A Few Tips That Could DOUBLE or TRIPLE Your Income At A Gig

POSTED BY: www.HowToBeASuccessfulWorkingMusician.com

Most musicians and/or bands don't realize the financial opportunities available to them at a gig.They incorrectly assume that the fee they receive is their only income. The problem is... that fee can be incredibly low or nonexistent at some venues.

That being said, how can you actually make money? The obvious answer is product! But... just having product "available" does not guarantee sales.

So how do you turn your product into cash?

You ACTIVELY sell it. Now I'm not talking about being pushy or obnoxious. I'm talking about sharing your passion and creating value with your fans.

When I say, ACTIVELY selling, that does not mean stacking your CDs on a table with the hope that people will pass by and purchase. Sure, some will, and you can make a little money that way.  But...consciously making an effort can yield tremendous results.

There are a few incredibly simple techniques that my friends and I have successfully used  to sell substantially more product at shows. I don't have room to list all of them, so I'll have to start with a few. (More next time!)

First of all... you have to realize that the people at your shows are your fans (or at least potential fans.) They are there to see YOU. They are spending their night out with YOU! They are a captive audience and they are open to suggestions. They WANT what you have. All you have to do is make it easy for them to get it. If you think about it, you're actually doing them a favor.

What most people don't realize or believe is that customers need guidance. They need to be told what to do. They/ WE actually PREFER it.

Everything I'm going to mention is not theory. This is EXACTLY what we did... and we saw immediate results. In fact, when we started implementing these techniques we weren't prepared for how well they would work. We sold out of our entire on hand stock in one night!

This happened at a show that a good friend of mine was doing. He had asked me to help him merchandise his stuff.  If you've listened to the interview in the course, then you're familiar with parts of the story already and you know who I'm referring to.

He is a really talented guy. His fans love him. And yes, he was selling a few CDs at his shows.  He, much like, most bands had a little table set up in the back of the room with a stack of cds.

But, with a few simple changes, he REALLY started selling CDs.

As you probably know... most bands set up their table in the back of the room because it's not in the way or in front of the stage. Sure, it makes sense, but here's how to do it much more effectively.

1. Put the table near the entrance. So the FIRST thing people see when they enter is the merchandise. It's imperative that someone is actually AT the table greeting, answering questions and talking about the product.
2. We put  a sign on the table that said he would be signing CDs after the show. The person at the table also "verbally" mentioned this and suggested they get their CDs now in case we ran out.

As a new artist, you may feel you're not "famous" enough to be signing anything. Get over that now! You'd be surprised just how much your fans appreciate this

.

Believe it or not you're doing your fans a favor. Now they don't have to get embarrassed about ASKING you for an autograph. You've offered. You just made it easy. Don't underestimate the passion or enthusiasm of your fans. You are NOT your own fan. Your fans respect you on a completely different level. You need to realize that.

Back to the story...

As the 1st set was ending. We sent some of our helpers around the room to remind guests that Josh would be at the merch table signing CDs. Of course, our helpers had CDs in hand that they offered for sale right then and there. We moved a lot that way. We also told the guests that even if they didn't want a CD, they should come by and say "hi," because Josh would love to meet them. (sort of a "meet & greet)

This had an incredible effect. Because what it did was made Josh seem friendly and approachable... WHICH HE IS! Josh loves meeting his fans. Most performers do. But sometimes fans can be shy.

One final thing we mentioned which, when it worked, surprised us all... We told the guests that if they wanted to meet Josh, they should form a line along the wall near the table. We were flabbergasted when a line actually formed. There they stood... in line... with cash and/or CDs in hand ready to be signed. It was unbelievable. The thing is... once the line formed, it only got bigger.

Two things were at play here.

1. The fact is, customers, consumers, fans, etc. Whether we believe it or not, we like being told what to do. It's just easier. We gave them the plan of action. They simply followed our directions and were happy to do it.
2. People want what they don't have... AND what they think others want. Once that line formed, the people we HADN'T talked to got interested and the line grew!

