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....

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 :)

Time To Organise A Tour: Where To Begin?

I briefly mentioned it in my last post, but with the band's second album due out at the end of the year, it's time to think about organising a tour - at least of the North Island. Even though the end of the year is 6 months away, the time to start getting it sorted is right now.

Wow, it's going to be a lot of work - a lot of promotion, a lot of organising and a lot of learning. I think that the promotion is going to be the hardest part - how do you market a band in a brand new city? Or rather, half a dozen cities they have never played in. The best thing I can think of there is that it's important to try and get to a couple of those cities and play before the tour. Even if it's just once - just to get the name out there.

I don't know how big a part the internet could play with this - but I think it's a factor in promoting. Try and build the fan base online at least - let's face it, if they hear the music, love it then they might just be keen on coming to a live show.

Over the next 2 days we are going to be compiling a list of the cities/towns we want to visit, after that it's a matter of researching which particular venues would be most suitable. I have been thinking about how we can incorporate our plan - of how to sell out a show - into this tour, so that we end up with packed out venues and no loss of money. The only problem with that is getting those tickets "sold" before the show. Have a read here so that you know what I'm talking about. Will keep you updated as I go.

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.

Where To Now?

So... the showcase that we had been looking forward to for the past two months has been and gone. Over the past few days, I have felt very disappointed and frustrated with how I felt it all went. I have felt let down and was almost ready to throw in the towel, give it all up, and seek a 9 to 5 job that my family would consider 'normal'.

But then... I read the rave reviews the album has received... I see the emails STILL coming in asking when the boys are touring their country... and I hear the potential songs for the next album they are currently working on....! All of that keeps me going - I know that I have a rock band here that needs to be heard. A band that people are going to love - and that people do already love! I just need to get it out there. I always knew it was never going to be an easy ride...!

First thing I had to do was adjust my attitude. So I had some expectations that weren't met?! That's life. That's the nature of the industry - get over it! Move onwards and upwards. Half the reason I felt so down was because the showcase had been our latest goal - now we had achieved that, but I had set no other goal to work to towards achieving. Yes, we all know "goals" are important - if you don't have a goal in mind then that's something you need to sort out. Let's face it - goals motivate you, they challenge you, they keep you moving forward - always have one (or two!).

So, at this stage, I'm currently putting together a marketing plan. With everything that has happened, I figure that concentrating on their local fanbase here in New Zealand is one of the most important stages of that plan. Hence, that is my focus right now.

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...]

Gimme More.... (No, not Britney!)

Putting the subject of the showcase aside for this post, I thought it was about time to point out a very valid point that one might easily overlook in these particular circumstances.

This point: Never stop creating.

That's the beauty of having someone like me, a manager, to look after the business side of things - it allows the artist to keep on creating and do what they are good at. Because let's face it - if you are going to get anywhere in the music industry, you need to realise that there is more to it than just playing great songs! There's sooo much more to it! Yes, us managers are actually worth our 10%!! haha

So, back to it. Gimme more...!! No, not Britney Spears (though I must admit, I quite like a couple of her latest songs!) - but more songs, more riffs! Keep up those skills, keep creating new melodies, lyrics, riffs etc. Really work it and make each song better than the one before.

The artist I manage has been working on their second album - which I must say, is even better than the first! The tracks are absolutely awesome and I am very much looking forward to seeing that album go places! Strong hooks and good riffy feels! Lovin' it! I think they are on to a real winner with that one! And that's only 4 of the songs.

Basically, the idea is, to get about 20 or so tracks recorded as demo's - then we'll have a little party, check out the tracks and see if we can whittle it down to about 11 or 12 tracks to go on that second album. So good things abound...!

Counting down to showcase... 3 days to go! After the past week's drama, we want nothing else to go wrong! Lead singer is complaining he feels like he's coming down with something - I have dosed him up on Vitamin C & Echinaecia!!! So hopefully (fingers crossed) that stops any possible bug in it's tracks!

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: "It is not the hours we put in on the job, it is what we put into the hours that counts"

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"

Getting Radio Airplay.... Or Not!

Today is a wet, rainy day and it's Sunday, so thought I might just give you a recap on where I'm at so far.

I've been running an indie record label/management company full time for about 6 months now. I currently manage only one band at this stage as I would rather focus on one act that has 'hit' potential, rather than 3 that are just pretty good. I spend a lot of time doing the upkeep of all sites (website, Bebo, MySpace etc), replying to every message and every comment, commenting back, adding blogs etc. That alone is a full time job!

We put together a video for the first single this band released off their album, and posted it up on YouTube. Within 5 days it had received over 300,000 views! So I was pretty happy with that, considering that the biggest rock band here in New Zealand has only received 57,000 views! It proved to me that the public were loving it - we received a lot of honours on YouTube and the emails flowed in. It confirmed to me that we had hit the mark with choosing that first song.

So, using the YouTube feedback as our credibility I decided that one way or another, we need to get this song on air. I got hold of the name of every programme director at each radio station fitting the genre, called them and introduced myself. I mentioned that I would like to send them a copy of the album and a couple of weeks later, I called back to follow up. The result I got from them, collectively, were that it was "cheesy" and "wouldn't fit into the playlist" etc. CHEESY???? What the heck? Were they listening to the same track that I was? And the other 300,000 people? I was too polite to mention that many of the current tracks on their playlist were what I would term as "cheesy"! I have sinced learned that getting any kind of air play is a very political venture! In the music industry.. it is not WHAT you know, is is definitely WHO you know.

But... I wasn't about to stop there! No way were they going to knock me down and put me in my place. I was more determined than ever.... [to be continued..]

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: "Success is your responsibility. You will only accomplish what you believe you can and do what you think is possible"