Focus On The Positive - It Will Motivate You

So it's back to the grindstone for me and almost back to square one. I say "almost" because it's how I feel, but reality is that "Charlie" has allowed us to namedrop him which is a really great thing and it gives us that bit of credibility. So I guess all is not lost and at the end of the day, it's all more credible info for the presskit. Slowly, the presskit has been built up with info from credible sources, reviews - both album and live shows, photo's, press clippings etc.

Well, the latest... yep, there always seems to be something going on! lol Remember all the drama with that forum? (If not, you can check out the drama here). Well it never seems to end. Funnily enough, there was a link to an album review from that forum to the band's website. The post was titled the name of the album, and reading through the half dozen or so comments, one has to wonder what sort of lives these people lead. I see one person made the comment "Is it still 2007?" - so I think even some of them are completely over it! Either way, the thread seems to have dried up now, but it's not like it worries me anymore.

I have much to think about and plans to make. Earlier today, I received a review on the showcase. It made for inspiring reading and I was so glad to read an individual's unbiassed opinion and the fact that they were blown away by the performance. That's the kind of thing that keeps me motivated and reminds me why I'm in this game. It's the reason I know that I manage a band that is, (for lack of a better word) special.

He Who Has The Power... Speak!

* Note from this point on, I will use the psydoneum of 'Charlie' for the VIP.

Okay, so it'd been 5 days since the 'showcase' and we hadn't heard anything from Charlie. I thought I would take the opportunity to email him and thank him for organising the show. I also wanted his advice on whether to take up that Canadian PR company on their offer ($799 for promotion via radio in 3 countries for 4-6 weeks - NB: not guaranteed airplay).

So I emailed a thank you note to him and his business partner saying that I'm not sure exactly where we go from here and asked what they thought of the PR offer from that company. I heard back from him later in the day saying "you're welcome" and that he was disappointed no record or radio people turned up. He said the next step is for the guys to start working on being a trio and for the lead singer/guitarist to work on featuring his guitar playing early on in the show - and eliminate the covers. He continued on to say "keep working on the next album and take it from there". Funnily enough he didn't mention anything in regards to my question re the PR Company.

I caught up with the lead singer later on who said that he, too, had emailed Charlie - just wanting to say a personal thank you. He had received a reply saying "that's fine, I think you need to lift your act now and play to your strengths - feature your guitar playing right off - even if it's only to make fans sit up and take notice. Your songs are great, the trio is strong - look how Silverchair have done, it's different - you can do it! Go well and good luck!"

So... with those emails, I figure it's the end of the road with 'Charlie' unfortunately. But I might be wrong - I'm only assuming and probably reading too much between the lines. At the end of the show last Thursday, Charlie did mention that if he were younger, he'd take them on himself - but he doesn't manage bands anymore. He said that he would always be able to help me with the business side of it though.

I guess it's now just a matter of plugging away at it ourselves and seeing what becomes.

Saga Of The Showcase - My Summary

Ok, if there was ever a time for me to have a b**** and moan about the 'showcase' then this is the post for it. When you look up a web definition of a showcase you get this:

"A 15 minute live performance on stage with full technical support (lights, sound)"

"A setting in which something can be displayed to best effect"

Well, neither of those descriptions even remotely depicts the 'showcase' this band played! For a start, they did their own sound - hired and set up their own PA (after which, the lead singer was exhausted - if you've ever set up a PA on your own, you will know how he felt! I guess it was just lucky that they had 4 hours to relax before they played). There was lighting there - but it was just random par cans that did their own thing - no lighting tech.

As for the second description "A setting in which something can be displayed to best effect" - my personal thoughts are that the venue really was the wrong sort of place for this kind of band (I will go more into that shortly). Not only that, but hell, it was a Thursday night! If you're going to play in a venue where no-one knows your music, it needs to be a Friday night when everybody is out on the town, and at a venue in the city that has a reputation for being busy - no matter what's on that night.

Now, the reason I think the venue was simply the wrong choice is for several reasons, but the main one being that it's wrong for this kind of band. Bare in mind, that these guys have been "likened" to Bon Jovi (I don't like to label them, but to set this example, I need to). Remember that I was told that if the band played too loud and didn't turn it down then we wouldn't get paid? Well, can you imagine a great rock band, like Bon Jovi, playing in a little bar and being told not to be "too loud"????! Course not! For a start, a 'little bar' in the suburbs isn't exactly a great place for a rock band like Bon Jovi! Give them a stage in a decent club in the city anytime... would be intimate - but they could still pull off a show I'm sure! haha Anyways, hopefully I have put my point across ok... that this band I manage is a rock band - not hard rock, not alternative or screamy rock - just great melodic rock - but no rock band can be expected to play quietly! So I think that was a bit ridiculous.