Clubs have been using this technique for years. Put a line outside the door and EVERYBODY wants to get in.

Again,these are just a few changes we made that yielded fantastic results. But these little changes really did make a difference. I'll have more next time.

Points to remember...

You can't do this alone. You will need help from a few friends... call them your "MERCH CREW". If they need motivation or an incentive, give them a percentage of what they sell.

Remember. Don't be pushy. That's not what I'm talking about.  It's NOT a hard sell approach. It's a passionate approach... a genuine approach. If you LOVE what you do... and your fans love you, then THEY will LOVE what you do, (ie. your product.)

Your product It's a little piece of YOU that they can take home. And if you make it personal by signing it, your fan's connection and value has gone up 10 FOLD. You've given them something personal and a memory to go along with it. Your fans may not remember all the songs your performed at your show, but the WILL remember how you made them feel. Don't underestimate the value in that.

We're just getting started. More working tips next time...

-Sean

Sean Carbone is Los Angeles based composer and educator.

Get your music career on track here: www.howtobeasuccessfulworkingmusician.com

Music Publishing is a Mind F#%K!

Music copyright is an important thing to protect - and also happens to be one of the least understood areas of the industry, though it holds potential for big profits and large losses if it isn't handled right.

I came across this book, much like any other... with low expectations. Usually books on the music business are only good for two things... insomnia and doorstops. But this one pleasantly surprised me.

First of all, the introduction is by Tom Petty, a musician, I truly respect. So, there's that.

Secondly, the author, a songwriter in his own right, seems to have a way of easily conveying complex ideas almost effortlessly. He's even funny.

If you know nothing about music publishing. This is your book. You'll be amazed at what you don't know. If you DO know something about music publishing. This is your book. You'll be amazed at what you don't know.

This book demystifies everything about music publishing.

The title says it all. It's EXACTLY that. It's surprisingly easy to read and actually makes sense out of the complex inner working of music publishing.

This is a MUST HAVE reference book for all songwriters.

YES, you can still profit from your music even in an age of digital distribution. 

Go get em.

Unbelievably Easy Music Creation Software For Under $40

Unbelievably Easy Music Creation Software 

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7 Reasons Why No One Is Coming To Your Shows

7 REASONS Why No One Is Coming To Your Shows

#3 is the key... and it's what we teach in our How To Be A Successful Working Musician Audio Course.

www.howtobeasuccessfulworkingmusician.com

Don't Blame Your Gear. Get A New Excuse!

I must confess, I'm a bit of gear junkie. I love gadgets… old and new.

I've had studio gear since I was a kid. I've had large mixing boards, keyboards, guitars, outboard gear… you name it, plug ins of all kinds and tons of real synths.

That's why this event was such a shock to me.

I saw a listing on one of those music submission sites.  A publisher was looking for an uptempo pop tune. I had an existing tune I thought might work, except the tune was a slow acoustic type neo folk song. 

I figured I could to revamp the whole thing. I quickly created a mock-up in Apple Garage Band with fake guitars, loops and soft synths. I sped up the tempo and added a current sounding pop beat. I ended up changing the key too. Changing the key and tempo meant that I had to digitally alter the vocal. To me, it sounded a little weird, but it was ok for reference.

My plan was to have my guitar player redo the fake guitar tracks and get the singer to come back and redo the track, but time was running out on the listing. I submitted the track as is, with a note explaining that it was a demo.

You can imagine my surprise, when I got an email back saying it was perfect AS IS.

I wrote back saying I would be happy to fix the vocal and replace the guitar. The publisher wrote back asking why I would change anything. He said the vocal sounded current and guitar playing was great.

LESSON #1: Don't talk down your work or make excuses ever. Apparently, whatever I had capture inadvertently was magic. The odd vocal and the fake guitar sounded completely intentional… like cool effects.The song sounded current and unique.

