Reality Check... check one two... check...
Posted on February 28, 2010 with 0 comments
Greetings again from Glass Ceiling Music. The time has come again to post a little philosophical banter about the reality we all face in this industry.
Are you band or are you a brand? Successful bands will always seek out new and creative ways (with respect to those ways that already are working) to create brand awareness. As an artist you have to realize that your band is a brand. Just like Tide Laundry Soap or Pepsi Cola. Any person with the slightest level of marketing education knows that brand loyalty is one of the largest keys to the success of any product. Your band is no exception. Staying with the Tide example, Safeway may advertise a sale on Tide to help bring consumers into their store. But if no one has any idea what Tide is... why would Safeway advertise their product is being sold at Safeway. They would choose a different product that people know. Why? Because Tide is marketing the product and Safeway is marketing where consumers can get that product.
The same is true in the music industry. You are supposed to market your band and let the show promoter promote the event itself. Show me the band that relies on the event promoter to promote the band and I will show you a band not worth promoting. Show me a promoter spending thier resources to promote a band and I will show you a promoter that is working with bands that do not deserve to be on the bill. But wait, it is not always the bands that are delusional. Show me the promoter that spends their resources promoting the venue and alcohol sales and I wil show you a promoter that is nothing more than an extension of the venue's marketing plan. Finally, show me the venue/bar that will let you on the bill, sight unseen, sound unheard and I will show you a venue that sees you as that nights potential alcohol sales, nothing else.
Most of you may not remember 80's local artists like Culprit or Rail, but you could learn a lot from their plan of attack. They played a circuit of roller rinks and race tracks to get exposure. They promoted themselves to everyone, everywhere, every chance they had. They did not need alcohol served at their events to get people to listen to them. They actually had music you could listen to sober. Bottom line is that they busted their asses and at a local level it paid off. To learn more about the history these two local bands made, stop by the EMP in Seattle (where they are encased in glass).
Ok, so I hope that point has been driven into your artistically challenged brains (that is actually a compliment). Here is point two of this story. Opportunity.
When a company comes along and offers you an opportunity to play, you have two choices. Take it or leave it. The one choice you do not have (if you want to keep getting offers) is to drag your feet on it. If you accept a show, be it in a bar, a theater or a festival, please do everyone a favor and bust your ass to promote it. If not the event, at least promote your band and that you will be there. If you do not know how, ask. Chances are that whoever gave you this opportunity will give you plenty of suggestions. As a band you should do everything you can possibly do to ensure that you will be looked to again for future shows. Also, your ability to attract a crowd should lead you to bigger opportunities with even more companies in the future. Though you may argue this, if you can manage to get 500+ to actually come to an event to see you play (consistently), then and only then can you demand your own terms of compensation (time for your own attorney). Anything less may be a result of any combination of outside factors and does not entitle you to anything unless you have a contract or agreement otherwise.
Moving on...
The last point I want to hit this time around is called devaluation. Devaluation is the loss of value associated with your band. Using the Tide case above, should it be found that tide is actually not as good as they say, people will choose an alternative and the desire for Safeway to mention that they sell Tide will go down. Likewise, if your band is not really what you make it out to be, consumers will likely choose from the thousands of other bands over you. Furthermore, should it be found that Tide is doing their own sale (below cost at that) at some little store down the street the week before Safeway has their sale (just above cost), then Safeway would be very foolish to consider using Tide in this or any future promotional advertising. Plug this into your translator and you may finally understand why booking your own small show just a week or two before the big opportunity you already committed yourselves to is devastating to the company putting on the bigger event. Why would anyone pay a premium to see your band next week when they can see you this week for next to free? Any band that devalues their own brand does not deserve the respect of future opportunities from the company offering the bigger opportunity and should not expect to get offers of that nature any time soon. For some reason many bands think they can do everything themselves. If that were true, then why are nearly all of them still playing in the same bars years and years later? Why are so many of them without a real label, or air play on even a college station or local hour, or invited to the big local music events (not paying to be a part of them)?
