Launching an album in a live setting is a fairly standard approach to things, but don’t misconstrue this as an argument for traditional promotional techniques: this is very much a launch moulded by new media.

While writing this post, the gig (sold-out) is streaming live on the London Guardian’s website for a fee of $6.38 (£3.99). We, at Dotted Music, are only too pleased to witness this sort of development in the music world (yes, we know it’s been done before), but for a band as ‘in’ as Florence and the Machine to do it is good news and can only help to establish what has been a trend as a precedent.

So, who is behind the stream (besides Florence and the Machine)?

1. The London Guardian, as most of you will know, is the left of centre newspaper in the UK, with a lively and efficacious music section that has been recognised by Dotted Music before now. The London Guardian provided the online medium where Florence and the Machine’s Ceremonials launch was broadcast worldwide;
2. LoveLive, founded by CEO Richard Cohen in 2008, is the self-styled, self-described “leading source of music content and associated services for brands, broadcasters, channels, digital platforms and labels” on the net. LoveLive was responsible for the HD audio and video of the London Guardian’s live stream;
3. CrowdSurge, founded in 2008, specialises in using both software and hardware to enable artists, brands, promoters and venues to sell tickets directly to fans worldwide. CrowdSurge managed the online payment for access to the London Guardian’s live stream;
4. Sky Arts, owned by BSkyB, sponsored the London Guardian’s live stream.

You have the traditional news outlet in the London Guardian, the mysterious new digital media companies who have been both been in existence for just three years, and the media heavyweight: BSkyB (News Corporation owns close to a 40 percent stake in the company).

It’s strange to think that after the London Guardian’s exposition of the phone hacking scandal that it might be so closely involved with Sky Arts, a brand with huge ties to News Corporation.

It is possible, of course, that such collaboration is one reason the London Guardian is so opposed to News Corporation’s proposed take over of BSkyB, but the fact that such a diverse cocktail of media groups could come to put on such an event is bizarre in itself.

Whatever you make of this unlikely collaboration, the real winner in all of this is Florence.

Samuel Agini is the Editor of Andrew Apanov’s Dotted Music.

Image credit: alittlenuclear-bomb on Tumblr

• CD’s – Having CDs at your shows is very important if you want to sell your music. Modern music fans will typically get their music online – legally or illegally – but at a live event like your show, they want something they can take home with them, a piece of the concert they just witnessed, a part of the experience they just had – a piece of you, and what better way to get that than with a CD. It’s an especially good idea to have a cover design that allows for lots of room in the booklet or boardstock CD packaging (which is lighter and easier to transport around on tour) for your band to autograph, should the fan desire it. You could also have a poster as one side of the CD insert where each band member can sign their name right by their picture. Doing this has been known to help boost sales in indie bands. You might also want to consider bringing DVD’s – all albums and EPs, ‘mixtapes’ and other CD/DVD products that your band has for sale, just for the diehard fan who has – and wants – everything. You can also sell download codes to buy your music, but those are of course, not as fun to sign or show off to friends for the fans. Great memento merchandise is found in a CD’s packaging, but while it’s a lot bigger, more fragile and harder to lug around, if your band has vinyl out you might want to consider taking some on tour with you – though you’re probably more likely to sell more CDs than anything else.
• Posters – If you want to sign and give away posters to fans that come to your merch booth or buy other items, and you don’t already have a poster inside your CD booklet as discussed above, finding a sponsor such as an energy drink company, alcohol company (if appropriate), or another outside-the-box sponsor who will print your posters with their logos on them, you can give them away free and get them into the hands of as many fans as possible. If you don’t want to give them away, can’t find a sponsor or want to do both, then choose a photo from your latest band photoshoot – be sure you have the photographer’s permission to use it as a poster and get a bulk amount printed to make the cost per poster extraordinarily cheap. Decide on your mark up – if you can get them cheap enough you may even be able to price them as low as $1-2 potentially resulting in many, many sales, or price them higher at $5-10 or more if you think your fans will buy them for that.
• Cups, shot glasses and the rest – Getting cups and shot glasses and other similar items printed with your logo is an idea that could work for your band, so long as you think your fans will buy such commodities. However, if you’re selling them at a show, consider this: would you want to buy something you have to carry around all night, like a mug with a band’s name printed on it? With a shirt it’s easy – you just slip it on to replace the sweaty one you wore to the show, or drape it over your shoulder; with a CD, you can probably slip it in your back pocket, or even fit it in a purse, but a big glass or ceramic item? Not as much. Should you want to go the printed cup route, these items make for good ‘order online’ merch items that you can ship out directly to fans’ homes. Shot glasses, however, assuming they are the durable plastic breed and more likely to be picked up than the aforementioned items, and if you’re lucky you might even find yourself a sponsor – such as Jagermeister (if appropriate) – who will make them for you, with the added bonus of the sponsor’s brand thrown in for free.


