Great gigs for first timers

Whether a band or a solo artist, every performer has to start somewhere when it comes to performing live shows, even if these initial gigs aren’t always the most exciting or glamorous. Once you’re off-book with a solid time block of material, here are a few great “early” gigs you should try and play.

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Streaming won’t make up for the revenue lost by the lack of live gigs.

The Covid-19 pandemic boosted online music consumption like never before. Universal Music Group has recently reported that their streaming and subscription revenues grew by 15% to $4B in 2020, meaning they generated around $11M each day from streaming alone.

The market seems to be skyrocketing, streaming is praised as more democratic for all artists, it all sounds great in theory. But the question remains: can an artist (or label) rely solely on streaming for income?

I don’t think so.

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5 Essential Elements For Setting Up Your Own Stage For A Gig

If you want your gig to go well, you have to set up the stage properly. Failing to do so may cause a few mishaps that could have easily been avoided. Here are five essential elements for setting up your own stage for a gig.

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7 Cases When An Intimate Concert Beats A Large One

Whether it’s a special occasion, like album release or anniversary show, or just a one-off fun time, sometimes an artist or a band want to produce an event that’s just a little out of the box (or, in the case of Jack White’s disease outbreak-themed rock show in London, A LOT). These events might have natural limitations for the number of participants due to venue or location (if the event is outdoors) constraints.

Another point to consider is the dress code. If you event requires attendees to dress up, down or sideways, you are creating another natural limitation.

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Getting Your Band Pumped For Your First Big Gig (Without All The Nerves)

Booking your first big gig is a special thing. It’s a sign that your band is actually on the road to bigger and better things—and it’s also something that can cause an awful lot of anxiety. If you want to ensure that your band stays pumped without getting too nervous, you should consider taking the actions below.

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4 Ways Musicians Can Use An EPK

This post by Dave Cool originally appeared on the Bandzoogle Blog. 

An electronic press kit (EPK) — sometimes also called a digital press kit — is essential for making a strong first impression on promoters, bookers, media, and other music industry professionals.

You can think of it as your interactive artist resume, where anyone interested in your music can find all the information they need in one place. You can use your EPK to help you get more press, more gigs, and come across as a serious artist.

Since your website is the first place people will go to learn more about you and your music, you should host your EPK there. Then as you progress in your music career, you should keep your EPK up to date with new music, press, photos, and videos.

So, how exactly can you use an EPK to help your career?

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6 Benefits Of Playing House Concerts Over Bar Gigs

Guest post by Patrick McGuire of Soundfly’s Flypaper

When musicians set out to dominate the world with their music, they usually envision playing to sold-out stadiums and amphitheaters of screaming fans, not living rooms in front of only a handful of attentive listeners. But believe it or not, for lots of artists, house shows end up being more beneficial and sustainable than ones played at traditional venues, and organizations like Sofa Concerts are trying to connect more artists with even more opportunities to everyone’s benefit.

If you’re an indie touring musician who’s used to a certain type of environment, and you still need some convincing, here are six great reasons why you should play more house shows.

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Fortunate Musician: How Your Band Can Get More Gigs

Every band has to start out somewhere—even today’s most popular bands were once local bands looking for gigs to play. While you may get your fair share of shows here and there, you’ve probably found that combing through Craigslist and posting on social media isn’t enough to find the right shows. If you’re ready to get to the next level, read on for four ways you can guarantee that your band gets more gigs than ever before.

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Sell-Out Shows With Gigantic’s Five Tips To Master Social

With hundreds of shows on sale weekly and 3.5 million tickets sold in the last five years, Gigantic is one of the UK’s best-known independent ticketing agencies, selling tickets to big events such as Ed Sheeran, Reading & Leeds and Download Festival.

Driving ticket sales through exciting social media campaigns and engaging with music fans is the responsibility of social media guru, Elizabeth Gracie. She knows exactly what it takes to sell-out shows with social.   

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How To Keep Yourself Safe And Secure At A Music Festival

With longer summer days comes plenty of music festivals held across the country. Whether you are a lover of alternative, rock, country or Christian rock, there is a fun and vibrant festival calling your name. However, not everything at a festival is fun and games. Instead, you must actively take steps to keep yourself safe and healthy while there. Here are five ways that you can do this while still having plenty of fun.

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10 Gigging Mis-haps For Your Band To Avoid

It’s show time! There you are, waiting in the wings for what’s shaping up to be one heck of night, and lo and behold, something’s gone wrong. Here’s a few common problems you might face as a gigging band, and how to deal with them as and when they occur.

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Creative (And Unusual) Music Marketing Methods

There are more musicians than there have ever been before, and they all have a platform online to put their music out there for the world to hear. It isn’t enough to just put music up online and expect people to pay attention, and as the world of marketing changes people are looking for ways to stand out. Some of the classic, tried and tested marketing methods are still doing the business for bands and artists, but there are also some new ways people are trying in order to get more eyeballs to their project.

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Music Maniac: The 4 Safest Concert Venues To Add To Your Bucket List

If you enjoy listening to music, then a concert is likely at the top of your list of favorite activities to do with your family or friends. Whether you attend a concert at a school or church or at a larger venue, such as an amphitheater, there are numerous types of musical events that are sure to make you smile. There are also a few venues that you should add to your bucket list because of their beauty and the security that is offered for those who attend events.

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The Music Industry Must Innovate To Tackle Secondary Ticketing Rip-Offs

This article looks at the need for innovation to tackle the issue of fans being ripped off when they buy gig tickets. “As an industry we need to be innovative and tackle the issue head on to support genuine music fans and make it easier for them to get hold of the tickets that they want when they go on sale and at a reasonable cost to them.”

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