There are a lot of factors that go into getting prepared to book shows for your band. I learned early on that there are many important factors that go into getting a band performance worthy. Many times I have went to see a band perform and have been disappointed at the final result. These bands are never around for long, and are not bands that I would wish to join.
MEMBERS
The first thing that is required are members. The most crucial part is often finding members who have the same level of interest in the proposed project. Many bands are composed of friends or of other local musicians found in the close knit community of musicians in your area. Potential members can be found through many free websites offering musician placement on the internet, or at a local music store that often provides a bulletin board for musicians looking for bands.
Another key issue is the number of members that will be needed for the project. I have worked with three piece bands and have made a nice payday, and I have worked with six piece bands and have barely broken even. I have always found it safe for most cover band settings to go with at least four members, consisting of Lead guitarist/vocalist, rhythm guitarist, bass guitarist, and drummer. The best thing to do is listen to the songs you plan to do and decide what you will need musically to perform them, and then base the number of musicians you will need on that.
SONG SELECTION
Remember this important factor in song selection that is often overlooked: It is not what you want to hear and like to play that will make your band popular, but it is what the crowds will pay to come and hear that will make you popular.
Song selection can be tough at times. I have always found it best, in a cover band, to go with the old popular songs that the crowd loves, and the newer popular songs on the radio. If I had a dollar for every time I have performed Paranoid or Roadhouse Blues I would be rich. These songs are usually on the set lists for most rock cover bands.
It helps to go out to your local clubs that offer live bands and watch to see what songs the bands are playing that really get a good response from the crowd. Listening to local radio stations to hear what is hot and being played is a good tool for song selection as well.
Depending on the type of venues you are going to play you are going to need 10 to 12 songs per set, based on one hour sets. You will need a good set list based on 40 to 50 songs for a four hour show. The venues in your area may want 'two' hour and a half long sets, or just require you to play from 10pm until 2am. However the venue is set up you will want enough songs to play the whole show.
PRACTICE
Here is the key to being a productive and popular band. The more time you put into practicing individually and collectively, the tighter the band will be and the better it will sound. Practice does indeed make perfect. It does take time and effort to get the songs down and get them tight.
I suggest at least two to three hour long focused band practices per week initially. Don't overdo it and burn yourself or the band out with 8 hour marathon practices. This ends up being counter-productive and usually after a few hours into the practice everyone goes on auto pilot and just tries to get to the end.
Practice on making the songs interesting by starting and ending some of your songs differently than anyone else is doing. Make sure the song is recognizable, but don't be afraid to add your own artistic flair to the song in order to make it something that people will remember you by.
If the band is having problems with a song and no one is able to click with it, replace it with another song. I have often found that beating the problematic song into the ground takes up too much time...plus, it usually gets cut after a few shows anyway. If you are not feeling it, the crowd will not be feeling it either.
Once you have your song list down and you are comfortable with it, practice on the show itself. Do not focus on merely reproducing the songs on stage, but also practice to perform the songs. Putting on a stage show helps people to remember you. Standing like a statue on stage is not entertaining, and you will soon be forgotten. At the same time do not let your musical quality suffer for showmanship. Practice your show and when you are comfortable with it, practice it some more.
BOOKING
Select your venues wisely. I cannot stress this enough. Do not agree to book a show without knowing about the venue first. I have showed up to gigs with my gear and found out the stage will not support our show, and had to downsize my kit at the last minute.
Usually one of the members of the band will handle bookings. There are a lot of important factors that go into this stage of the game.
Start Local. If you want to extend your range, I would suggest doing so after you have played successfully at the local level for a while.
Have a press kit together to give the club owner. Press kits should consist of set list, band biography, contact information, and a CD with at least four songs of your band performing the songs on it.
Visit the venue in person to discuss booking with the owner. Get a feel for the venue, and look at how the stage is set up, so you can plan in advance of how much gear to bring. Check to make sure how easy your load in and load out will be in advance.