Image credit: keepitloose on Tumblr

• Stickers and buttons – stickers are an almost must-have item in your tour itinerary. They’re pretty cheap to make, meaning they’re pretty cheap for the fan to buy. Coupled with their portability – both for you and the fan – stickers can be stuck anywon schoolbooks, on walls, on bathroom mirrors, on laptops, on windows, on cars, on bodyparts, on guitars: on just about anything. Buttons or badges are also great little items to have available, but think about your audience before you have them made, are they really going to wear buttons? If your band is punk rock or thrash metal, you’re probably going to see a lot more people at your shows wearing buttons as opposed to if you’re in say a hip hop genre, but it’s really up to what you think your fans will like. But if it’s stickers vs buttons, definitely go with the stickers first.
• Novelty items – does your band have a certain theme or style or mascot of some kind that can be used as inspiration for a piece of merch that is unique to your band and will be loved by your fans? You don’t have to go all out Gene Simmons style and have everything from dolls to who knows what made with your faces on them, but you could take a cue from Kiss and think about creating a novelty item that represents your band and have a few made to try out on a test market, such as your next show. Keep the old faithful merch as well – t-shirts, CDs and the rest, but don’t be afraid to think outside the box and develop something novel and new, and all about you.

This is a guest post by Pandie Suicide of Mixonic, a CD duplication service based in San Francisco. Click to like Mixonic on Facebook.

However, getting merch made often represents a substantial investment, and you don’t want your car, van, bus or other mode of transport being heavily weighed down by stuff that’s not going to sell. The idea is to get inexpensive, yet good quality items made that you can mark up a little for having your band’s brand on them, and to sell them on to your fans, who will love the opportunity to take home a piece of you with them after the show.

• T-shirts – Pick one simple design with your band name and/or logo and get this printed in a range of sizes – small, medium, large, X-large and even larger if you think you’ll sell them. Experiment with different styles of shirts and colors until you find the winner. Remember to make something for the girls too, some women like to wear men’s shirts in a smaller size, but a lot of the times if you make a wife beater (or in this case boy beater!) or babydoll style shirt you’re likely to sell more to some of your female fans. You can also come up with a more elaborate t-shirt design, involving intricate artwork, or a slogan or image resonating your band’s ethos, whether it be political, humorous, or otherwise – just remember that this is aimed at a more niche market than a simple band logo t-shirt, particularly if the purchaser is faced with any strong political connotations that could make wearing the t-shirt a less attractive proposition. You can also make t-shirts for special events such as Halloween if you have a horrorpunk band, or make up t-shirts commemorating a specific tour if you like – just remember that these have a limited shelf life so go overboard.


Image credit: candicejeanl on Flickr

• Hoodies – Hoodies cost more and weigh more than t-shirts, taking up more space and resources, but by the same token, you can also charge more. Fans do like hoodies. But bear in mind that if you are touring Texas in the height of summer and it’s over 100 degrees each day, you’re probably not going to be selling many hoodies; the reverse applies if you are touring the Midwest in the middle of a snowy Minnesota Winter, so plan accordingly. If, however, it’s a toss-up between t-shirts and hoodies, t-shirts are your best bet because they appeal to just about everyone, are cheaper, and therefore tend to sell more. Hoodies are a little more specialized than t-shirts, but an important part of any band’s full arsenal of merch available. It’s always worth taking a few on tour with you as security, even if you don’t make a full commitment to bring a whole box of them. Fans like the idea of limited edition items that all their friends won’t be wearing.

