40: Get Fan Generated Bookings

As Corey Smith’s email/text list grows, we have been reaching out to fans to generate bookings. This has generated both college shows and club shows. Fans are even starting Facebook groups to prove that they can get fans to the shows and then are working with us to book them. We would have never thought Shane Hines could get 50+ people out and now will be headed to Morehead to do just that. This group was started by a fan that saw him open for Corey Smith. We kept in touch with them via the mobile text program.See http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=155044073320&ref=search&sid=1 464974436.302266636..1  

- Michele Samuel

41: Use Eventful.com

Eventful is very powerful. The first time I knew I was going to be in Seattle I sent a message to 75 people who demanded me on Eventful and w/in 24 hours I had a show set up at a venue that held 75 people. That show sold out. This made me real- ize you can tour in an efficient way instead of driving up and down the east coast to cities where people don’t know you. It’s much better to wait till people know who you are and you know they want you there. http://eventful.com/

 - Jonathan Coulton

42: Play Gigs Where No One Else Plays Gigs

You won’t be making money in the beginning anyway so play in weird places that will get people talking (even if you get arrested). Getting arrested is great for your credibility and will make everyone talk about you and make everyone but the status quo like you.

- Tom Silverman 

43: Prove To Each Venue That You’re Going To Promote

Conquer Social Media Before You Book Shows by setting up MySpace, Facebook, Twitter and make sure your music/email list is on it. You as the artist are the voice behind those pages, but don’t spend more than 2 hours a day on it. Make sure all of the above is in place before you book shows. Once a Show is Booked, Promote it! Otherwise no one will turn up and you may not get another gig. Ask the venue if fliers work well in their market and ask for a local media/radio list you can send the show to. Offer fans guest list in exchange for postering around town and sending in photos of their work.

- Emily White

Amber Rubarth would call each venue and ask them how she could help promote her show. She would then do everything that they requested and stay in touch with them to let them know that she was working hard to promote her own show and she fostered relationships with the venue owners and bookers while she worked for her own promotional benefit.

- Derek Sivers

44: 3 Critical Things To Bring To Every Show.

1.Make sure you have a physical piece of music to sell at shows

2.Additional merch

3.Have an email list sign up form

- Emily White

www.whitesmithentertainment.com

45: Gig Swap

Network with other bands in person and online to set up gig swaps with other artists to play in other cities. You host them when they come to your town and they in turn host you.

- Emily White

We are strong in some areas and other bands are strong in different areas. So, we often trade shows so that bands open each other shows and build tours around them to tap into multiple fan bases.

- Michele Samuel

46: Stay With Friends

Stay with friends on the road to save money. Be considerate – walk their dogs in the morning or cook them breakfast…. You will probably be invited back!

- Emily White

www.whitesmithentertainment.com

47: At Live Shows Employ Mobile Text Short Codes, Mobile Phones or Google Voice

Walking around with an email list requires manpower, time and generally does not get a great result. But, if you could have the fans text you during your performance and stay in touch with them that way. We use a short code and have the fans text to it during the performance. When they text they receive a link to download free tracks. We capture their text number and then keep in contact and get permission to continue a relationship with them after the show. The return has been a minimum of 25% of the audience.

- Michele Samuel

Offer up a Google Voice number from stage where folks can text in their email address. Or a mobile # where people can text their phone numbers straight to you. Next time you play in that area you already have a built in text-messaging list.

- Emily White

48: Create Moments, Capture And Engage Audiences, Don’t Just Sing And Play Songs

Your audience wants to feel something, not hear something. When people are moved, they remember and want to buy those moments to take home and relive. It’s about how you and your music affect people. Give your audience something to think about.

The audience wants to forget about themselves. There are onstage skills, tools, and techniques to win an audience, and to keep them captured and engaged and wanting more. It’s all about an emotional connection with people!

- Tom Jackson

http://onstagesuccess.com

49: Exceed Your Audience’s Expectations Without Changing Who You Are

Like a great restaurant, your customers (audiences) have expectations. If a restaurant doesn’t figure out what the customers want, the restaurant will go out of business,

- Tom Jackson

http://onstagesuccess.com

50: Your Songs Don’t Sound the Same...They Shouldn’t Look the Same

An artist wouldn’t even think of using the same lyrics, rhythms, or tones for every song. Yet artists have a tendency to do the same thing visually for every song. Big mistake! 55% of communication is what the audience sees with their eyes. To the audience, if the songs look the same then they start sounding the same. If this is what’s happening, whether you realize it or not, you’re not getting the most out of your show.

- Tom Jackson

http://onstagesuccess.com

51: Know Your Role in the Band Onstage

Know what your audience expects. Players on a great football team need to know their roles in order to be successful. It’s the same with a great band. A great quarterback/front man is a leader. The wide receiver/ lead guitarist knows he’s supposed to deliver the touchdown. The lineman/ drummer holds down the fort. There are specific skills and roles for each person to know and work on in order to be great as a group onstage and win the audience.

- Tom Jackson

http://onstagesuccess.com

52: Meet & Greet: And Sign Autographs Till There Is No One Left Waiting

Sign and hang out and engage with folks post-show. Stay at the merch table till you have met every single person that wants to meet you and sign merch. That personal touch will be long remembered after you leave and those fans will bring their friends the next time you come through town.