Negotiate your price. Don't agree to play for free at one venue for exposure...the other venues may learn that you performed for free and ask you to do the same at their club. You want to make sure that there are no hidden catches, such as agreeing to play for the door and getting to the show and learning that there isn't a cover charge that night; or agreeing to play for a percentage of the profits the bar makes for the night, only to learn that the percentage is based on a few hours at a section of bar with little traffic.
Check to see if the venue has hose pa and lights. If so, contact the person who runs sound and lights and let them know in advance what you plan to do, and see what kind of equipment they have.
Remember that often you will play for a certain fee the first time in order for the venue to see how well you do. You will get raises if you bring in a good crowd and are popular. Naturally you want to continue to rebook a venue only if it is worth your while.
When you book a date, make fliers for your show and drop them off at the bar so they can place the fliers throughout their bar to promote your show. This not only helps you, but it helps the venue owner. Post fliers on public bulletin boards that allow for such so you can promote your show. Many local newspapers will spotlight up coming venues for free, or little charge, if you contact them in advance.
PRE-SHOW
Now that you have a date booked, get your band together and practice the whole show through a few times to plan on how you want to execute your performance. If the theme is Halloween, you may want to adjust your show to fit with the theme, such as, playing in costumes or omitting a few songs for a costume contest the venue is having at midnight.
If the venue does not have house sound and lights, and you do not have pa and lights, you will need to contact someone who provides this service. This service can be found in the phone book. Many musicians know of popular sound providers from their prior experience in other bands. Pull your resources together and find a good sound provider. Keep in mind of what you will be getting paid for the show. Do not contract a sound provider if you are going to have to pay more than you make at the show. Shop around and find the best quality for the best price.
Make sure that everyone in the band knows how to get to the venue and what time load in will be, so no one is late. Decide in advance how you are going to transport all of the gear to the show, and make sure to keep in contact with anyone you have contracted for the show, so that they know when to be there and where it is.
SHOW TIME
Here is what we all live for. Now go out there and put on a memorable and entertaining performance. This is what you have worked hard for and this is what the patrons are paying to see. Make the patrons happy and the venue owner will be happy and that is always good news.
MOVING FORWARD
In order to maintain your popularity and continue to be booked, don't give up on practicing. There is always room for improvement and there will always be alterations in the set list that need made. You will want to stay on top of your game because there are other bands out there and other bands working to get out there who would gladly take your spot.
Alter your set list as needed adding new songs that become popular or songs that people keep asking about. Listen to the crowd and make them happy. If a song isn't getting good response, then drop it, and select a different one that will.
Continue to book shows. Ideally you want to play at least four weekends a month. At least one night per week that you do perform, but it is even better if you can play two nights a week. Be careful not to over saturate one area. You don't want to play four clubs that are within a two block radius four weeks in a row. People will generally not come and see your show every weekend if it's in the same area, but will go see other bands they like or have heard of.
ONE LAST POINT
Always remember to be flexible in the scheduling for the band. Many members of cover bands do it part time and hold full time jobs. There will be trying times in the practice schedule, or conflicts in booking certain dates due to band members' availability when work or family issues arise. The most important thing to remember is to work hard, but have fun while you are doing it. Give your crowds 110% and entertain them. They will come back to see you again.
Ricky Roberts is a drummer who is currently working with the artist Brian Smoot on an original project.
Ricky has performed with a wide variety of cover bands and original projects in his 31 years of playing.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ricky_Roberts
Showing posts with label Carlsboro. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Carlsboro. Show all posts
Tuesday, 3 November 2009
Wednesday, 21 October 2009
How to book a band Article Author:
The Morris Agency UK LTD
Initial fears that people have with planning the music and entertainment for their event are reasonable, as it is an integral part of the event and can even be part of the main focus. There are many factors to consider when planning your entertainment, not only whether the act you are booking for your event will suitably entertain your guests, or fit within your budget or them;, but you also need to consider whether they will be reliable and professional. In the worst case scenario we have heard of cases where artists have failed to turn up on time or cancelled without giving enough time to book another act in their place. Even if they do arrive, how do you know that they are going to be as good as their demo or show reel? And this is all on top of the rest of the event planning process of organising catering, a venue or conference facility, florists, guest invitations, transportation, accommodation need I go on? It can be a very daunting task
With this in mind, here are the key elements to think about to help get you started:
The Venue
When booking the venue it is important to check that they have the appropriate entertainment licence and the conditions of their licence including the type of entertainment they are allowed (some venues are not permitted to have amplified music), finishing/get out times, performance area size/space restrictions, if they have any noise restrictions (such as sound limiters), access times for the band/artist, power supply etc.