LESSON #2 It's not the gear. Although I have some fantastic equipment, I didn't use any of it. I did the whole thing on a lap top in garage band… recorded, mixed, mastered. That's the version they took.

BOTTOM LINE: No more excuses. If you have the talent and drive you can do it with the gear you have. Now, Go MAKE MAGIC!

Sean Carbone is Los Angeles based composer and educator.

Get your music career on track here: www.howtobeasuccessfulworkingmusician.com

Are You Tired of People Wanting To Use Your Music For Free?

Great letter written to a company who wanted to use the artist's music for free.

Amidst the ongoing discussions about the value of music, British alt/rock/tronica artist Whitey has had enough of being asked to donate his music for free to large companies who, by rights, can and should be paying him. After receiving one such email from a company called Betty TV, Whitey, aka NJ White, wrote this caustic response:

I am sick to death of your hollow schtick, of the inevitable line “unfortunately there’s no budget for music”, as if some fixed Law Of The Universe handed you down a sad but immutable financial verdict preventing you from budgeting to pay for music. Your company set out the budget. so you have chosen to allocate no money for music. I get begging letters like this every week - from a booming, allfuent global media industry.

Why is this? Let’s look at who we both are.

I am a professional musician, who lives from his music. It took me half a lifetime to learn the skills, years to claw my way up the structure, to the point where a stranger like you will write to me. This music is my hard earned property. I've licensed music to some of the biggest shows, brands, games and TV production companies on Earth; form Breaking Bad to the Sopranos, from Coca Cola to Visa, HBO to Rockstar Games.

Ask yourself - would you approach a Creative or a Director with a resume like that - and in one flippant sentence ask them to work for nothing? Of course not. Because your industry has a precedent of paying these people, of valuing their work.

Or would you walk into someone’s home, eat from their bowl, and walk out smiling, saying “So sorry, I’ve no budget for food”? Of course you would not. Because, culturally, we classify that as theft.

Yet the culturally ingrained disdain for the musician that riddles your profession, leads you to fleece the music angle whenever possible. You will without question pay everyone connected to a shoot - from the caterer to the grip to the extra- even the cleaner who mopped your set and scrubbed the toilets after the shoot will get paid. The musician? Give him nothing.

Now let's look at you. A quick glance at your website reveals a variety of well known, internationally syndicated reality programmes, You are a successful, financially solvent and globally recognised company with a string of hit shows. Working on multiple series in close co-operation with Channel 4, from a West London office, with a string of awards under your belt. You have real money, to pretend otherwise is an insult.

Yet you send me this shabby request - give me your property for free… Just give us what you own, we want it.

The answer is a resounding, and permanent NO.

I will now post this on my sites, forward this to several key online music sources and blogs, encourage people to re-blog this. I want to see a public discussion begin about this kind of industry abuse of musicians… this was one email too far for me. Enough. I’m sick of you.

FUCK and indeed YES.

You can see the original screen grab of this email on Whitey’s Facebook page. As Whitey is at pains to point out, he has no problem donating his music for free to companies who literally cannot afford to pay him. He told me this via email earlier today:

I don’t want payment for everything. I don’t even care that much about money, I give away my music all the time. You and I live in a society where filesharing is the norm. I’m fine with that.

But i don’t give my music away to large, affluent companies who wish to use it to make themselves more money. Who can afford to pay, but who smell the filesharing buffet and want to grab themselves a free plate. That is a different scenario.

So what do you think? I completely agree, but I’m sure there’s DM readers who don’t. Are artists and musicians simply behind the times to ask that their music be paid for by large companies? What do you think Whitey’s music IS worth?


www.howtobeasuccessfulworkingmusician.com

A Great article on Film Composer Hans Zimmer

A Great Article on Film Composer Hans Zimmer

CLICK HERE FOR ARTICLE

You’ll find composer Michael A. Levine on Facebook and IMDb. His website is MichaelLevineMusic.com