I was told many years ago, “If you keep thinking like you always thought, you will keep getting what you always got”. It is time to re-frame reality people. At least that’s what I think. As always, your feedback is always welcome.
-T
Are you band or are you a brand? Successful bands will always seek out new and creative ways (with respect to those ways that already are working) to create brand awareness. As an artist you have to realize that your band is a brand. Just like Tide Laundry Soap or Pepsi Cola. Any person with the slightest level of marketing education knows that brand loyalty is one of the largest keys to the success of any product. Your band is no exception. Staying with the Tide example, Safeway may advertise a sale on Tide to help bring consumers into their store. But if no one has any idea what Tide is... why would Safeway advertise their product is being sold at Safeway. They would choose a different product that people know. Why? Because Tide is marketing the product and Safeway is marketing where consumers can get that product.
The same is true in the music industry. You are supposed to market your band and let the show promoter promote the event itself. Show me the band that relies on the event promoter to promote the band and I will show you a band not worth promoting. Show me a promoter spending thier resources to promote a band and I will show you a promoter that is working with bands that do not deserve to be on the bill. But wait, it is not always the bands that are delusional. Show me the promoter that spends their resources promoting the venue and alcohol sales and I wil show you a promoter that is nothing more than an extension of the venue's marketing plan. Finally, show me the venue/bar that will let you on the bill, sight unseen, sound unheard and I will show you a venue that sees you as that nights potential alcohol sales, nothing else.
Most of you may not remember 80's local artists like Culprit or Rail, but you could learn a lot from their plan of attack. They played a circuit of roller rinks and race tracks to get exposure. They promoted themselves to everyone, everywhere, every chance they had. They did not need alcohol served at their events to get people to listen to them. They actually had music you could listen to sober. Bottom line is that they busted their asses and at a local level it paid off. To learn more about the history these two local bands made, stop by the EMP in Seattle (where they are encased in glass).
Ok, so I hope that point has been driven into your artistically challenged brains (that is actually a compliment). Here is point two of this story. Opportunity.
When a company comes along and offers you an opportunity to play, you have two choices. Take it or leave it. The one choice you do not have (if you want to keep getting offers) is to drag your feet on it. If you accept a show, be it in a bar, a theater or a festival, please do everyone a favor and bust your ass to promote it. If not the event, at least promote your band and that you will be there. If you do not know how, ask. Chances are that whoever gave you this opportunity will give you plenty of suggestions. As a band you should do everything you can possibly do to ensure that you will be looked to again for future shows. Also, your ability to attract a crowd should lead you to bigger opportunities with even more companies in the future. Though you may argue this, if you can manage to get 500+ to actually come to an event to see you play (consistently), then and only then can you demand your own terms of compensation (time for your own attorney). Anything less may be a result of any combination of outside factors and does not entitle you to anything unless you have a contract or agreement otherwise.
Moving on...
The last point I want to hit this time around is called devaluation. Devaluation is the loss of value associated with your band. Using the Tide case above, should it be found that tide is actually not as good as they say, people will choose an alternative and the desire for Safeway to mention that they sell Tide will go down. Likewise, if your band is not really what you make it out to be, consumers will likely choose from the thousands of other bands over you. Furthermore, should it be found that Tide is doing their own sale (below cost at that) at some little store down the street the week before Safeway has their sale (just above cost), then Safeway would be very foolish to consider using Tide in this or any future promotional advertising. Plug this into your translator and you may finally understand why booking your own small show just a week or two before the big opportunity you already committed yourselves to is devastating to the company putting on the bigger event. Why would anyone pay a premium to see your band next week when they can see you this week for next to free? Any band that devalues their own brand does not deserve the respect of future opportunities from the company offering the bigger opportunity and should not expect to get offers of that nature any time soon. For some reason many bands think they can do everything themselves. If that were true, then why are nearly all of them still playing in the same bars years and years later? Why are so many of them without a real label, or air play on even a college station or local hour, or invited to the big local music events (not paying to be a part of them)?
I was told many years ago, “If you keep thinking like you always thought, you will keep getting what you always got”. It is time to re-frame reality people. At least that’s what I think. As always, your feedback is always welcome.
-T