OK we are meeting at this point in your career because of one of two things.
- You have contacted us looking for gigs. You can play your instrument and sing enough songs to fill a night’s entertainment at a local Hotel, Bar or Club. You are finding it harder to get gigs and have been referred to us to see if we would like to book you. I can tell you right now we would LOVE to book you.
- Or 2. You have just started gigging and are just not really sure where to start. You know it is not 100% about the music and are in the research phase of your new gigging project.
Welcome. Use this guide to help you get organised for the business part of your Music Business.
100% of our team are Artists who have performed a variety of gigs in the past – Covers and Originals. So we have all been where you are now. This is our 28th year of working in this particular music business. In this time we have crafted the most efficient model that you may find beneficial for YOUR own journey in this crazy insane industry.
There is no one size fits all answer. At every step you will ask yourself “Now What?” This Guide May Help 🙂
Start with a Vision
Why are you interested in being a performing artist in the first place? What is the story behind that desire? What do you think you will get out of it personally and professionally? Detail your Vision – every aspect – the Fantasy and the Nightmare.
Next Step is to find your Story
The story that is driving your vision will be a cornerstone in your music business so its wise to get to the bottom of it. Write it out. Talk it out. Record it out. Gig it out. Any way you can, be able to articulate it. Why do this? It helps with song writing. It helps with writing your bio. It helps with press interviews. It helps with marketing campaigns. Your story is your connection point to your fans. Get to know it. Your story will evolve along with your music business. Track it. Stay connected to it without being attached to it.
Set Your Goals
List everything that you wish to achieve. Create specific goals that you wish to achieve. Give them a time line to keep yourself on track and accountable to your vision. Note the action steps need to be taken in order to achieve these goals. Put a realistic Goal Timeline in place.
Make a Plan
What kind of music are you performing? Your own? Or are you covering someone else’s?
Both are important. One of the most important things you can do in an original music business is to cover other Artists in live gigs. This is like a gym work out. It tones every musical muscle. It trains you to be gig fit. It guides you to market trends. It gives you the opportunity to build your fan base, connect and engage and expand your market value. You learn more about yourself, your story, your vision and your talent when you are doing Cover Gigs. It is a vital foundation for any original music business as long as you stay focused on your long-term business plan. Playing in a covers music business also helps to fund your Original Projects – recordings, releases, tours, campaigns. One of the most important things you can do for your cover music business is to release your own original music. It provides you with another avenue of creative expression which is necessary both for your health and your business perspective. Both feed into each other. Both are necessary aspects of the Music Business as a whole. We encourage both.
Cover Music Plan
Check out as many other live music shows as you can. Look at a variety of genres and styles. Assess what the market trends are. See where you fit. Ascertain the best style for you – Rock, Country, Blues, Jazz, Hip Hop, Pop – or a combination of all. Review the market. What styles are working and where. If your plan is to gig as much as possible to earn as much money as possible to support your original music plan, then it is wise to select a style and repertoire that will be attractive to as many markets and audiences as possible. This is a business. Link every decision you make for your style, repertoire, market etc back to your Vision and your Story.
To be gig ready, you need these items as a bare minimum:
- A repertoire of at least 100 songs.
- Be able to fill at least five hours of music.
- Your own PA and Lights and a vehicle to transport it.
- A Music Business Brand
- Social Media for your Music Business Brand
Google – Set yourself up with a GMAIL address which is linked to Google Calendar, Drive, Photos, Docs, Hangouts. This way we can easily swap files, stay connected, maintain a current calendar, access your photos and upload your docs.
Mobile Phone
Emails, notes, Google Maps, Google Calendar, Your Accounts Program App Save all your contracts to your Google Drive and keep the current ones in your Email account so you can access all the details on your phone at the gig. Send the invoice directly after the gig from your phone to Pushworth or directly to the venue. Use Google Maps to get yourself to the gig. Use RACQ and BOM Apps to check the weather and travel times.
Contact Details
We need to know who is responsible for the band in terms of bookings, marketing, accounting and production. So make sure your Pitch gives us full names, email addresses and phone numbers. An agent will need one central communication point for bookings and that person will be the one who is the link between the band and the music business world.
Digital Marketing
We need to know everything about your on-line profile – Socials and Metrics. Your value as an artist is determined by three things – Digital, Local and On Stage. What you do on line is just as important as what you do on stage. The cost of Live Music at a venue actually forms part of the Venue’s promotional budget. Your purpose in many ways as the Live Music component is to attract bums on seats to buy tickets, meals, and drinks in the venue. So we need to show the venues how YOU will be marketing YOUR shows, what following you have and how wide your promotional reach is. In essence this is how you demonstrate your value as a professional gig ready artist. Your digital and local reach forms part of your on stage value and the fee the market pays you will be in accorded as such.
We need to know the structure of your band to ensure that the venue can accommodate you on stage. We need to know that a function in Cairns can accommodate the air fares and accommodation for your travel costs. We need to match your band up with the right gig in the right format.
Bio (Mini and Maxi)
We need a mini description for the Punters. We need a maxi description for the Buyers. It is critical for you as an artist to be able to clearly and succinctly articulate this information.
Punter Mini Description – no more than 8 lines – value to the punter
Buyer Maxi Description – no more than 2 paragraphs – value to the buyer
One paragraph about your style, genre, type and what kind of show you are offering. One paragraph about your achievements to date. The more you gig, the more these will change so we encourage you to re submit your Bio every six months, so we can ensure that any profile about you stays up to date and relevant.
Bio Guide
- Show Format – solo, duo, band
- Style – rock, jazz, country etc
- Demo – what eras do you cover
- Songs – what kind of music are you playing at the gig?
- Energy – Chilled, energetic, crazed, grooving, friendly, funny, terrifying etc
- Achievements – Chart Success, Appearance on a TV show of worth
- What do you offer the punter coming to see your show?
- Why would they come and see you and not some other artist who plays a similar song list?
- What do you do in your show that is interesting and different and makes a punter want to come to see you and then stay?
Avoid
- Where you live or have lived
- How long you have been gigging
- How your band met
- Who you have played with unless it is someone of Mainstream National/International Fame
- Giving your opinion about yourself – we are the best or simply entertaining
- General Stuff like “Shared the stage with the best” OR perfect for your wedding
Email a Google Drive link for your large digital assets as well as links to your latest Videos on You Tube.
High Resolution Professional Publicity Photographs – no text on them, unedited, not photoshopped and suitable for publication. Make sure the background is a solid colour and get your photographer to provide vector versions of main shots.
Show Song Lists
- Pub Gigs
- Club Gigs
- Weddings
- Private Parties
List songs in Alphabetics Order by Artist and send to us in Word.
OHS
Venues require all artists to provide the following at every performance:
- PUBLIC LIABILITY INSURANCE CERTIFICATE OF CURRENCY $10 MILLION
- SAFE WORK METHOD STATEMENT
- TAGGED AND TESTED LEADS IN THE PAST SIX MONTHS STATEMENT FROM A CERTIFIED ELECTRICIAN
Riders
- Hospitality
- Accomodation
- Production
- Back Line
- Flight and Baggage
Send them to us in Word.
Nichola Burton
Nichola Burton is the CEO of The Pushworth Group, Coach and Program Manager for Music Means Business, Event Manager and Producer, Artist Manager, Podcaster, Author, Musician and Vocalist in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia with over 30 years experience working with Musicians, Performers, developing Artists and coaching them through Marketing, Branding, Show and Business Management. She holds qualifications in Business and Front Line Management, Training and Workshop Delivery, Music Business Management and Piano and Voice from the Queensland Conservatorium of Music.