Basically, I'm fairly disappointed. I think I expected more organisation on the VIP's part. To me, it was just a gig the guys played. Nothing flash. Ended up costing us. Made nothing from it. Don't seem to have got anything from it. However, apparently we will find it a lot easier to get funding now (our VIP spoke with the top guy at NZ On Air) - so that's a huge bonus IF that is the case. Apparently the guy at NZOA was most impressed with the number of hits on YouTube. Either way, I will most certainly let you know if we get through as we will be applying for funding of a music video in the next round that closes on July 4.

At the end of the day it was an experience and was good to see the guys in their element as a 3-piece. So our ex-bassist can stick it where the sun don't shine, because we pulled it off without him! Woo hoo!

The Show Must Go On

[...cont...] As predicted, the venue was fairly quiet when the guys kicked off their show, and as it progressed it came down to only being friends, family and the crew watching (yes... just sitting there... watching). The VIP who had set this up stayed until the end, of course, and had only good things to say about them. He was really happy that the other bass player had left and that they were now a 3-piece. He said he prefers it that way and because they have a strong drummer, there's no need for another guitarist.

He was disappointed that no radio or record label execs had turned up and also the fact that the venue hadn't been very busy. He seemed to think the venue hadn't done their part in promoting the event. I had sent half a dozen or so posters to them weeks earlier and, admittedly, I did not see them up around the venue anywhere. But from my own experience, I would never rely solely on a venue for promotion of any event. I do as much as I possibly can myself - both online and offline.

My next post will be my own personal summary of the night; but as for our VIP, at the end of the night, he seemed happy with how it all went. He did have a few points of advice for the boys - which they have all wisely taken on board. One of those points was for the bass player to experiment with sounds, possibly a 6-string bass. Another was for the lead singer (who's also lead guitarist) to really feature his guitar playing - he was overwhelmed by the skill of his guitar playing and said that if he really features that early in the set, then it will appeal to the guys in the audience and keep them there, whereas the singing appeals to the girls.

That was about it for the night - after that it was all pack down, pack up and travel home! It was one long night - and even though it wasn't that busy, the guys still had a blast doing their thing. I was so proud of them - they really pulled it off! My summary of the night will be in the next post. Watch out for it soon.

Day Of The Showcase (Part 2)

[...cont...] So with sound check all finished, it was time to sit down and relax. Because the lead singer now does their sound (due to all that drama), he had set the PA up and organised everything so was pretty shattered and ready for a good meal and a rest. It was another 4 hours until they hit the stage so it was a good time to sit down and hang out with all our friends that had come to support the guys.

As 10pm rolled round, the main VIP that had organised the show turned up. As always, it was great to see him and chat about everything. I also noted a couple of other VIP's including The White Stripes international tour manager. Unfortunately at that time there was no sign of radio reps or record label execs.

The young couple arrived back with an awesome looking canvas banner!! We hung that up on the back wall behind the drum kit and the stage looked stunning!

The venue manager then came up and asked the guys not to start until 10.30pm as the restaurant below them still had patrons. Fair enough. But bare in mind it was a Thursday night and kicking off a show at 10.30pm seemed a little late to me - especially since everyone works the next day. Not only that, but the venue itself is quite a drive from the suburbs - it's not exactly in the city, so I knew we wouldn't get many people wander in off the street.

Predictably the venue became less busy by 10.30pm and I could foresee this was going to be a hard gig for the guys. You see, when you have a packed out venue with people dancing etc, the band feeds off the audience and it really fires up the show (if you're in a band, you will know what I mean). But when you have a couple of dozen people just sitting down... watching... it becomes quite a draining show. I'm not in a band, but I have been around long enough to see both sides of that coin.... [...to be cont...]

Day Of The Showcase (Part 1)

I was emailed earlier this week by the venue manager and told that if the band play "too loud" and don't turn it down if asked, then we won't be getting paid. I felt like writing back and saying "you do realise this is a rock band?! It isn't an acoustic trio...! How the #*#@!% do you make a rock band play "not loud"??!" I was starting to wonder if maybe this wasn't the right type of venue. To be honest, it put a real dampener on the show and now I had a lead singer (also doing their sound) who was now trying to focus on getting a great sound - but not too loud!

