Building your audience and growing your fan base is your golden ring to success. None of the industry executives at labels, management firms, booking agencies, the media or retail can ignore a demanding, loyal fan base. Job number one, in that case, is to nurture your audience.It is not enough to simply have someone come to one show. You want them to sign on for the long haul. You plan to be around for a while. You want the fans to grow with you. In order for that to happen, you need to care about them by providing them with something more than just the show. Here are a few…
AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT
How a Positive Indie Attitude will Advance Your Career
June 28, 2016 – Posted in: AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENTAs a touring musician, you encounter a variety of situations that have the potential to disrupt your day's plans. The attitude with which you meet these daily challenges can influence your success or failure as you move through your career. There are plenty of obstacles thrown in your path. You may choose to approach them with a positive, "can do" attitude or a negative, "why me" attitude. The method you choose affects those around you and may even be partially responsible for getting or not getting some of the breaks you clearly think you deserve. I'd like to examine some of the situations that may arise where your attitude may…
Three Methods to Getting Openers and Support Act Slots
June 28, 2016 – Posted in: AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENTOne method to expand your audience is to serve as a support act for a known main act on multiple tour dates or to open a show for a larger act. These are choice slots, and many acts are vying for them. Sometimes you can get lucky and be in the right place at the right time. If you are more interested in process rather than chance, here are a few suggestions on how to go about landing some of these choice performance slots. Whether you are attempting to open a single date or be considered as the supporting act for a full tour, there are three methods to follow…
Co-Operative Audience Swaps to Break Into New Markets
June 21, 2016 – Posted in: AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENTActs looking to expand their audience beyond their known markets need to be open to new options. One such idea is swapping audiences with another musician or band. The idea is perfectly suited to acts that have a strong following in their own market. Here's how it works.First, find an artist in a new market where you would like to expand, whose work you like and with whom you think you would be compatible. Second, make sure the artist selected has a strong following in the desired market. You are attempting to break a new market, and it only makes sense to do this with an artist who can sell…
