Think of the last time you went to a show. Did you meet the band you wanted to see? Did they take time out of loading and unloading equipment to meet you? By the way, you’re a total stranger to them.
So why would a band care about who they talk to and how they talk to them?
As a member of a unsigned band, going to shows has made it apparent to figure out which bands care about its followers.
Most people in the Sacramento area go to the Boardwalk and Club Retro to see their favorite signed bands play. Being at 100-plus shows in my lifetime, it’s a very rare occurrence if a signed band doesn’t take time to do autographs and meet the people who are making the band financially stable by coming out to shows.
As an unsigned band, chances are slim to make it to the next level.
For one, the band should have an instant hit song that new listeners to grasp onto. This may seem obvious, but don’t expect to see your friend’s band make it big if they aren’t musically talented and aware of their audience. But this is only half the battle.
Unsigned bands, take notes.
1. Some of the best memories at shows come from meeting a favorite member of the band they listen to everyday in the car. People share good experiences with their friends. See, now a friend who has never been to show in his/her life is all of the sudden thinking about tagging along the next time a show happens.
2. Actually get to know people. In the music business, it’s all about who you know and making connections. This includes anybody who would ever think about listening to your music. Make a fan a friend. You just gave someone a free CD to listen to, get to know them.
3. Friends should stay as your friends, not clients. If they genuinely consider you a friend, they don’t need to be told three times a day that they should buy your T-shirt or CD on iTunes. Nobody wants to hear an egotistical salesman.
4. Show support. You can’t expect people to come to your shows if you flake on your friends because you didn’t want to watch their basketball game or watch them graduate. It sounds really simple, but people remember flakes. Don’t be one of them. Not everything is about how well your band is doing.
5. Keep chugging along. Doing steps 1-4 once isn’t going to make your band successful. Like most things in life, you need to work hard for what you want. Not everybody is going to want to be a friend, but there’s no point in not trying.
It’s not easy being an unsigned band that is trying to make it to the next level. Odds are not in your favor and you have people to please -- not to mention thinking of the other countless ways of getting your band to the next level.
Playing a show in front of hundreds of friends and fans is a lot more rewarding than playing a show in front of 50 people that probably didn’t come to the show to see your band play.
So I’ll say this again. Make friends, not fans.
Interesting column, probably more so to someone tied into the music scene more tightly than this reader.
ReplyDeleteStill, the columnist laid out his case in a logical, linear fashion - much appreciated by readers.
His intended audience, unsigned bands might find the advice useful.
Two other observations:
Good beginning and ending. Starting and ending with the same concept is good writing.
The column could benefit from slightly more explanation about the issue of signed vs. unsigned bands. Persons with no knowledge of his column topic would like not get past the first few paragraphs - and that's after being drawn in by a very compelling headline...