Anyway, Thursday morning we picked up the PA at 8.30am, loaded the van with everything else and hit the road at 12.30pm. It all seemed to be going to plan, we were right on schedule and had everything we needed (I credit the lists we made - lists are great!!).

We arrived up in Auckland at about 2.30pm and started unloading the van and getting the PA set up. By 5pm the guys were ready for sound check - although we couldn't do a thorough one unfortunately as the venue was already receiving complaints about the noise! Crazy!

After sound check, we were approached by a young couple who asked if we had a banner for the band. We had silver backing and 'drop' banners on the side with the band name - but no backdrop as such. They told me they had their own print company and would love to print off a massive 3m x 1.2m banner for the back of the stage! Not only that, but they would do it free of charge! Full colour, anything we wanted! What a fantastic offer and I was so grateful for it. They surprised me even further by leaving right then to design one up and print off - all for the show tonight! [...to be cont...]

The Wheels Are A-Turning...!

Good things are a-happening here right now! Showcase is tomorrow night and already great things are happening.

The lead singer has had two interviews with major commercial radio stations today!! One had been set up a while ago as it's currently New Zealand Music Month, and the other was hooked up via phone through the VIP that has organised the showcase! That station will also playlist the band's first single in a sort of 'homegrown' type segment - that is specifically for the really good unsigned bands. This is a major break for us - commercial radio is really hard to break into, even those homegrown segments - as it really is a 'who you know' industry.

So all is good in our world right now. There is more to add - and will tell you all about it in about 2 days time. I won't post tomorrow (Thursday 22nd) but will be back Friday and will tell you how it all went and also the latest on the drama that's developing with that forum... once again unfortunately.

See ya!

Slow Recovery... But Game On!

Well after the drama that was yesterday, we have found a solution and that should fit for the upcoming showcase on Thursday. Our rhythm guitarist has opted to play bass for the showcase - and it just so happens that he was originally bought into the band as bassist - so he had previously learned the bass line.

Still a shame that all this has happened because it now means a lot of work over the next 5 days for him to get up to scratch with bass. So... now heading into this showcase as a 3-piece, but I guess it could have been worse.

All's well that ends well. Actually, not quite, I don't want to speak too soon. However, in saying that, I am confident I have 3 great guys in this band that are all on the same page. They have all played in various bands together for years so are familiar with each other's style. I'm 90% confident that all will flow now... and I think this will be successful. Let's not forget - all the drama will make great video footage for the documentary!! haha

Just goes to show, that when things happen and stand in your way - don't let them. There's always a way around it. Our ex-bassist thought he could stop this showcase happening. It didn't work - we have worked around it. Just goes to show that no-one is indispensable. Always, always stay strong, positive and focussed on the end result - don't cave in because things aren't going your way..... don't be a quitter.

We didn't quit. Even when things looked their worst. I pray that I might be able to share some good news with you soon. And I hope that this might serve as an inspiration to many other musicians out there.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: "Don’t waste time calculating your chances of success and failure. Just fix your aim and begin"

Burned From The Inside...

Only 6 days to the showcase and all is going swimmingly! The band are all fully rehearsed and ready to put on their best show yet - even if the bass player has missed the last two rehearsals (for seemingly valid reasons).

Maybe I should say that all was going swimmingly. That is, until the we got a text earlier today from the bass player asking if he could meet up for a 'chat'. You know that when you get something like that then it's serious. We figured he wanted out, and that was fine - he's the kind of guy that would honour his commitments already made, so we knew that he wouldn't leave us in the lurch.

Well that couldn't have been further from the truth. He came around with his mind made up. He wanted out and he wanted out now; i.e. no, he wouldn't be playing at the showcase. Now, remember, this showcase is in 6 days from today!! And now we have no bass player?! What the hell?! This is their biggest opportunity yet and he's really dumping us in it.

Why? Well, his reasons are the fact that they aren't getting paid for it (well, they are, but that payment will cover the costs of hiring the PA). On top of that, we are all putting in for transport to get up there - all in one van with the gear. Basically this particular bass player is jaded by the commercialism of the industry and said to our singer "look, your songs are too good for this - you don't need these people, you can do it on your own, you're way too good for that". To which our answer is "it's a foot in the door! It's an opportunity we wouldn't otherwise have, we have to do this!".

But like I said, he came here with his mind made up already and there was nothing we could do. Am I angry? Ahh.. you have no idea! Any bass players out there that are so damn good you can learn an album in the next 5 days?????

