As I write this, I'm sitting in the lounge of Nashville International Airport, waiting to board a homeward-bound flight. I spent the past couple of days attending a cool new music gathering, the Nashville New Music Conference (www.2nmc.com). Although it took place in Nashville, its focus was more on pop, rock, and hip-hop than on country music.
The structure of 2NMC was similar to that of conferences like South by Southwest and CMJ. There were vendor booths, panel discussions, mentoring sessions, and a hefty slate of off-site showcases. I particularly liked this conference's small size and informal feel. I thought the panels were extremely useful (and not just because I was on one of them). I wanted to share a couple of important points made during those discussions.
A seminar on booking and touring featured, among others, a club booker and a big-time booking agent. One of the most salient points presented was that once you've booked a gig, just showing up and playing — no matter how good you are — isn't enough. This is particularly true if you're on tour, but it pertains to local dates as well. You have to promote the gig as much as possible. Distribute leaflets and posters, send out e-mail notices, and try to appear on local media. Do anything to create a buzz and bring in people. That will benefit your act greatly in the eyes of the club and help you get return bookings.
Performing musicians everywhere should take that point to heart. Although you may consider yourself a musician first and foremost — not someone who likes to get involved with the down and dirty of marketing — consider that the more people you can get to your shows, the more your following will grow, the more you'll be in demand, and the easier it will be to move to the next level.
Another point brought up was that if you want to do well at a club, show up on time, follow the club's rules, treat the staff well, and don't take long breaks or play overly short sets. Even if they don't attend a particular show, club owners or bookers hear about difficult groups and probably won't want to rehire them.
I also attended a panel called Guerrilla Marketing, which offered loads of good advice for musicians trying to get noticed. The key point (and one that was repeated by several panelists) was that if you want to get attention, you should learn to think outside of the box and devise a marketing approach that sets you apart. Creativity, aggressiveness, and persistence were cited along with superior musical talent as the qualities that will take you the furthest.
Finally, the panelists stressed that having a game plan for your act is key. Don't just go out there and play clubs aimlessly. Know where you want to go from a career standpoint and figure out the steps you need to take to get there. You can be sure that we at Onstage will provide you with as much information as we can to help you along the way.
