audition process comfortable and, dare I say, even enjoyable? Keep these tips in mind.
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The Cure to Your Music Biz Woes
In the music industry, as in life, even the best laid plans can go belly up. You might have done a killer PR campaign, but the promised review in the biggest publication just never appears. You booked a great gig and promoted it like crazy, but audience numbers are less than thrilling.
There can be a million little bumps in the road, and the sad, hard truth of the matter is that some of it is completely out of your hands. The trick is in how you respond to these inevitable little hiccups - keeping your cool and reacting the right way is the only recipe for mitigating the damage. Find out what you can do to smooth over some common music biz woes.
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Who Votes for The Grammys?
Depending on your perspective, The Grammys are either music's biggest night or an annual reminder of how tone deaf the major music machine has become. Whatever your stance on the awards, just how did The Grammys get to be what they are? The simple answer is voting. For better or worse, Academy members vote on Grammy submissions and crown a winner. Who are these Academy members and how does the voting go down? Find out!
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Breaking Up With Your Band
Band break-ups are a bit like divorces. They certainly can be every bit as acrimonious and complicated, especially if you've got a few releases under your belt and you've made a bit of cash. What happens if someone of the members want to continue playing together with the same name and material? What happens if one band member has invested more heavily into the groups' expenses than the others? What about your unreleased recordings?
These are just a few of the issues that can arise when band members decide to go their separate ways. Now, if you've got a band contract, many of the answers to the question will be clear. If you don't - and many bands don't - then you'll have to work out a fair solution for everyone before you can start looking for new musical friends. Here's what you need to know before you call it quits with your band.
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Demo Deals
What does a record label do when they're kind of, sort of interested in you but not quite readt to commit? In addition to things like checking you out live, they may offer you a demo deal. A demo deal does not - I repeat, DOES NOT - mean that you have landed a full fledged record deal, but it does mean the record label wants to see what you're all about. They pony up for you to cut some tracks, and after that, maybe they sign you, maybe they don't. That's the short version, but demo deals can be more complicated by that, especially if another label suitor comes sniffing around. How does the deal go down? Learn more.
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What NOT to Say During a Music Business Job Interview
In your pursuit of music business mastery, you've made it past the first hurdle - you've landed a job interview. Now, whatever will you say? Most music industry job interviewers are looking for the same sorts of things any hiring manager would seek out in a new employee - they're trying to get a feel for your experience, goals and whether or not you seem like a good fit for the company. Being confident - and being yourself - goes far in music job interviews, but it pays to avoid blurting out a few music biz no-nos during your Q&A session. What shouldn't you say when you're trying to land a music job? Keep these phrases at bay, and you'll be well on your way to interview glory.
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Music Industry Myths: Never Say "I Don't Know"
Tis the season for spring music biz internships and such to start. If you're one of the lucky ones getting some music industry experience under your belt, chances are you're going to be faced with choice: save face by pretending you know something about music or the music business that you don't, or admitting that whatever someone else is talking about is a mystery to you.
In the music industry - from intern level and beyond - there's a lot of pressure to "fake it until you make it," and a lot of people spend a lot of time trying to play off a lack of knowledge - sometimes with disastrous consequences. Here's the real deal: if you don't know something, it's perfectly OK to 'fess up and say you don't. So, you don't know a band that everyone is talking about. Big deal - take it as a recommendation to discover some new music. So, you don't really understand how to write a press release? Big deal - this is your opportunity to learn an important new skill.
Feeling social pressure to pretend you're a dyed-in-the-wool music biz expert? Ignore it. No one ever worth working with will heap scorn on your for not knowing something. In fact, in an intern setting or even in a paid job setting, your willingness to admit you don't know something signals your motivation to really learn the biz. That's a very good thing. Learn more about why saying "I don't know" is never a bad play.
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Your Biggest Music Struggles
Breaking into the music biz isn't easy. Competition is stiff and being competitive is expensive. Juggling a day job to pay for your musical ambitions AND still having enough time left over to actually pursue those ambitions can be tough. In short, hard work, patience and not a little bit of cash are all required to turn music dreams into realities.
If you're in the process of launching your music career, you know all of this first hand. Of all the obstacles you're trying to break down, which are the toughest you face? Is it a simple question of cash, cash and more cash? Is getting a decent show a nightmare? Do you dream of someone coming on board to get you the press you can't seem to get yourself? Share a little bit about your toughest music struggles - and what you've done to beat them.
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Planning a Music PR Campaign: Five Essential Steps
So, you've decided that you're going to handle your own press push for your new album. Did you know that your chances of succeeding are pretty much decided before you even send out your first email? There are a lot of variables that you CAN'T control during a PR campaign, but one thing you CAN do is the proper preparation. Making it up as you go along is a recipe for a blah result - your press campaign will be disorganized, unfocused and difficult to manage. Instead, invest some time in some simple steps to get your press set up the right way - it will pay off in a big way when the real work begins.
Ready to make a move on your promotion? Follow these five steps to get the ball rolling.
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