• Hats – If complementary to your style and sound, hats adorned with your band logo could be a good merch option for you. There are a range of styles to choose from – baseball caps of various styles are the standard for band merch, but don’t be afraid to explore other opportunities – especially if it goes with your image. Jazz or swing bands might want to sell band-branded bowler or fedora hats; taking a risk with less obvious products might be more expensive, but it might just pay off. There’s always prospect of selling printed bandannas as well.
• Keychains – If you decide to get keychains made to sell on tour, you’re going to have to decide between getting metal or plastic keychains made. Plastic keychains are generally cheaper if what you’re doing is a standard bottle opener style keychain. Both are lightweight, don’t take up a lot of space and are a great addition to your merch range. Lanyards are also a similar though potentially pricier option.

Stay tuned for Part Two where we talk CDs, posters, novelty items and more!

This is a guest post by Pandie Suicide of Mixonic, a CD duplication service based in San Francisco. Click to like Mixonic on Facebook.

How To Pack For A Tour

You need to approach touring the way you would backpacking through Europe: you can only take what you can carry on your shoulders. Your van is already filled with guitar amps, drums, the bass rig, more drums, merchandise, drum hardware, food, some band mates, and then your drummer. Suffice it to say that room is scarce unless you’ve got a bus (and if you’ve got a bus you can probably skip this article altogether).

As you’re packing you need to ask yourself “Do I really need this? Can I just pick this up at a store if I’m dying without it?” You’ll find that you’re packing way too much clothing. Assuming you know where you’re sleeping most nights, a few of those places will likely have laundry facilities or you can hit up a scrub shop on an off day. If the drives are going to be long, you’re not going to be impressing anyone with your fashion on a daily basis so don’t worry about roughing it. Try to keep it down to one back pack – something you can walk a few blocks comfortably. Stick dryer sheets in your bag and shoes to keep things fresh. Moist towelettes go a long way to make you feel better when you wake from a van-nap.

Gear wise, make sure you have extras but don’t go overboard. Bring extra strings, tubes, sticks, and a backup guitar. Space is usually an issue so don’t worry about bringing a second cabinet or stuffing your acoustic thinking you may get bored and play in the van. You’ll find ways to entertain yourself: simple things like books, an iPod, or your laptop are good starting points.

Packing smart will keep the van comfortable. A few other things you can do to keep the van a happy place:

1. Change up the driver and passenger seating every few hours. The new locale will stimulate you provide a nice change of pace.
2. Take trash out with you when you make pit stops (the cup-holders will fill with candy wrappers, I promise) and spray some air freshener before you get back in. From band-stink to Spring showers in five minutes.
3. GPS. Understand that it can go crazy at times but it’s worth bringing one. Don’t buy one just for the tour – you likely have a friend who will be glad to help out the band by lending theirs. Word of caution: never bring two. They will fight like competing bakeries.
4. Make a tour itinerary listing all of the venues, phone numbers, addresses, sleeping arrangements, pay arrangements, load-in times, set times, and distances between shows. Dress it up and make it fun, then print two copies: one for the front of the van and one for the back (so that the guys in the back aren’t always pestering you for information).

There are a lot of other things you can do to make the van a home-away-from-home but that stuff will hit you quickly during your first tour. The bottom line is you’re going to be getting really close to your band mates for what will feel like an eternity. Tensions build while everyone is out of their comfort zone. Do the best to respect one another while making yourself some personal space.

Finally, treat your van like you would a guitar: tune it up before making it do the work. Find problems early before you wind up busking at a Canadian Tire in Whitby to pay for that break job.

Arriving At The Gig

Image credit: ratatat15 on Tumblr

There’s a difference between playing gigs at home versus while on tour. The band needs to think of itself as a travelling salesman: You have a product that you’re demoing around the country. You want people to buy this product, love this product, and show this product to their friends. A professional attitude is enough to make you seem like a pro, even if you’re throwing your back out trying to lug that 412 cabinet up the most insane flight of stairs (tip: buddy-lift EVERYTHING).

