Monday, February 28, 2011

2. Thou shalt have a product to market BEFORE you start promoting.

     Here we are back again for another installment of our TEN COMMANDMENTS of Indie Music!   Today we will be taking a look at one of the biggest mistakes i see out there. So without further ado, let's get started...

     You have booked a saturday night slot at the biggest club in your city.  You are playing with another band that has a great draw...  You have a great time slot. A killer set. Life could not get any better.... Right?


WRONG...

     You decided to start playing shows and you don't have T-shirts, a debut album, merch, a 5 song ep, not even business cards pointing to a website. YOU LOOSE.  THIS IS A BUSINESS.  Of course there will be startup costs to any business those of you out there with any level of financial sophistication are wondering if the costs incurred at these shows can be attributed to market research before you release any of the material....I have two words to say to such defeatism.

FUCK OFF....

     This is a business you shall take no losses to be just part of the game...Imagine if your in Los Angeles and you are even paying to be there in the first place.  Go ahead and do some quick calculations for the expenses you incur playing a standard show.


PAY TO PLAY (assuming no tickets sold)  $500.00

Gas/Transportation 
(4 members 20 miles (20 mpg) @ 3.75 a gallon   $15.00      

YOUR TIME
(you don't work for free do you? Union scale is near $75 hr.)
(4 members x 2 hours including setup tear down 8x$75)(or                $  960.00      

That's     $1475.00

                             OUCH!~
             


     $1475.00 that's crazy you say. No, that's what it costs you to take the gig. Expenses and opportunity costs.  Let's re-work it. Say that you sold 20/50 tickets at $10 each. You want to figure the pay scale as $100 a gig for each member. You all carpooled. lol.

$1475.00 - [200+{$960-(125x4)] = $815.00


     First of all If you pay to play just FUCK OFF AND DIE NOW....Second for that same amount of money you could have started your album. Put out an ad in Revolver magazine.   Hired a high end hooker...you get the idea.  Bottom line is this. You don't put the chicken in the fryer then turn it on... Get your package together. Get a cd out. Get your website up. Get on I-tunes. Create IT. THEN SELL IT.  You wanna play? START A COVER BAND. You want to make yourself into something new? DO IT RIGHT.


YOU DON"T ASK A GIRL OUT AND THEN LEAVE WITHOUT GIVING HER YOUR NUMBER, DO YOU? SO WHY PLAY A SHOW AND THEN LEAVE WITH NO CONNECTION MADE TO THE AUDIENCE, YOUR CUSTOMER?

Till next time...JM



Listen to some of my music here!
    

Midnight Reign: Never Look Back


Midnight Reign: Heaven and Hell - Single


Ellipsis: Tuesday


3 comments:

  1. I would imagine most musicians would go through stuff like this. Sounds like you needed to get out some rage.

    ReplyDelete
  2. This isn't for me..lol

    This is for all the ones out there who make these mistakes...

    ReplyDelete
  3. Ah yes well its good advice then :)

    ReplyDelete

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