Musician 101 #8- Music Festivals

Tim Wenger | March 1, 2014 | 0 Comments

What to do to take it to the next level

by the Swami

Back in the 90’s when I had a developmental deal with Sony, I was privileged to have several great mentors. Then the labels still had A/R departments and would look for talented artists to sign and then “train” to be a pro. For me, I was lucky enough to have such encounters. Here in this monthly column I will share with you not only the things I learned from “the big boys” but really from the school of hard knocks and the other school of figuring out what not to do.

Each month I will pick a different topic that I think truly makes the difference between amateur and professional.

Music Festivals – do’s and don’ts.

Being part of a music festival can be a very rewarding thing…or not. Here are some pointers:

Submission: Be as early as you can. Most active ongoing festivals start accepting submissions almost immediately after the current event. Use their website as most festivals require you to fill out a form. Don’t try to be part of a festival you don’t fit into! Don’t submit if you don’t have a draw or think you can’t bring fans. Festival promoters due their diligence on you and will “x” you off quickly if you don’t have the proper credentials. (see next topic)

Credentials: Make sure you have an active and up to date website. Do you have a large following on Facebook and Twitter? Promoters weigh heavily on both of those. Do you have a digital EPK (Electronic Press Kit) available for them to download? Are you willing to get on the radar by playing for free (let them know that if so). Do you have song examples easily found on your web portals? By just having one weak link here, you can easily get dismissed.

Doing your part: So you got in! Promoters will be watching you very carefully on how you promote the event. Make sure you do all you can to engage your fans and potential audience to attend. Your bottom line of respect and pay are predicated on it. Ask the promotion team if you can assist in any way. Many times, festivals have street teams and can provide materials for you to hand out. Some festivals ask you to pre-sell tickets using a web code or by them providing hard-copy tickets. Do all you can to drive traffic. You will get much more respect before you even enter the festival grounds if you have sold well on pre-sale tickets. And always be early to everything you do! The reasons are obvious. Make sure you have a stage plot turned over to the right group handling sound. Make sure your equipment is ready, you have extra guitars, chords, drum heads, etc. Last thing you want is to be unprepared.

Got a question or a topic to cover? Hit me up [email protected] – I am here to help!