We asked local music industry professionals, musicians and others who offer services to musicians for their tips, suggestions and advice. We know not all of it will work for everyone, but one or two might be something you missed, hadn't thought of and/or is just what you need.
My advice to a young band or musician wanting to tour:
1. Before you book anything, make sure you have specific cities you want to go to in a reasonable time frame.
2. Sit down and figure out routing. An example would be mapping out going to Minneapolis, then Milwaukee, then Chicago, then Madison and back to Minneapolis. Make sure you allow enough time to drive from point A to point B. A good rule to go by is no more than eight hours between cities; this is good because cutting it too short makes for a stressful and unpleasant experience – and rocking in front of a whole new crowd can be stressful enough.
3. Be aware that 60 percent of the time you don't get the venue or date you want. Be patient. Venue bookers work in a different world of time than most of the business world.
4. Do not be pushy and demanding – that's the quickest way to get brushed off.
5. It takes time and patience and often you won't get any guarantee (money amount guaranteed to the band) at all.
Kramer
iNDie sOUp Booking
I think it's very important for musicians to realize hard work does pay off. Success doesn't come overnight and no matter how well things are going, there's always work to be done. Set realistic goals and formulate a plan to reach them. The harder you work in all aspects of being a band, the better results you'll see.
Brad Gunnarson
Artist Development, Midwest Movement
My best piece of advice is that you can make a living with music if you work at it. It's fun and not necessarily hard, but even if you're the world's greatest musician, you won't make it if you're lazy and think people owe you something just because you're so damn good. Take the time and care to learn the business and respect people – especially your audience – and you can do it.
Brian Fesler
Bluegrass musician for almost 30 years; he makes his living teaching, performing and recording on banjo and guitar
I insist the most important thing to remember when getting out there to play is to have fun, to truly do it for the love of the music and performance. As much as possible, put success and money out of your mind and just dig in. I can't count the number of times I've seen musicians who clearly enjoyed what they were doing, lacked attitude and weren't stressed out about the whole circus of it all. Those good vibes rub off. I'd rather see a bad band have fun with what they're doing on stage, instead of a better band have a pissing contest with the other bands on the bill and everyone else in the room.
David de Young
Managing Editor, Publisher, www.howwastheshow.com
Wait to schedule your CD release show until after your CDs have been manufactured.
Josh Ernst
Graphic Designer, Copy Cats Media
Keep your well of inspiration clean.
Patrik Tanner
Local singer-songwriter who's played guitar with Tina Schlieske, Martin Zellar and others
Have every member in your band add 100 people/friends on MySpace per day. EVERYONE in the industry looks at the total number of plays and daily plays.
Patrick Whalen
Fast Paced Management LLC
Never sign an exclusive contract with just one agency. Typically new bands are desperate for gigs so they sign with the first agency that comes along. Read the fine print because there are things like a Book Back clause where you'll still be paying that agency commissions long after your contract expires, sometimes for up to two years after. There are certain clubs controlled by agents, but if your band is good enough and you have a large enough following, you can still get yourself into most of the clubs in the Twin Cities.
Michael J. Paepke
Michael J. Paepke Productions
Most musicians greatly underestimate the power of branding. Branding is the positive emotional connection between a product or service and a customer. In this case, musicians are the product and their fans are the customer. What is it that allows one band to get $1,000 for a gig fee, but another equally talented band to only get $500? Branding! Musicians don't think twice about spending money in the recording studio to work and rework a song, or about buying a new piece of gear they think they desperately need. Yet when it comes to packaging their CD, press kits, posters, etc., they want to cut corners on the design costs. Many amazing CDs never get the chance to be heard because of the packaging. Put as much value on your image or brand as you do your music or stage show. It will pay off in higher gig fees and more merch sales.
Guy J. Mahmarian
President, Vision Van Gogh
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