If you are considering a speciality act that uses fire or pyrotechnics, you also need to make sure that this is permitted in the venue.
These points are always good to know early on as this may dictate the kind of entertainment you can look for. For example, some venues have sound limiters that cut out sound automatically when it goes over a certain volume, so if you have booked a band, this can damage their equipment and most importantly can disrupt the whole evening.
However, all is not lost, even with a limitation on sound, there are still many acts that can be employed such as acoustic artists, but knowing this in advance will help you narrow your search or review your venue.
Band Hunting
So you know have an idea of the kind of act your venue will accommodate, lets go and look for your entertainment.
Armed with the information acquired from the venue you can now approach the artists, but where do you look? Well, there are a few options available to you:
Option 1 - Search the Internet. You can do a search for a certain type of artist/ band, listen to their website demos or watch their showreel and contact the artist directly. Although many artists have their own website, a great website does not necessarily mean a great artist. So not only can this method be quite simply mind numbing and time consuming, it is also a bit of a lottery if you are booking an artist you have never heard of.
Option 2 - Go on recommendation. This can narrow down your search quite fast, but do remember that colleagues may not have the same tastes and what one person may think is great might not be ideal for the guests attending your event.
Option 3 - Go to an agent. There are lots of agencies out there, (I should know, I am own one of them.) Obviously there is going to be a fee increase for this service, (normally between 15- 20% ) but, if the agency is a reputable one they should be able to earn their commission by verifying the acts and their ability, negotiating their fee to meet your budget, contracting the artist (more on that later) and communicating to the artist exactly what you need.
A note on professionalism. Many people place an importance on the performance but it is important not to overlook the other elements involved with booking an act/band for example, the way they conduct themselves both on and off stage, their dress code and also making sure they turn up in plenty of time etc.
Things to ask the band/act
Whether you are going through an agent or directly to the artist, the questions are still the same.
Here is important information you need to know about the artist:
Availability:
You must first check that the artist is available on the date of your event and that they are happy to travel to the event location.
How long will the artist perform for:
Performance times will vary depending on the kind of act you are booking and the event you are holding.
There are so many different possibilities depending on your requirements, but to give you an example, a typical live performance by a function band would be something like the following:
2 x 1 hour live sets (I like to include CD music in between and up to 45 mins after the performance)
Or
3 x 45 mins live sets (again with the bands would be quite happy to provide CD music in the price)
Act/Band styles
Some artists are available as a walkabout act as well as a stage act and some bands can perform as an acoustic duo or trio, as well as a full party band.
If you have a larger event then you may wish to have a reception performer when the guests arrive or are eating lunch/dinner. This could be a walkabout act, close-up magician or acoustic duo or trio band.
We have supplied many events with walkabout Mexican Mariachi bands, acoustic Hawaiian trio band, close-up magicians, human statues and Gypsy jazz musicians. It's an upbeat and fun start to the evening before the main act, as well as a brilliant ice-breaker if your guests don't know each other.
The latter part of the event can then incorporate a stage show or band for dancing, either using an artist from earlier or a different artist altogether.
Repertoire:
If you are booking a band, you should be able to get a sample set list from the band. I generally advise my clients to let the artist gauge the event as to what songs are played but within your initial enquiries it gives you a great idea of what they can do.
Fees:
Once the artist has all your requirements, they will then be able to quote you formally.
