In this day of Pro Tools on stage, quantising guitars to the beat in the studio, and syncing tempos for CDs, it is easy to forget that a good show, and therefore a musical career, starts with a great performance. And that performance, although coming from the heart and soul, will need a little refinement … Read more
Did you get a loud hum coming through the PA system at your last show? Or is there a persistent ‘zzzz’ sound in your rehearsal room, especially when plugging in certain bits of equipment? If so, you are experiencing ‘earth loop’ or ‘ground loop’ hum. All musicians recognise this sound (especially guitarists) and the way … Read more
Email marketing will help your fans to give you money. I recently read two posts on Music Business Worldwide that tackle the subject of getting fans to buy recorded music and concert tickets. Dave Cool’s post on the mistakes a lot of artists make with their websites is interesting and valid, especially his point about … Read more
Are you playing your first green-field music festival or outdoor show this summer? Not quite sure how it all works on the other side of the ‘Artists Only’ sign? Don’t worry; help is at hand. In an extract from my book on playing your first music festival, I am going to give you my tips … Read more
Get the gigs you need by reading this article. I have written another article for Music Connection magazine (thanks, Mark!) in which I discuss the need to set goals and do your research when trying to get those gigs. A take-away from the article is the need to show that you can really work with … Read more
The International Live Music Conference (ILMC) takes place every year in London, and attracts booking agents, concert promoters, artist managers, tech companies and suppliers from all over the world for three days of panels, workshops and networking events. Incorporated into the ILMC is the ILMC Production Meeting (IPM), a one-day conference, where specific concert production … Read more
Billy Reed, a tour manager, has written some great articles, detailing his approach to tour pre-production, advancing and other tour related activities, on his blog here. You will find this advice really useful, especially if you can’t afford a tour manager yet, and are doing all the pre-production for your shows yourself. He also relates … Read more
The booking agent’s job is to find the promoters, offer them a deal (or accept the promoters offer), issue a contract and sit back and wait until the commission comes in, yes? Well, that may be a popular view and it seems that booking agents are now more involved with the bands touring plans than … Read more
A student recently asked me answer some questions about concert tour management and live sound engineering to help her with a college project. I get a lot of these requests and am always happy to offer answers and advice (time permitting) and have even posted an FAQ to help with this type of research. However … Read more