So you’ve arrived at the venue at the requested load-in time. What’s next? Here are the things I like to run through with each show:

1. Learn the sound engineer’s name. Everyone should know it. Convince yourself that the sound engineer is your best friend. Sound guys (and gals) are people, too – they will be more likely to make you sound good if they like the way you treat them.
2. Learn how to setup other pieces of equipment. If your drummer could use a hand and you’ve got your stuff setup, help him instead of sitting at the bar waiting.
3. Start when you’re told and finish on time. The next band is excited to play and doesn’t want you getting in the way. No encores unless A) You’re the headliner; or B) The situation is calling for it and you’ve sent someone from the band to clear it with the next band.
4. Push your merchandise. You’ve travelled all this way and your door cut will more than likely not be great until you’re an established band – merchandise is gas in the van. Make sure one band member runs to stand by the merch table when you’ve finished your set. Tell some stories and let the crowd get to know you – they just may want to buy into you.
5. Get to know the other acts. You never know when you’ll run into each other again (it happens more often than you would think, at completely different parts of the country) or when you’ll need to borrow their equipment.
6. Get paid. Have a designated person within the band to handle the collection of finances. There’s an art to talking money with door guys and other bands so that you’re able to take of yourself while meeting the needs of the other people involved. This develops with continuous exposure so it’s best to get one person learning the ropes instead of taking turns.
7. Before you leave make sure you’ve said goodbye to everyone who works at the venue. Get to know them a bit – they’re your gateway back into this place. I like to make sure each venue has a copy of the album and a business card (the bartender or door person who likes you the most is the best person to receive it as they’ll push it around).

Final Notes

The goal is to build profile, fan base, and hopefully make money. Touring isn’t always (or usually even) a money making endeavour until you’ve secured good guarantees so try to break even. Figure out beforehand what the tour should cost you and factor in emergencies (having an extra 1000.00 in the band fun will help you out when things take an unexpected turn). Try to have as much of the expenses covered before you head out so that you don’t get half way through the tour wondering if you’ll make it home.

Lastly, treat this both as a career move for the band and as a vacation. You’re likely suffering personally and financially by committing so much time on the road so make the best of your time out there. Be a tourist. Flaunt the band around as you check out the local hot spots – it’ll give you something to talk about and make you feel like a rock star. And let’s not forget band traditions: make them. My band would drive around with megaphones promoting the show for an hour before sound check. You’ll find something you all like to do to harass the general public.

Chris Gallant is the lead singer and guitarist of The Sidewalks, an alternative rock/ska band from PEI, Canada. He has been promoting acts and booking his own tours for three years now. The article was originally published on Ultimate Guitar.

One Red Bull too many?

It would have to be said that in this day and age, no one is immune to the temptations of well-placed advertising. At this year’s Download festival, a good friend of mine and I did indeed spend four hours in ‘Tuborg Town’ downing pints and watching people throw themselves up and down a bungee run. We then proceeded to the Zippo tent where my friend spent thirty pounds on a lighter. I was shocked, but it seemed that the majority of people who had been drinking were moving on from beer tents to the tent of the mother of all lighters.

By attaching itself to the rock and roll image, Zippo has jumped on the idea that all rockers need a lighter to wave during ‘that one power ballad.’ People are buying into the idea. By marketing their brand alongside numerous rock and alcohol brands, Zippo’s advertising method has created an ‘in’ brand upon which people are willing to spend money because they feel that the brand represents them.

It was an incredibly astute move on Zippo’s part to promote Download, but it is one thing to buy your favourite band jumper when intoxicated; perhaps another to buy into a brand whose association with rock music is somewhat manufactured and arbitrary.

Another surprising marketing in-road in recent years has been the addition of the ‘Pepsi Max’ and ‘Red Bull Bedroom Jam’ stages at Download. These two brands have demonstrated to the alcohol industry that there is a market for both energy drinks and soft drinks in the rock genre. By promoting these drinks, Red Bull in particular is becoming more and more associated with mainstream rock.

Red Bull’s Bedroom Jam, for those of you who are in the dark, is a platform for rock musicians to submit a music video to the Bedroom Jam website and get votes online from people who like the music. The most popular bands have the chance then to play all the festivals in the UK! This is obviously a great chance for those just starting out a career, but it also makes Red Bull more accessible to music fans.

Giving Download its wings?

Several people I encountered at Download were exposed to Red Bull through the Bedroom Jam contest, and now drink Red Bull regularly. By associating rock music and soft drinks, festivals can also appeal to the ‘straight edge’ side of things, where for those who don’t (or can’t) drink alcohol, there is always time for a Red Bull. Many of the bands featured on the smaller Red Bull stage seem to appeal to a younger audience, which is probably no accident.

Perhaps the only way we will be able to enjoy rock music now is through branding. It is sad that now in this day and age just taking over a field, banging out some rocking tunes and having warm beer is no longer viable. I would of course rather have a festival than no festival, but if festivals are to increasingly become a marketing exercise for big brand names at music’s expense, then maybe it is time to pull the plug, hang up those wellie boots and call it a night.