The fee you are quoted will be dependent on the location of the event, the performance you require, what day of the week your event is being held and the time of year your event is being held.
Barter!!
Don't be afraid to barter, most artists/agents are happy to negotiate their fee, as every event is different.
The Booking
Let us assume you have narrowed down a selection of acts, what next?
If you have decided on the artist you wish to book, but you need to get the go ahead from your MD or person paying for the event, it would be recommended to ask the band to hold that date for you.
Most artists will be happy to pencil in a date for you if you require time to make a firm decision about booking. This ensures that they won't take another booking while you're in the decision making process.
Deposits and contracts
Any reputable band or artist will insist on a contract to be signed by all parties once you confirm your booking. This should include all of the information that both sides have agreed to.
More often than not, the contract will also include a requirement for you, as the client, to provide refreshments and lockable changing facilities/dressing room for the artist during their time spent at your event.
You may also be sent an artist rider with the contract which is a list of artist requirements that you will be expected to provide as a courtesy.
Things to confirm within the contract:
Artist Name (making sure that the performers are the same ones as the demo/showreel!)
Location for the artist to appear
Date of performance
Time for arrival and set up of the artist
Performance times
Fee and payment terms (i.e deposits and payment due dates)
Artist contact number
Cancellation terms
Any special requirements regarding the performance/venue/guests or artist rider
As soon as you have signed and returned the contract and paid your deposit, your booking is confirmed.
The artist should be able to contact you a week before the performance to confirm any changes that you might have and you can rest assured that you have done all you can to make your event a night to remember.
A word on the author
Daniel Morris owns and runs The Morris Agency Ltd, one the UK's leading music and entertainment specialists. Previous clients include the BBC, Citi Group, NHS to name but a few. They are also the booking agents for Pizza Express, English Heritage and many more. You can contact them on 0871 890 1015 and info@themorrisagency.co.uk or visit their website at www.themorrisagency.co.uk
The Morris Agency UK LTD
Initial fears that people have with planning the music and entertainment for their event are reasonable, as it is an integral part of the event and can even be part of the main focus. There are many factors to consider when planning your entertainment, not only whether the act you are booking for your event will suitably entertain your guests, or fit within your budget or them;, but you also need to consider whether they will be reliable and professional. In the worst case scenario we have heard of cases where artists have failed to turn up on time or cancelled without giving enough time to book another act in their place. Even if they do arrive, how do you know that they are going to be as good as their demo or show reel? And this is all on top of the rest of the event planning process of organising catering, a venue or conference facility, florists, guest invitations, transportation, accommodation need I go on? It can be a very daunting task
With this in mind, here are the key elements to think about to help get you started:
The Venue
When booking the venue it is important to check that they have the appropriate entertainment licence and the conditions of their licence including the type of entertainment they are allowed (some venues are not permitted to have amplified music), finishing/get out times, performance area size/space restrictions, if they have any noise restrictions (such as sound limiters), access times for the band/artist, power supply etc.
If you are considering a speciality act that uses fire or pyrotechnics, you also need to make sure that this is permitted in the venue.
These points are always good to know early on as this may dictate the kind of entertainment you can look for. For example, some venues have sound limiters that cut out sound automatically when it goes over a certain volume, so if you have booked a band, this can damage their equipment and most importantly can disrupt the whole evening.
However, all is not lost, even with a limitation on sound, there are still many acts that can be employed such as acoustic artists, but knowing this in advance will help you narrow your search or review your venue.
Band Hunting
So you know have an idea of the kind of act your venue will accommodate, lets go and look for your entertainment.
Armed with the information acquired from the venue you can now approach the artists, but where do you look? Well, there are a few options available to you:
Option 1 - Search the Internet. You can do a search for a certain type of artist/ band, listen to their website demos or watch their showreel and contact the artist directly. Although many artists have their own website, a great website does not necessarily mean a great artist. So not only can this method be quite simply mind numbing and time consuming, it is also a bit of a lottery if you are booking an artist you have never heard of.
