What research do you do before planning your summer tours and future gigs?
Spring is here and there are plenty of outdoor events about to begin in small-town gazebos and large concert sheds.
I hope you have landed a few of these choice gigs to fill your summer tour calendar.
Know what’s so great about this time of year?
This is the perfect time for you to find out about all those gigs you are NOT playing. Huh!
I hear you cry out, “How can that be great?”
Let me explain.
As you skim through the weekly arts paper or the local weekend section of the daily paper, you’ll notice a ton of events going on throughout the warm weather months that just don’t happen any other time of year. All of a sudden, there are small communities presenting outdoor concert series, festivals, a bar-b-q, company picnics, state and county fairs, community concert band shells, wine and food festivals, horse and dog races and farmer’s markets—you get the picture.
Well now that you can see these things happening in black and white in the papers, advertised on TV, on posters plastered around town and in social media networks, you can jot down the dates and names of the promoters or presenting organizations. This helps you plan for your summer tours and future gigs for next year.
This is a gold-mine of information that just wasn’t out there a few months ago. But now the information is free-flowing and will be constant for the next few months.
Take note, be alert, be vigilant and walk around your town or any town you travel to on tour and jot down these prospective gigs for your future tours. And, if you happen to go to any event, ask the sound people who’s in charge and meet them, get their card so you can make contact again. Meanwhile, they will have a face to put to your name when you call.
It’s a great time of year to do research for next year as you plan your summer tours and future gigs. Don’t let it slip away. Make this kind of research part of your routine. Not only will you have some fun attending some of these events when you are able, but you can fit it into the Artist, Research and Development category for a deduction on your taxes should you have to buy any tickets, magazines, directories or newspapers.
Also, pay attention to who is playing at these gigs. Perhaps some of these acts could be potential acts for whom you might open on occasion. Here again, try to meet the road manager or the artist and get a contact. It’s never to soon to develop a relationship with a potential main act that you might become a support act for on a longer tour. This could be the best time of year to make those acquaintances.
May all of your research be this much fun.
What sort of research have done in the past to plan your summer tours and future gigs? Have you tapped into the wealth of information easily found in the local weekly papers or Friday Entertainment supplements to the daily papers?
Leave me a comment below or on the Performingbiz Success Strategies Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/PerformingbizSuccessStrategies.
I can’t wait to hear about your success.
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, information, resources, tele-seminars and online courses, visit me at PerformingBiz.com
