Frustrations and Solutions

I had an extensive conversation last night with someone in the music scene in Cedar Rapids. The name of this individual isn't important, but some of the points that they brought up were valid.

The discussion ranged from: attendance at shows, online and physical promotion of a band, merchandise sales and other frustrations that plague local acts.

The only perspective I could provide to the conversation, was my own.
I played in a band in high school for exactly 8.2 minutes. Our one "gig" was a house-party where I literally had to learn a song while we were playing it. We were a band in the loosest sense of the word. The drummer from that "band" has gone on to have a decent run with a few other bands. But me, not at all.

With that being said, I do not understand all of the nuances that go into the writing, recording, rehearsal and performing process. What I do understand, is the business part of this industry.
Local or national, small crowds or big, you have to be able to make somebody money.

I feel bad about this part of the conversation. Music shouldn't be about money.
It should be about evoking an emotional response from an individual when they hear your audio art. It should be about the way we used to feel when we heard our favorite song. You turn it up and don't have a care in the world for the length of that composition.

But, in this day and age, it is about money. How many people can you put in this performance space in the allotted time? How much beer sales can you help to generate? This is just a fact. If a club owner isn't making money, he can't pay his rent or other commitments, then that performance space is no longer. I feel that some acts don't realize this fact, or if they do, don't care. It is someone else's fault that they are not being booked or the audiences aren't there.

So, what are my suggestions for making your local act a viable commodity, in a business sense?

1. Make a realistic goals for the next year.
If you are a new band, make a goal for the number of shows that you want to play in the
next 365 days. Are you working on material? Make a goal to have a CD release with all
of the promotion that goes with it. When you play shows (that you are not opening for a
national act) have a realistic number in mind of people you want/need at that show.

2. NETWORK!
Any time that you are playing or attending a show, make sure to take time to talk with
the bands that are on the bill. Talk with the bar manager or booker (if on-hand) and
introduce yourself. If a radio station representative is present, make sure to say hi.

3. Promote your band shamelessly.
What good is playing a show if nobody knows about it? I don't see a lot of bands locally
using the free/low-cost promotional tools that are available to them. While I know a lot
of bands have a Myspace page, how are you utilizing it? How does it look? It may be
one of the first impressions you have on a person. Make it look good. Do you have an
active Facebook fan page? Why doesn't anybody distribute handbills anymore?
When a major show wraps up, be there with something telling them where they can see
you or hand out sticker / CDs. If your goal is to get your name in front of as many people
as possible, take advantage of it.

I haven't said anything that others already have touched on hundreds of times before. But maybe some will heed this advice now that I am providing an opportunity to get your music heard on ROCK 108.

CHEAP PLUG ALERT!
UNSIGNED & UNLEASHED begins August 1st at 11:59pm. It will showcase unsigned, original rock bands ONLY.
After the debut on Aug. 1, UNLEASHED will run every Saturday at midnight. 30 minutes and I'll try to feature as many bands as I can.
If you are in an unsigned, original rock band and would like the opportunity to be on the show:

Send your CD and Press kit to:
ROCK 108's UNSIGNED & UNLEASHED
c/o BRIAN MARSHALL
514 Jefferson St.
Waterloo, IA 50701

I look forward to hearing your material.

Brian Marshall - Host of UNSIGNED & UNLEASHED on ROCK 108