Rona Sannachan is a freelance journalist who enjoys writing, music, vegetarianism, and her bold attempts to fuse them.

Promotion within a city is specific to the avenues available in that area, but it all comes down to some fairly simple stuff. It just takes time and dedication.

Print Media, Radio, And Television

Every city has a local arts paper or magazine. Research and figure out where to send your press release (you’ve made a press release, right?), tour dates, and try to make it a little more personal (ie, talk about why this town is particularly exciting for your band). Also look up all the radio stations in those cities as well as television stations. Get in contact with the program director and give them your pitch. Hopefully your pitch has an interesting angle to it that they can get behind.

Image credit: sicksailors on Tumblr

Internet Forums And Blogs

The internet is global and so are musicians. You may find new fans with forums specific to your tour destinations. Bloggers in well connected music circles are the people you want writing positively about your band. They have listeners. Post your show date, strike up a conversation, and make a connection.

Social Networking

There’s always someone in the tour van who’s got their laptop or cell phone going. Log into your Facebook, Twitter, or Myspace and send an update once in a while. “Van broke down. Having an acoustic jam on the side of the road to entertain the mechanic.” Keep it interesting and informative – don’t stop at “Chicago tonight!” Make a joke while you’re at it or offer something special for your potential guests. Ask questions. People love to voice their opinions.

Posters

Every tour needs a tour poster. I’m not going to run on a graphic design rant but make sure you have an attractive poster with all your dates listed, but also have a secondary poster with a blank space to custom tailor on a per show basis. Send these posters to all the venues, radio stations, and any friends or fans in your street team who live in the area. Keep extra ones on hand to autograph or put up in local stores on your off days.

Next week I’ll be talking about what to keep in mind when you’re about to embark on the tour. Until then, get out your map and start planning your adventure.

Chris Gallant is the lead singer and guitarist of The Sidewalks, an alternative rock/ska band from PEI, Canada. He has been promoting acts and booking his own tours for three years now. The article was originally published on Ultimate Guitar.

If you’ve toured before you’ll know that a lot of this information comes as common sense literally within a few days of being on the road – your band’s routine or “system” kicks in and the tour goes on autopilot. However the point of this guide is the educate and inform those of you who’ve never hit the pavement in a van full of gear in pursuit of making it big. It’s often a long, arduous, and smelly journey but you get addicted and will want to do it again the second you get home.

This isn’t meant to be a step by step guide into touring so much as it is an overview of how a tour should come together for the average DIY band. Best of luck.

Image credit: weheartit.com

Are You Ready To Tour?

A few questions you need to ask yourself:

Does my band have a solid enough fan base in the local area?

You’re probably wondering why the local market has anything to do with you going abroad. Well, there are two main reasons for this. The first is simply that it serves as a gauge of interest in your band. If your fan base is made up of a good spread of music listeners (ie, not just your girlfriends and relatives) then you’re on the right track and the same thing will likely happen in other cities. Second, you need to depend on your local gigs to make up the funds to head out on the road. Plan to take a few extra gigs to fill the band fund up as you lead to the tour you’re embarking on.

Do we have reliable transportation?

My first touring band destroyed three vans on three separate tours because we didn’t take appropriate vehicles to handle the combined weight of the members and the gear. Do not expect to pull off a 10 day tour in a minivan if you have a typical rock stage setup (I’m talking at least one stack, a bass rig, the drums, and assorted luggage). Suspensions will drop out, transmissions will die, and brakes will fall apart. Make sure you have the proper vehicle for what you’re hauling and how long you’re hauling it.

How long do we want to go on tour? Can everyone take the time off?

Time off becomes the enemy by the time you hit your second or third tour – it loses some of it’s charm in your family/girlfriend/boss’ eyes and becomes a nuisance, meaning it gets more difficult to get the time off the more often you go on tour. But that’s a discussion for another article. The length of your tour is really up to you and your band because you’ll need to determine how much work you can miss, how much you stand to gain from the tour, and how long you want to be out of your comfort zone. The kind of tour you’re booking will determine the length as well, which brings me to my next point.

