I wish you all a happy easter. I will be updating the blog very soon. As soo as Army of Mice Record is Complete... Thanks for your patience.
A Glimpse into the life of a DIY Music Entrepreneur.
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Thou shalt not even say the word "tour" until you can grasp the numbers.
Commandment Number Three in our ten installment series is about the fantasy that is touring...Oh and hello, i know i've been gone a while but i have been really busy. Making music is still more important than writing about it...
First off, if you live anywhere west of the Mississippi river your fucked from the start.
The Miles you have to logue to get from one major music market to the next are just
too great. The gas prices alone are going to destroy your bottom line. Stay in the city you live or the one closest to you until you have some major tour support.
If you really want to strike out there is a list of things that you must know first.
1. How many miles are you logging, and how is the tour routed. You will get an estimate or your fuel costs. Forget about hotels, or a driver.
2. Will the club advertise, promote, provide backline ect.
Everything they don't provide you will, and that will cost you time and/or money. Two things a band on the road does not have any to spare.
3. Who is advancing the show. You need one person to contact the venues and press.
Street team if you have it should have flyers ready to be dispersed in each city at the right time.
4. How much merch can you carry?
5. How will we pay the rent while we are on the road????????
ok...break time...
OK some quick numbers....
Let's say you have planned a 5 day tour in California. You'll do a show every night because your bad-ass like that.
Wednesday: Los Angeles Play the whisky they don't charge bands too much on the weekdays.
Thursday: San Diego
Friday: Pheonix AZ
Saturday: Laughlin NV
Sunday: Las Vegas NV
OK so let's talk $$$
The Mileage looks like this:
THURS-125 miles
FRI-355
SAT- 287
SUN-266
TOTAL = 1033
Your renting a van to get your band and gear. I'll be generous and give you 15 mpg.
1033 divided by 15 = 68.87 x $4 a gallon...
$275.48
Van rental for a week will run about $300(with mileage) if you get a cheap one from uhaul...
Close to $600 and no ones eaten yet.
So that's a lot of cd's and merchandise to sell just to not make any money.
I'm not trying to discourage anyone from trying this...
Consider me like your Musical SEC i want you to be aware of the risks.
Cheers...
Check out the new website:
http://www.hrxrecords.com/
click below.
First off, if you live anywhere west of the Mississippi river your fucked from the start.
The Miles you have to logue to get from one major music market to the next are just
too great. The gas prices alone are going to destroy your bottom line. Stay in the city you live or the one closest to you until you have some major tour support.
If you really want to strike out there is a list of things that you must know first.
1. How many miles are you logging, and how is the tour routed. You will get an estimate or your fuel costs. Forget about hotels, or a driver.
2. Will the club advertise, promote, provide backline ect.
Everything they don't provide you will, and that will cost you time and/or money. Two things a band on the road does not have any to spare.
3. Who is advancing the show. You need one person to contact the venues and press.
Street team if you have it should have flyers ready to be dispersed in each city at the right time.
4. How much merch can you carry?
5. How will we pay the rent while we are on the road????????
ok...break time...
OK some quick numbers....
Let's say you have planned a 5 day tour in California. You'll do a show every night because your bad-ass like that.
Wednesday: Los Angeles Play the whisky they don't charge bands too much on the weekdays.
Thursday: San Diego
Friday: Pheonix AZ
Saturday: Laughlin NV
Sunday: Las Vegas NV
OK so let's talk $$$
The Mileage looks like this:
THURS-125 miles
FRI-355
SAT- 287
SUN-266
TOTAL = 1033
Your renting a van to get your band and gear. I'll be generous and give you 15 mpg.
1033 divided by 15 = 68.87 x $4 a gallon...
$275.48
Van rental for a week will run about $300(with mileage) if you get a cheap one from uhaul...
Close to $600 and no ones eaten yet.
So that's a lot of cd's and merchandise to sell just to not make any money.
I'm not trying to discourage anyone from trying this...
Consider me like your Musical SEC i want you to be aware of the risks.
Cheers...
Check out the new website:
http://www.hrxrecords.com/
click below.
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!
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!
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
1. Thou shalt treat thy career like a business.
Last week i posted a blog detailing the TEN COMMANDMENTS of Indie Music. Throughout the coming weeks we will visit each commandment one by one. You will learn what actions and inaction will cause pain, and which ones will result in cause for celebration.
WOE UNTO YOU THAT DISREGARD THE TEN COMMANDMENTS!
Today we will look at the first commandment: Thou shalt treat thy career like a business.
First off we you must honestly answer the question; "Does anyone in the band really know what they are doing when it comes to business?" If the answer is yes, then great! More often than not you'll be in a band that has not one member experienced in the realm of accounting, marketing, pr, business plans, financing, law. You are lucky if one of you can pay your cell phone bill with any regularity.
This article is for you. It would take several volumes of literature to cover everything that needs to be touched in those few topics. I will skim here and leave you with the legwork.
Your best friend at this point is the Library. Go There now. Get a book on each of those subjects.
I cannot give legal advice here and remember nothing written here is to be construed as an attempt to do such, but get together as a band write down everything you expect out of each other, what you plan on doing with any assets or revenue that comes in, and how someone might be deprived of such. Write it down, type it up, take it to a notary and sign it. Use this as your ad hoc agreement until you can find a lawyer....TAKE YOUR TIME WITH THIS.
visit her at: HRX.com
In parting i will say one more thing: LEARN QUICKBOOKS,PHOTOSHOP, ACT!, and your Recording software of choice. These are your tools. For now...
TO GO BACK AND READ OVER THE REST OF THE TEN CLICK HERE:
http://josephmichaelmusic.blogspot.com/2011/02/ten-commandments.html
WOE UNTO YOU THAT DISREGARD THE TEN COMMANDMENTS!
Today we will look at the first commandment: Thou shalt treat thy career like a business.
First off we you must honestly answer the question; "Does anyone in the band really know what they are doing when it comes to business?" If the answer is yes, then great! More often than not you'll be in a band that has not one member experienced in the realm of accounting, marketing, pr, business plans, financing, law. You are lucky if one of you can pay your cell phone bill with any regularity.
This article is for you. It would take several volumes of literature to cover everything that needs to be touched in those few topics. I will skim here and leave you with the legwork.
Your best friend at this point is the Library. Go There now. Get a book on each of those subjects.
I cannot give legal advice here and remember nothing written here is to be construed as an attempt to do such, but get together as a band write down everything you expect out of each other, what you plan on doing with any assets or revenue that comes in, and how someone might be deprived of such. Write it down, type it up, take it to a notary and sign it. Use this as your ad hoc agreement until you can find a lawyer....TAKE YOUR TIME WITH THIS.
visit her at: HRX.com
In parting i will say one more thing: LEARN QUICKBOOKS,PHOTOSHOP, ACT!, and your Recording software of choice. These are your tools. For now...
TO GO BACK AND READ OVER THE REST OF THE TEN CLICK HERE:
http://josephmichaelmusic.blogspot.com/2011/02/ten-commandments.html
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