- Emily White

www.whitesmithentertainment.com

53: Have A Killer Website at Your Custom Domain URL

Create a webpage that lures in the “just looking” visitors and gets them to upgrade to level 2 of your site when they give you’re their email / contacts. The level 2 experience of your site should be enhanced from the level one “tire kicker” level in terms of content quality, quantity and how quickly it is updated. Once you have enough level 2 members you will want to create a level 3 experience that is another big step up from level 2. This is for your best customers and most devout fans. At some point this can become a subscription site but early on it will be a la carte. It just rewards your street team/super fans for their support. Here you will sell exclusive merch and sell advance tickets to shows and music no one else gets to buy.

- Tom Silverman

The best place to be is “you.com.” Artists who have their own domain make more money than those that do not. Period.

- Jed Carlson

54: Use the Social Networks Properly: Build That List!

When people pass thru your social network profiles (Facebook, MySpace, Twitter etc.) get them to come back your own web site that YOU CONTROL. To do this, give songs away for free in return for email addresses. ReverbNation’s Fan Exclusive Widget will facilitate this. Offer fans something special that makes them feel like they are a real fan and you really care about them. Social networks are all good, but they should be treated as lead-generation sources. They are free billboards on the super highway of information. Be there, but have something that extracts value and move those listeners down the fan funnel to something valuable for you.

- Lou Plaia

55: Be Active On Facebook

Almost every advance in your career will happen thanks to who you know AND how you treat them, and Facebook is where you can deepen relationships with fans and industry contacts. Ye olde FB gives you one-click access to countless industry folks who have the power to do something about your work. If they don’t respond, leave them alone. If they do, keep the convo going, nurture the relationship, and leverage it when the time is right. Four developments in my career in the past 3 months that started on FB: 5 concert bookings in NYC, 2 new songwriting collaborations, adds of two of my music videos to the HBO Zone channel, and being hired to write a daily column (I’m a writer too) that is now published to every Sprint and Boost Mobile PDA in the world. No joke. Love the FB. Login NOW.

- Phil Putnam

http://www.philputnam.com

56: Tweet, Please

Twitter has been really big for me and it gives me direct contact w the people who want to listen to me – literally. When I released my new DVD I asked people to check it out and within a few minutes my tweet made it to 100, 000 people who were pre-disposed to care about it, which is a remarkable marketing message. I sold hundreds of them online just using my Twitter connections. I use Twitter as another entertainment channel to say interesting things and show people interesting things and share photos. To share photos with your Twitter friends use these easy sites: http://www.twitpic.com & http://www.yfrog.com Between these 2 things Twitter has become my main focus. I no longer am always thinking about updating my blog – I’m always thinking about Twitter.

- Jonathan Coulton

http://www.jonathancoulton.com

57: Create Twitter Contests

We have had several different types of contests that have caused small frenzies on Twitter but the ones that I think are the most effective are the ones where we have asked people to post links to an actual song via blip or just download links. We have had hundreds of songs posted in a matter of minutes, which means that each of those people’s followers could potentially be listening. I estimated 10,000 potential listeners in just a few min with our last contest. We usually give away tickets to shows or CDs or other prizes. In fact, I should be doing one right now…

- Jason Walsmith / The Nadas

http://thenadas.com/blog

58: Actively Start Conversations With Your Twitter Followers

Artists need to foster the all-important online two-way conversation. Just using status updates for only promotional means is not the best way to do this. Ask fans to comment back/@reply/direct message and they actually will. The more intriguing the question, the more likely people will respond. For example, the other day I asked the fans on my band’s Facebook page “Who is cooler, Nicholas (the guitarist) or Christopher (me)? Please provide reasoning for your explanation haha.” There were 20+ comment-backs by the end of the night. Provide fans with quirky questions that fit your personality. Use status update/micro-blog opportunities to create an environment that your fans want to continually be a part of.

- Chris Gesualdi

59: Rock The YouTube: Make A Sticky YouTube Video

Michelle Citrin made 20 Things To Do With Matzo and it has received over 1,000,000 views. It’s the kind of video that is so captivating and interesting that people share it with their friends. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMSEFCQCKPo

- Derek Sivers

Before Kina Grannis won the Doritos contest, she was releasing a YouTube video each week, which built her a loyal following and worldwide “street team”. Similar to a TV show, Kina released a video of herself playing an original tune, or cover tune. At the end of her videos, she’d give birthday shout outs, read fan mail, and open gifts that fans had sent her. When she needed votes to win the Doritos contest, her loyal following supported her all the way to the Super Bowl. She later signed a record deal, and she has a ready-made audience waiting to buy it.

- Carla Lynne Hall

Let fans in. Take video of the fans themselves, or encourage them to submit their own videos to you Post these regularly and the fans will watch along and continue to grow as you post.

- Michele Samuel

I riddle my website with videos where I talk about the people in my songs and the sto- ries behind them. Every time I add a new one to the site, downloads of that song go up on iTunes. And new people learn very quickly (1) if they like me personally and (2) if they respond emotionally to the kind of work I do.

- Dudley Saunders