How To Book A Tour

Booking a tour is a lot easier than people make it out to be. You just need to be diligent and plan ahead. Giving yourself at least 3 months to get the show dates is a good idea whether you know the venues already or have to start completely from scratch.

Identify the type of tour you’re booking.

You can do two general types of tours that I like to call Main Market Tours and All Market Tours. A Main Market Tour is when you only play in the biggest cities with the largest pieces of the music industry that you can get close to. Of course this is geographic, but building profile in a city that houses the kind of people who should hear you (agents, reps, promoters, and media) is the smartest choice when time and money are constraints on the tour. Get in, do the job, and get home, all while hitting the bigger markets. Alternatively you can do the All Market Tour which is when you look at a map and pick out all the cities in a certain radius and plan to play in each one over a certain length of time. If you only have a week, I’d go with the first type. Two weeks or more and I’d consider the second. That isn’t to say you can’t mix it up: If a smaller city is completely en route to a bigger city, see if you can wedge a gig in there on the way up.

Image credit: Mark Loper on Facebook

Find venues and promoters.

Once you’ve narrowed down your cities and dates start doing up emails and press kits to send to the venues and promoters that you feel would be interested in an act like yours. Try to think from a venue owner’s perspective – all you are in the end is drink sales. You can have the best songs in the world, but if no one cares to come see you it’ll be hard to get a returning gig (and after all, you are hopefully going to tour again sometime and will want to build on the relationships you opened with these venues the first time around). This raises the question: How am I supposed to get people in the door if I’ve never played there before? Well, if you’re asking yourself this question you’ve already done half the work. Just promote the shows as best you can and play your heart out, even if 3 people show up. Impress the bar staff and you’ll have done enough to come back.

In the next chapter I’ll be talking about tour promotion and what to keep in mind when you’re about to embark on the tour. Until then, get out your map and start planning your adventure.

Chris Gallant is the lead singer and guitarist of The Sidewalks, an alternative rock/ska band from PEI, Canada. He has been promoting acts and booking his own tours for three years now. The article was originally published on Ultimate Guitar.

I had the pleasure talking to Will Runzel, who just two years after graduating from Indiana University had founded the successful promotion company, Fifth Agency, known for touring famed names like Mike Posner, Big Sean, Steve Aoki, Twista and Sam Adams. Adding to his successes, Fifth Agency recently formed a partnership with the Prime Social Group and he’s transitioning into a new chapter in his career after accepting a personal offer to work with Steve Aoki and Dim Mak Records.

With experiences in tote, Will offered a forthcoming perspective into the promotion side of the industry to reveal the fast paced and not so glamorous inner workings that should keep musicians on their toes.

Will Runzel

How did you get into promotion after you graduated in 2009 and how have you worked your way up in such a short time to found your own company, Fifth Agency?

I started promoting nightclubs in Florence, Italy when I ran out of money studying abroad. The free drinks that came with the job really offset a lot of expenses. I pretended to be a booking agent (what I had conjured in my head), and actually had some success booking my buddy’s bands locally in Bloomington, IN while in school at Indiana University.

One of the guys asked me if I could promote his Saturday night event and I took it from 50 people to 500 people in 7 days (thanks to flyering the Wisconsin-Indiana tailgating party, at which all the Wisconsin people showed up and gave us momentum). Then I filed my LLC and took Mike Posner on his first Midwest tour by implementing promotional strategies that I created myself. Fifth Agency turned two years old on March 9 of this year and then a few weeks later, the Prime Social Group absorbed us.

What musicians have you promoted for?

Jeremih, Mike Posner, Digitalism, Big Sean, Curren$y, Steve Aoki, Twista, Sam Adams, and some others…

How did you even find the connections to start promoting the larger names like Twista and Aoki?

Just email the agent. There is a database. You just have to come off as professional with a plan in mind, a budget and everything all spelled out neatly, and they’ll respond.

You blog for MostlyJunkFood.com about your own experiences as a promoter, and you’ve been dishing out some great advice, but in college you studied sports writing? How did you transition from a lover of sports to a lover of music?

I think I am a lover of both. Unfortunately I have now limited my fanship to just professional sports (NBA and NFL), I just don’t have time for college sports anymore. I just love writing. I’ve written short stories and poetry and I feel like I could write in most genres. If given the information, I can formulate something concise about any topic. And to me, that’s the way non-fiction should be written; to compact all the necessary information while developing an image for the reader in the least amount of words.

