The Manager’s Corner- February 2014
by Chris Daniels
I’ve managed my own band for 30 years. I’m in the Colorado Music Hall of Fame and we have 15 albums out so far. It’s been a fun career and it keeps developing. And despite the amazing changes in technology, success in the music business is built around some tried and true elements: great music & performance, really hard work and timing (often mistaken for luck). The book I wrote for my UCD class on artist management is called “DIY: You’re Not in it Alone” and that is exactly what you need to understand … there are a lot of us out there doing everything we can to survive…learn as much as you can from your peers.
Is your band, DJ, solo artist etc. booked for summer 2014? If not you are in trouble. Many young artists don’t understand the basics of the booking and presenting “timeline” for promoters, venues and festivals. The mistake is pretty easy to make…you are concentrating on getting all the tracks mixed and the record mastered. Then there is the artwork and the distribution and marketing. And in some cases young artists get so fixated on the CD Release Party or gig that they completely lose track of what it means to be a “presenter” (or the term the industry uses – the promoter) for summer shows, festivals, concert series and the like.
Before we get to the timeline question, here is a little background on Colorado that you really should know. NUMBER ONE, this area has got the best venues in just about any market in the world!! That is a fact, not just my happy-booster BS. The Billboard Award for best major concert venue was won by Red Rocks so many times that they retired Red Rocks from winning the award and named it after the venue. Plus an amazing group of venues from The Bluebird to the Fillmore – from Swallow Hill to Soiled Dove Underground – from Beta to The Fox and a hundred more that I did not mention – this area flippin ROCKS when it comes to live music. And that, my dear readers, is the tip of the old iceberg when it comes to the summer concert series. From New West Fest in Ft. Collins to the Parker Days Festival, every community, town, HOA, pool party and golf course has some kind of summer concert event. You, my dear friends and musicians, are living in Candy Land when it comes to gigs to play. But there are rules and young artists tend not to know them.
1st, the timeline: The annual Parks and Rec Booking Jamboree presented by Venture West Talent happens the end of January. This is the place where many Colorado cities, parks and concert series come to “shop” for their summer talent. By March 1, almost all of those series are booked. Each series had an application process (for example Boulder On The Bricks Concert Series has an online application) and some have specific agents they work with (like Skye from Skyline Talent) and some book directly with the artists. And here is a little known secret: many of these concert series and festivals have taken to booking their events as early as October of the year before they happen. Wonderful series like the Highland’s Ranch Concert Series are now contacting artists as early as September of 2013 for shows that will happen in the summer of 2014.
2nd, the process: People mistakenly think this is a political ‘who you know’ type of game. It is not. They are, for the most part, people who really love music and want to bring the very best performers to their community and festivals…but often times they are working within very difficult restraints. There is a “board” that makes the final decisions, or there is a one-year on and one-year off policy, or they are trying to book more national acts one year and more local acts the next, and there are always budget restrictions. The trick for young artists who are booking themselves is to never take that stuff personally. These good people are trying to bring the best entertainment to the people they serve – the music fans – and if they don’t work with you this year they might next.
So what do young artists need to do? (1) have a great stage show (2) get your poop in a group – a good website, facebook and twitter, and marketing outlets, great CD or tracks available including good YouTube and good promotional materials, (3) research, start now – watch for the summer concert series, festivals that have music, 4th of July Celebrations with music – you name it .. google it…find out the contact info …contact them about the series … find out how to apply for 2015 and check and see if they have any spots open for 2014 (4) talk to other artists who are playing these series, venues, festivals and gigs. It’s not about “opening” for them (most times they don’t have any control of that) it’s about who they work with, what they get paid (if they will tell you) and how you can contact the promoter directly. This is a good community and artists stick together and pass around gigs to each other so when somebody does you a good turn, do them one back.
Last but not least “playing G” – if your act starts out every concert with your song “Motherfucker got my AK” or “This fucking song is for all my pickup driving motor-boaters” you have a problem. George Carlin, Chris Rock and every great comic learned how to “play G” when they got that gig on the Tonight Show. This is no different. Most of these concert series and small festivals are ‘family events” – so figure out how to “play G” or you will never get the gig – or never be asked back.
Category: Shop Talk
Subscribe
If you enjoyed this article, subscribe to receive more just like it.
 |
 |
