Bluewine Posted September 19, 2019 Share Posted September 19, 2019 What are your thoughts on keeping your band busy with work. What are the pros and cons of both approaches. A seat of the pants approach might be fine for the band whose goal is to gig sporadically, a gig here a gig there.. But for those looking for a steady stream of gigs a good stratagy with a strong infrastructure might work better. Blue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bassalarky Posted September 19, 2019 Share Posted September 19, 2019 Seat of pants - short term, infrastructure and strategy - long term? Personally I prefer structure, tend to be better prepared in many ways but then I'm not much into improvising on the bass. Having said that, I've just taken 3 gigs in December with no planned rehearsals but good pay! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozz196 Posted September 19, 2019 Share Posted September 19, 2019 Structure - we’ve got bookings solidly until May next year, with others sporadically after that, but that’s being added to all the time. If anything we try to keep some time free for when the opportunity for tours/overseas come in. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluewine Posted September 19, 2019 Author Share Posted September 19, 2019 We're networked with structure. Bookings through March 2020. But we depend too much on " call in" business. Blue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluewine Posted September 19, 2019 Author Share Posted September 19, 2019 We're networked with structure. Bookings through March 2020. But we depend too much on " call in" business. Blue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluewine Posted September 19, 2019 Author Share Posted September 19, 2019 It's interesting because Ill see ads for start ups that will say; " We plan on being out gigging by March" And when you ask about details about where tbe gigs come from and how you plan on getting gigs , you get " I know a guy thay will let us play at "Smokey Joe's" So you want 5 months of rehearsals out of me for 1 one off gig? Blue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluewine Posted September 19, 2019 Author Share Posted September 19, 2019 I just recieved this text: "Confirmed,Harley Davidson's The MotorJan 25th, 5:30-8:30" We have been working with Harley for several years mostly outdoor summer Ralleys. We were able to build that relation and now have steady bookings at The Motor which is a part of. The Harley Museum. Don't get me wrong weve built some relationships that have gotten us nowhere. Blue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Jack Posted September 19, 2019 Share Posted September 19, 2019 Silvie and I put a helluva lot of work into getting gigs. We plan it like a military campaign ... there's a strategy (what sort of gigs to aim for, and in what geographical region), there's tactics (who says what when we get into the venue, and which marketing materials to show), and there's logistics (make each raid as efficient as possible, plan a route that gets us to the right places as quickly as possible and at the smallest expense). I play in two bands, each of which does about 30 gigs a year, and every single one of those gigs is brought in by us. Despite endless talk about their efforts, no other band member in either band brings in anything at all. Trouble is, that's largely our fault ... the more you do for people, the more they'll let you do. We've found most agents to be an incompetent waste of time, and most websites to be an expensive waste of time. There's no real substitute for actually going to the venue and talking to the people in charge, and if you bring in the gigs by schmoozing those people then they become your contacts and will be there to talk to when you need them. Being persistent, patient and polite also helps ... there are pubs that only gave us gigs on our third or even fourth visit. The one guaranteed fail is to think of landlords as being lying scum who are out to rip you off. We've met one or two who would match that description, but dozens and dozens who are friendly, hard-working people with very little time and a lot of pressure to deal with. By and large, we find they respond really well to bands who are honest and friendly with them. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silvia Bluejay Posted September 19, 2019 Share Posted September 19, 2019 And while we're on the subject of agents/agencies, Jack and I very recently laughed out loud at one website that stated that they will take between 15 and 20% of your fee for any gig they get you, but strongly recommend not to increase your prices to cover the agency's cut, or you will price yourself out of the market. You couldn't make it up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silvia Bluejay Posted September 19, 2019 Share Posted September 19, 2019 (edited) Incidentally, we have gigs booked for December 2020, as well as the rest of 2020. Edited September 19, 2019 by Silvia Bluejay 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluewine Posted September 20, 2019 Author Share Posted September 20, 2019 2 hours ago, Happy Jack said: Silvie and I put a helluva lot of work into getting gigs. We plan it like a military campaign ... there's a strategy (what sort of gigs to aim for, and in what geographical region), there's tactics (who says what when we get into the venue, and which marketing materials to show), and there's logistics (make each raid as efficient as possible, plan a route that gets us to the right places as quickly as possible and at the smallest expense). I play in two bands, each of which does about 30 gigs a year, and every single one of those gigs is brought in by us. Despite endless talk about their efforts, no other band member in either band brings in anything at all. Trouble is, that's largely our fault ... the more you do for people, the more they'll let you do. We've found most agents to be an incompetent waste of time, and most websites to be an expensive waste of time. There's no real substitute for actually going to the venue and talking to the people in charge, and if you bring in the gigs by schmoozing those people then they become your contacts and will be there to talk to when you need them. Being persistent, patient and polite also helps ... there are pubs that only gave us gigs on our third or even fourth visit. The one guaranteed fail is to think of landlords as being lying scum who are out to rip you off. We've met one or two who would match that description, but dozens and dozens who are friendly, hard-working people with very little time and a lot of pressure to deal with. By and large, we find they respond really well to bands who are honest and friendly with them. Thanks Happy Jack, Great commentary, just the kind of stuff I was looking for. Blue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluewine Posted September 20, 2019 Author Share Posted September 20, 2019 Here's something none of us should forget about. Always be super gracious, humble and nice to the owners and staff. I know there's some jerks out there but overall it's a good protocol and all band members should be on board. Blue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluewine Posted September 20, 2019 Author Share Posted September 20, 2019 2 hours ago, Silvia Bluejay said: And while we're on the subject of agents/agencies, Jack and I very recently laughed out loud at one website that stated that they will take between 15 and 20% of your fee for any gig they get you, but strongly recommend not to increase your prices to cover the agency's cut, or you will price yourself out of the market. You couldn't make it up. In my neck of the woods there are maybe 2 big agencies and they mainly cater to the well known cover bands that have been around for years. These agencies also own the sound and light companies. They can book $1,200.00 shows however when you pay $700.00- $800.00 for sound and lights they're not making anymore money than us. We have our own sound and lights Blue 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluewine Posted September 20, 2019 Author Share Posted September 20, 2019 2 hours ago, Silvia Bluejay said: Incidentally, we have gigs booked for December 2020, as well as the rest of 2020. Thats fantastic! Blue 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silvia Bluejay Posted September 20, 2019 Share Posted September 20, 2019 7 hours ago, Bluewine said: In my neck of the woods there are maybe 2 big agencies and they mainly cater to the well known cover bands that have been around for years. These agencies also own the sound and light companies. They can book $1,200.00 shows however when you pay $700.00- $800.00 for sound and lights they're not making anymore money than us. We have our own sound and lights Blue Looks like having to hire lights etc. on top of agency fees is a bit of a rip-off, and to avoid like the plague. We have our own lights too, and we have our own PA and sound engineer (me). I am actually taking this pretty seriously now, and reading books and learning from every gig. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluewine Posted September 20, 2019 Author Share Posted September 20, 2019 (edited) 8 hours ago, Silvia Bluejay said: Looks like having to hire lights etc. on top of agency fees is a bit of a rip-off, and to avoid like the plague. We have our own lights too, and we have our own PA and sound engineer (me). I am actually taking this pretty seriously now, and reading books and learning from every gig. Good for you. Honestly you can make a lot more money providing and running sound than playing bass. Blue Edited September 20, 2019 by Bluewine 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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