What are you looking forward to pursuing in the near future? Where would you like to be in your career a few years down the road?

I have a job offer on the table from Steve Aoki himself. By the time this is published I will probably be on my way to California, or developing a massive tour for Prime Social Group through the Midwest.

I’ve seen you walking around the stage, darting from musician to DJ to tech person, what’s really going on behind the scenes? How much coordination is necessary to manage a concert?

Well, you got the sound guy and the mics, the different artists who need to be taken care of, making sure the door guy isn’t stealing from you, making sure the girl at the front whose ticket won’t scan is telling the truth, keeping dehydrated people from passing out, making sure your green room is clean for the artist, making sure the artist has everything they need, making sure all the people on your guest list get in, making sure the press has their passes, making sure no one is back stage when they are not supposed to be, coordinating all of this with security, making sure the venue owner is happy, keeping the show on time so my headliner doesn’t get cut off for curfew, and of course I have to slip in a drink or two so my head isn’t throbbing from the speakers.

Would you say that the music industry’ glitz and glamour is just an image that fans and listeners portray?

Yeah, 100%. I can name at least 5 rappers who live in one bedroom, dirty ass apartments in downtown LA. And these guys are supposed to be “big” rappers.

Why do you think that is?

Perception is reality.

Would you suggest that musicians promote themselves around their own home town or is that setting oneself up for being pigeonholed?

It’s a must, if you can’t take your hometown by storm as soon as you make a concerted push, you might as well just stop there.

How important is touring vs. radio time vs. blogs? What do you believe is the most effective?

You should do what you can. Blogs mean you need a PR company and great content. Shows mean either you know the guy throwing it, you paid to get on, or you are already big enough to have a draw in other cities and thus an asset to the promoters who set up tours like we do. You have to pay for radio time. You can get a few plays just from knowing a few people, but if you want to stay in the Top 40 radio charts you have to pay for that.

What would you suggest is the best means of promoting yourself as a musician?

This all depends on how much money you have, read this article for more information: Friday Runzel-ism: How to Make it in the Music Industry.

Would you suggest that musicians should pay to open for a well known musician? Would you say that it’s worth it?

Like I said, perception is reality. I would generally say no, but if you’ve made a push in your hometown and it almost looks natural that you should be opening for a Snoop Dogg or whatever, pay the $500, if your hometown shows you love, the crowd will go wild for your set and the promoter will think, “Maybe we should put this guy on the bill next time.”

What are a couple of marketing strategies that you use to promote musicians, and a strategy that musicians without a PR person or promoter can implement?

Be your own PR. Write press releases. Make cheap, viral videos (easier said than done) for your songs, and write PERSONAL emails to the people who run blogs by asking them if they will check out your video. That’s what I would do.

How important is it to target the college demographic as you are doing now? Would that be the first demographic that you would suggest a band target in their first tour?

That’s not for me to say. I started this business in college so I know the college demographic, but if I am a band or a band manager, I would be interacting with and identifying where your fans are, and why they are fans.

What would you suggest musicians do to find out about the go-to venues in specific cities?

Ask the kids. See what acts are performing in a certain city, and see where they are going. For example, big hip hop group A goes to venue B. Small rock band C goes to venue D, etc.

What social media sites do you use to listen to musicians? How do you feel about Myspace?

Myspace had a shot and they blew it completely. Myspace was holding on in 2006 and it needed to be completely redone and they had a shot. They waited until 2010 for their facelift and botched it on all accounts. I like to say “find your niche and fill it.” Myspace was never going to compete with Facebook for world dominance of home page status, they should have made it simple for people to listen to music and interact with fans and have an easy to find section for every detail of a musician (tour dates, music, photos, etc). They will however, remain a standard that all musicians need, but as you see now they will never be updated like how Facebook pages and websites are updated. Facebook swept that rug out from under them.

Do you have any advice for aspiring musicians?

Go get some money and call me.

Francis Bea is a New Yorker turned Chicago co-founder of Musefy.com (in development) and writes Musefy’s blog Musebox.

Branching Out

So you have a firm collection of fans exploring your various websites, fan pages, fliers and coming to your shows. That’s a good start. You’ve played with and against some of the hottest names in the area and showed how capable you are at being an acting ambassador for your music scene. That’s even better, because when it comes to leaving the area and taking your music scene elsewhere, those tricks will come in handy.

