Finally.... Progress Is Made: Run With It!

Well well well, progress is finally being made. I know, it's been a while and I really do need to concentrate on writing in here a lot more often! Definitely working on that one :)

Ok, we have a new bass player!! **woot!!** He's really awesome, fantastic personality, great contacts and an all round good guy - the best part - he loves the music!!! That is just everything we needed rolled into one! Perfect! So the band have all been practicing... and it's sounding fantastic! I think when they play live will be awesome to watch.

So, the new bass player has some great contacts - as he works in one of the major music stores here in NZ. He has access to some great gear and he is BIG on production of shows!! That to us is a massive bonus (his thoughts on production, I mean), because that tells me that he takes this seriously. You see, it's all about putting on a show. Not just getting up and playing - but really putting on a show, creating an atmosphere.... that is what hooks people in. And it just so happens that our bass player has access to all that big production stuff - catwalk, PA (if needed), LED lighting, fog machine etc.... !

So.. not only have we got the band together and working and sounding great, but we also have a gig coming up - it's about 7 weeks away, but it's a start. I'm working on getting a lot more before then as well as after... but now that we have the band sorted, I feel like I can start doing MY job as manager. Bout time huh! lol

Also, I have that one-on-one with a music industry pro on Tuesday - am really looking forward to that, and just working on the list of questions and things I want to discuss. I have had a read about the person I am meeting with - a very accomplished lady who has managed some of the biggest bands in NZ! Awesome! What better than learning from the best! Will let you know how I go....

Getting Back On Track...

I look back at the last post and think 'gosh, how simple this could be if people got their acts together and their priorities right'. But that is ok, it's how we deal with these things that matter.

So after a lot of mulling over and thinking about it all, the lead singer (who is the leader of the band) and I have decided that we will keep the drummer on at this stage, and are currently looking at a couple of bassists. Hopefully by the end of the week, or early next week, I will know if we have found one. There's a couple of guys interested so it's just a matter of seeing how they go and making sure we get the right "fit".

As for the drummer, the singer will be having a chat to him as he needs to practice, and it drives me up the wall to see someone involved in this with no drive. He claims he really does want this - but no practice says something else. So at this stage, we will keep him on - get the name out there on the local scene, and if he continues the way he is, it will be alot easier to replace him when the band is well known.

This may sound callous, but at the end of the day - right now, all that's important is that the band is out playing asap. Once that is happening, once they build up a fanbase, get known in the area as well as round New Zealand.... then I know it won't be hard to find someone that is willing to put in the hard yards and get along with everybody else.

So... in summary, we'll check out these bass players later in the week, get the band out to play live asap, and build their following! Their self titled debut album is due out early this year, so that will be awesome to get it out there!

I have joined the MMF (Music Manager's Forum) here in New Zealand. Upon registration, you are entitled to a one on one meeting with an industry professional - so that should be a great help in seeking direction with whereto from here!

I'm Back Baby!! Summary...

Well, it has certainly been a while... what... a whole 6 months since I have updated this blog!! Those readers that remain - thank you for your patience ;) I have since been inspired to continue. Thank you to one reader, Austin, for his lovely emails.

Ok, there's not a lot to summarise over the last 6 months. Suffice to say we have since moved to the capital city, Wellington - which has one of the most vibrant music scenes in New Zealand. We moved here a couple of months ago as I knew it was going to go nowhere if we stayed in Hamilton. It's way too small for starters and a lot of negative vibes, if you've read this blog since I started it, then you'll know exactly what I mean. If not, have a gander over the previous posts - I'm sure you'll find it interesting.

Now as for the last post - regarding funding - we put in that song as advised, and what do you know! Declined! Interesting... to say the least. "Charlie" seemed to think funding wouldn't be a problem now.

Well I guess I have come to realise that there is the 'music scene' and then there's the 'music industry'. The music scene is playing live, making fans, getting your music out there and meeting other musicians. The music industry is more getting to those 'in the know', catching the eye of the movers and shakers in the industry, coming across as serious about what you are doing and where you are going.

So, since moving down to Wellington, I have decided that it's imperative to get into the music industry. I have taken some time to meet with a few key people to help us on our path, and been given some great help and advice.

At one of these meetings, I was told that people think it's hard to break into the New Zealand music industry, but in fact, it really is quite simple. So I will be using the contacts I was given at that meeting as soon as I can.

Unfortunately, it's too late to get into the summer festivals this time round. Summer in NZ runs from December to March - so it's usually all organised prior to December. However, our plan is to get the band playing some gigs live (there are some wicked venues here in Wellington for live bands) build up the following - and in 6 months time, the organisers of festivals will be coming to us! :)

At the end of the day, it's all about having a damn good product. If you have the product, and it's that good, you will get noticed. It's inevitable. Oh sure, you can get by and 'make it' on other quirks (be it the look you have, the show you put on, or simply an amazingly charismatic stage presence), but if you want a surefire way - make sure you have damn good songs!

Oh, and suffice to say: practice, practice, practice.
No good having damn good songs but your drummer misses a beat, your bass player gets it wrong, or your vocalist forgets a line.