Will let you know how we get on... this is just such a blow for us...

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: "Experience tells you what to do; confidence allows you to do it"

Big Strategy #1

I want to share with you a great promotional strategy that originally came from Derek Sivers. I think it's an awesome idea and something we will be putting to use in this showcase:

PHOTOS OF YOUR AUDIENCE ON YOUR WEBSITE.

Secret trick to get people in the audience to sign your mailing list AND be part of your inside club.

1. At every show you do, from now on, bring a camera and a notebook.

2. About halfway through your show, when everyone is having fun, take pictures of the audience, from the stage. Tell them to smile, make a face, hold up their beer, whatever.

3. Afterwards, pass around the notebook and say, "Please write down your email address in this notebook, and in a few days, I'll email you, telling you where you can see YOUR goofy picture on my website."

4. At the end of the night, before bed, write up a journal/diary/memoir of that show. Scan and upload all their pictures onto a page of your website. Dedicate a page of your site about that show, with the diary, photos, and a little link on that page that says, "If you were at this show, please introduce yourself!" - so people can contact you.

5. Email everyone that was there that night. Of course EVERYone will go look at your site. How could they not? People are infinitely more interested in themselves than they are in you.

6. Stay in touch with them all!

(p.s. The other hidden idea in this is to make every show a Real Event. A Big Deal. Something worth documenting. This will get you out of the habit of thinking of it as "just another gig." Because for many of your fans, it's not. It's the most fun they've had all month.)

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: "Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out"

Planning For A Showcase

With the showcase being only one week away, a suggestion was made by a good friend of ours (aka top roadie) to video the events leading up to it. For instance, rehearsals, packing the gear, organising transport etc along with the actual show - or at least, parts of it. With the idea of it all being collated together and used to create a documentary of the event.

I think it's a great idea and has a bit of merit! Always great to have the live footage - even if we take the audio out and throw the studio version of the song onto it. So am just putting down my thoughts on what we can include in it. I'm thinking an interview with the band will be a good base for it - and have bits and pieces of the recorded events spread throughout it.

Also, don't forget these sort of things make great promotional tools! No doubt some parts will end up on YouTube and the like. Also good to keep some parts of these things and make them available for fans only - i.e. those that have signed up to the newsletter on your website. You do have a small form where they can sign up to a newsletter, right?! If not, get one - now! (More on that later). But basically, fans love to get up close and personal with the artist - so if you give them unseen behind the scenes footage, they will love you for it.

So, on that note, if you have a big event coming up - or any event/gig etc, video some backstage footage, or behind the scenes stuff - great way to keep the fans coming back for more.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: "Great works are performed, not by strength, but by perseverance"

Every Cloud Has A Silver Lining...

After all the negativity you start to wonder if it's all really worth it. I struggled many times with that - many times! However, every time I listened to the album, or replied to all the positive comments via social networking sites, or received emails from all those wanting to know when the guys are going to tour - that's what kept me going. It's all that that reminded me exactly what I had sitting right in the palm of my hand. At the end of the day - that is what it's all about: getting the music to the people. And as long as I kept that in mind, I knew I could carry on and do this.

A lot of my time is spent emailing. Emailing music industry 'movers & shakers', newspapers, magazines - online and offline, potential contacts, promoters, radio stations etc. On opening my email one morning, I had a very welcome surprise. One of the biggest VIPs in the music industry here in NZ wanted more information on this band!

I was very quick to reply of course and I ended up posting him a copy of the album upon his request. Consequently he loved what he heard, couldn't speak highly enough of it and wondered why it wasn't on the radio yet. He as also impressed with the 300,000+ views one of the tracks had received on YouTube.

We set up a meeting with him, the lead singer and I a couple of weeks later. Throughout that meeting we discussed all sorts including the state of the music industry at this stage and also the importance of owning your own material - it gives you so much more leverage! Which, at this vital stage, my artist has retained all rights to his music. He mentioned that he'd like to set up a showcase, to ensure that what is heard on the album can be pulled off in a live environment. In doing so, he would like to invite some music industry execs and other VIPs to come along and check them out.

We haven't yet had this showcase, and have no idea if this will open any doors for us or not, but it's one hell of an opportunity to break into an industry that will otherwise shut you out and show no mercy.

The showcase is scheduled for two weeks from now. I will still be posting every day, so be sure to stay tuned and find out how it all goes!

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: "Success is how high you bounce when you hit the bottom"