I’m not talking about going on tour here. Essentially, I’m just talking about going out of town. A band that’s absolutely huge in one place might be completely unheard of twenty miles away, but that’s an untapped market with unlimited potential that you need to get yourself into if you want to draw wider attention. We’re not trying to get the attention of big record label executives here; we’re trying to make a living as a musician.

Image credit: rawrshannon on Tumblr

In this situation, the old ‘it takes money to make money’ proverb comes true. Travelling becomes more expensive both the farther you go and the more you take with you, and booking a place to perform at somewhere nobody has ever heard of you can prove exceedingly difficult. This, of course, is where that ‘scene ambassador’ role comes in handy.

First off, do your research. You know what sort of music you play, where else nearby is it popular? Decide on a target location, then find out what bands are big there. Ask around, maybe go to a couple of gigs there and hand out some cards just to get your face noticed, but zero in on a couple of bands or musicians and make some contacts. A friend who might let you use their drumkit in the area saves shifting your own either on a train or in a van. In the same vein, dropping your band to an opening slot, even if you’re headlining back home, means that you can ask those contacts where they’re playing, and assure yourself a slot in front of all of their fans. This also serves as a way of introducing yourself to the venue owners and making contacts there.

Advertising will undoubtedly be more difficult when you can’t get to the area in question to put up posters and hand out fliers. As an opening act, that’s not something you really need to worry about, since it will be done for you. Saying that, a presence requires…well, presence. The major cost will be getting back and forth, but everywhere you are not known is a potential market that you aren’t taking advantage of.

When you are playing gigs, don’t forget to reward the contacts that you’ve made. If a band in that area has given you a support slot, offer them one in your area. This maintains good relationships between both bands. As an example, Muse and My Chemical Romance did a UK/USA tour. In the UK, My Chemical Romance opened for Muse, since their major market is in the USA. In the USA it was the other way around, with Muse becoming the supporting slot. There was no clash of egos, just good business by both sides.

If you become popular in this new location, as your fan page and website will undoubtedly tell you, you might begin to use the venue contacts you will have cultivated by acting as an opener. Never let a chance pass you by in this regard. Playing a set and not getting to know the owner is never a good move. A few friendly conversations and a contact number could well secure you a headline slot of your own in the future. At this point, line yourself up some gigs that don’t interfere with those in your own music scene, get all your new fans online for you and handing out fliers for you, then grab yourself a map and pick another location.

There will be an effect when you get back to town. When a band gets bigger, everybody knows it. Gigs at home will become more scarce, but the price will also go up. People will begin to travel to see you and word of mouth will spread wider and wider.

It’s a methodical process, but it’s a necessary one. The worst thing you can do through this is forget to keep those big performances going back at home. Don’t let yourselves become boring, or you’ll lose a lot of attention from the people who are most likely to pay the big money. As your local gigs become less and less, you can ask for more money, but you still want to be seen. When you leave town you will be judged as music ambassador, your job is to go to them to convince them to come to you.

Tom Colohue is a writer from Blackpool, England. Though he specialises in Fiction, he also writes music theory articles, and new media articles based primarily on the internet. On occasion, these also intermingle. He is well recognised by numerous critics and analysts for his integrative descriptive work and his cynical textual mannerisms. For more information, Tom Colohue keeps a Facebook Fan Page, which contains updates from new articles and his personal blog, Mental Streaming. This page can be found via this link.

Dieselboy discussed the latest happenings in HUMAN and just launched at the time subHUMAN (dubstep focused) labels. Damian, who gained a worldwide recognition partly due to his famous mix CDs, also talked on how irrelevant traditional mix releases become, being replaced by online material. His new mix, Unleashed! (yet to be recorded at the time of the interview) is now available for free download at the Dieselboy Soundcloud page.

My main interest was, of course, his online and marketing activities. Damian sincerely shared the difficulties connected with maintaining numerous web profiles and websites, many of which have been registered under the Dieselboy name, instead of Human or personal “Damian Higgins.”

Other covered topics were Dieselboy’s promotional tools of choice, advantages of creating artist-centric mobile applications, and much more. Watch it below (or in a separate page, with annotations)!

The video was recorded at ‘Amber Beach’ open air, Kaliningrad region, Russia. Filmed and edited by Kathrine Apanova. Interview by Andrew Apanov.