More on that tomorrow ;)

This band has the product. It has a great vocalist and lead guitarist, but alas, I don't see the level of commitment needed from the other musicians. But I'll talk about that shortly :)

Theory: How To Sell Out A Show

I am back, and have been chatting with the lead singer about playing live and the options we have. He came up with this great idea - now, from everything I have heard, in theory it looks like it could work and it could work well. Important to note, that we haven't tried it yet obviously, but it's definitely got potential. Check it out and see what you think:

How To Sell Out A Show

• Firstly, print 600 tickets (or maximum capacity of venue) that will cost $5 to purchase.
• You then get people along by going out and selling them a ticket however, not many people will be interested in buying a ticket to see a band they have never heard of. So you then offer them a ticket (or a couple of tickets) for free. Be sure to tell them "look, there's only 40 tickets left, how bout I give you tickets for you and a couple of mates free!". This way (although you don't have only 40 tickets left) you are giving that person the idea that it's going to be a great night out because a) it's nearly sold out already; and b) they are getting in free! This will encourage and make it successful before it actually is. And let's face it, people love to get something for nothing. But ensure that you are only giving these tickets to people that are really keen to go.
  
• An added idea for getting the tickets out to people is to pass on 50 or so to local radio stations to give away, and possibly other media outlets. The whole point of this is to make the even look successful before it actually is! If people think a venue is selling out - it encourages them to go... they don't want to miss out.
• You then get the venue to pay you $350 (if not more) for costs (based on getting half those tickets/heads along). Let's face it - they will be on the make with a (near) full bar, and you shouldn't have to fork out money and let the show cost you. So the venue gets full, sells drinks and makes more money on the bar, and you (the band) gets an audience, thus gaining exposure and starting your following.
  
• On the night, put a $5 door charge on for extra's who didn't get a ticket. If the venue is pumping, but you're not at capacity - you will always get people off the street wanting to join the party.
  
• Now I suggest you do this as a once off to help build a profile in each city.
  
• No advertising is needed as tickets are given away to get the numbers along. However, posters can be put up though for general awareness, also get it into all the local gig guides - including local radio.

Hope this helps - I happen to think it's got great potential for a band just starting out! A big ups to the lead singer for this idea... I think he has a hidden talent for marketing!! haha

The Networking Phenomenon! Get On Board!

A few months ago, I came across some info on Twitter.com. I bookmarked the page and it's something I have been meaning to get back to and read properly. I hadn't done that - until today. I now wish I'd done it sooner as I like to keep up to date with all networking sites and opportunities.

Twitter seems to have become quite a phenomenon over the past 12 months, with articles written about it in Time magazine. Yet I hadn't heard much about it here in New Zealand as yet. We seem to be a bit behind it all down here! lol But I looked it over after reading some helpful info, and I have joined. I think it's a cool application - feel free to "follow me" on Twitter here. In short, Twitter is "a communications gateway that asks the question: “What are you doing now?” Users can answer and hear their friends’ answers via SMS, via IM, or on a webpage. Updates have to be under 140 characters. Think somewhere between IRC and IM and that’s Twitter".

I think it's important to have a strong online presence. I don't join every online networking site I come across - but I have added the band's profile to many. The most useful ones I have found, and work regularly, have been YouTube, MySpace, Facebook and Bebo. There are many more I have joined, and keep up to date - but don't use on a regular basis, but they are still worth checking out. These are: Mog, Soundclick, IAC Music.

The Importance Of People Loving You!

We are currently looking at moving out of this area and up to the biggest city in New Zealand. I think, for the genre this band caters to, and the much larger population, that they will be more in their element. Not only that, but there is a much larger range of live music venues - and that's a massive bonus.

Which brings me to my next point. The biggest thing I have learned over the past week is how important large local fanbase is. If you can grow your local following to a reasonable size of loyal fans, then any shows you put on are going to be a blast - and you know you won't have to worry about costs. Let's face it - if you have just 500 fans that are willing to spend $5 to see you play live, that's $2,500! With that money you can put on one hell of a show! Not only that, but if you have the great songs - then it will just get better and better. Doing that is what makes the big guys sit up and take notice!

I won't go into detail on how we will go about growing our fanbase just yet - I will do a full post on that real soon - and let you know what my idea's are. So keep following our journey, find out how it all goes... I will keep you fully updated!

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.

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.

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"

Archives

From Beginning To Current:

April 2008

• Join Me On My Journey
• Promote Your Music... But Where To Start?
• Getting Radio Airplay... Or Not!
• Music Video Time... Did It Work?!
• YouTube... Is It Worth It For Musicians?
• 10 Tips To Get New Fans...
• Sabotage In The Music Industry... (Part 1)
• Sabotage In The Music Industry... (Part 2)
• Tall Poppy Syndrome
• My Gripe With MySpace Musicians

May 2008

• Repercussions Of Tall Poppy Syndrome
• When People Love To Hate You
• Devil Rears It's Ugly Head... (Part 1)
• Devil Rears It's Ugly Head... (Part 2)
• Every Cloud Has A Silver Lining...
• Who Is Right? Consumer Or Industry?
• It's Not What You Know, But Who You Know
• Breaking Into Commercial Radio
• Any Publicity Is Good Publicity... Right?
• Planning For A Showcase
• Big Strategy #1
• Burned From The Inside
• Slow Recovery... But Game On!
• Gimme More... (No, Not Britney!)
• The Wheels Are A-Turning...!
• Day Of The Showcase (Part 1)
• Day Of The Showcase (Part 2)
• The Show Must Go On
• Saga Of The Showcase - My Summary
• He Who Has The Power... Speak!
• Where To Now?
• How To Contact The Industry Bigwigs
• Not Every Day Is A Good Day
• Negativeland
• Theory: How To Sell Out A Show
• Being On The Same Page