Danger of Playing Too Often

Are you in danger of playing too often in your chosen markets?

We all want to gig more often, but have you really taken a look at how gigging too often in any given market might impact your ability to grow in that market?

How can this be?

First – What is the danger of playing too often in your markets?

1. Your audience dwindles
2. Your pay never increases
3. You can’t get prestigious gigs
4. You are covered in the media less often
5. Your CD or merchandise sales slump

How can you avoid this unappetizing scenario?

You’ve got to do three important things

1. Keep track of your numbers– by tracking your sales, your audience counts and the size of the venues you are playing, you can see how much you are growing. You can determine, by these numbers, when it is time to stop playing once a week and start playing once a month to increase the demand rather than overexpose the act to the same audience.

2. Set strategic goals- Plot your growth in any given market. If you haven’t set some growth goals—then there is no time like NOW to do this.

   As an example:

   1. Play once a week for 6 months at the same venue, then move to once a month, then once every 3 months and work this plan for 2 years as you increase your demand, if the numbers are telling you that you have a growing following.

   2. Accept fewer invitations to play benefits and be sure those you do play give you larger opportunities for audience and media exposure. And even though it is a benefit, play only those well organized enough to actually include payment for the artist as part of their budget.

   3. Look for private events, niche market events to flush out your schedule to keep playing and open new audience segments in markets you already play. These types of gigs will not interfere with public performances and will still increase your fan base.

3. Assess and evaluate your current markets — and the types of venues you currently play. Do they fit your career goals? If yes, then look for similar venues in nearby towns to expand your audience and build out regionally. If the current venues are not ones you want to continue playing long-term, begin exploring smaller venues of the type you want to eventually play. Make some contacts, attend conferences and perhaps showcase to start accessing your desired venue type.

Make small, strategic steps to plan your growth and build new audiences. Make sure the number of dates you play does more to help you rather than harm you. Avoid the danger of playing too often by planning exactly how much you should play as you develop your markets.

Are you in danger of playing too often in your markets? Have you noticed any of the 5 negative effects occurring in your business? Have you implemented any of the 3 suggestions made in this biz booster to help grow your audience demand in your markets?

Leave me a comment below or on the Performingbiz Success Strategies Facebook page.

I can’t wait to hear about your success.

Thanks to Carol Ehrlich for this week’s Biz Booster graphic image, “Danger of Playing Too Often.”

Now, Thanks to the Band Curfew from the UK for providing the Biz Booster theme Music, Future Dance. Check them out at www.curfew.co.uk.

And for more career-boosting tips, articles, books, resources, teleseminars and online courses, visit me at Performingbiz.com.

I’m Jeri Goldstein, Thanks for listening.