Option 2 - Go on recommendation. This can narrow down your search quite fast, but do remember that colleagues may not have the same tastes and what one person may think is great might not be ideal for the guests attending your event.
Option 3 - Go to an agent. There are lots of agencies out there, (I should know, I am own one of them.) Obviously there is going to be a fee increase for this service, (normally between 15- 20% ) but, if the agency is a reputable one they should be able to earn their commission by verifying the acts and their ability, negotiating their fee to meet your budget, contracting the artist (more on that later) and communicating to the artist exactly what you need.
A note on professionalism. Many people place an importance on the performance but it is important not to overlook the other elements involved with booking an act/band for example, the way they conduct themselves both on and off stage, their dress code and also making sure they turn up in plenty of time etc.
Things to ask the band/act
Whether you are going through an agent or directly to the artist, the questions are still the same.
Here is important information you need to know about the artist:
Availability:
You must first check that the artist is available on the date of your event and that they are happy to travel to the event location.
How long will the artist perform for:
Performance times will vary depending on the kind of act you are booking and the event you are holding.
There are so many different possibilities depending on your requirements, but to give you an example, a typical live performance by a function band would be something like the following:
2 x 1 hour live sets (I like to include CD music in between and up to 45 mins after the performance)
Or
3 x 45 mins live sets (again with the bands would be quite happy to provide CD music in the price)
Act/Band styles
Some artists are available as a walkabout act as well as a stage act and some bands can perform as an acoustic duo or trio, as well as a full party band.
If you have a larger event then you may wish to have a reception performer when the guests arrive or are eating lunch/dinner. This could be a walkabout act, close-up magician or acoustic duo or trio band.
We have supplied many events with walkabout Mexican Mariachi bands, acoustic Hawaiian trio band, close-up magicians, human statues and Gypsy jazz musicians. It's an upbeat and fun start to the evening before the main act, as well as a brilliant ice-breaker if your guests don't know each other.
The latter part of the event can then incorporate a stage show or band for dancing, either using an artist from earlier or a different artist altogether.
Repertoire:
If you are booking a band, you should be able to get a sample set list from the band. I generally advise my clients to let the artist gauge the event as to what songs are played but within your initial enquiries it gives you a great idea of what they can do.
Fees:
Once the artist has all your requirements, they will then be able to quote you formally.
The fee you are quoted will be dependent on the location of the event, the performance you require, what day of the week your event is being held and the time of year your event is being held.
Barter!!
Don't be afraid to barter, most artists/agents are happy to negotiate their fee, as every event is different.
The Booking
Let us assume you have narrowed down a selection of acts, what next?
If you have decided on the artist you wish to book, but you need to get the go ahead from your MD or person paying for the event, it would be recommended to ask the band to hold that date for you.
Most artists will be happy to pencil in a date for you if you require time to make a firm decision about booking. This ensures that they won't take another booking while you're in the decision making process.
Deposits and contracts
Any reputable band or artist will insist on a contract to be signed by all parties once you confirm your booking. This should include all of the information that both sides have agreed to.
More often than not, the contract will also include a requirement for you, as the client, to provide refreshments and lockable changing facilities/dressing room for the artist during their time spent at your event.
You may also be sent an artist rider with the contract which is a list of artist requirements that you will be expected to provide as a courtesy.
Things to confirm within the contract:
Artist Name (making sure that the performers are the same ones as the demo/showreel!)
Location for the artist to appear
Date of performance
Time for arrival and set up of the artist
Performance times
Fee and payment terms (i.e deposits and payment due dates)
Artist contact number
Cancellation terms
Any special requirements regarding the performance/venue/guests or artist rider
As soon as you have signed and returned the contract and paid your deposit, your booking is confirmed.
The artist should be able to contact you a week before the performance to confirm any changes that you might have and you can rest assured that you have done all you can to make your event a night to remember.
A word on the author
Daniel Morris owns and runs The Morris Agency Ltd, one the UK's leading music and entertainment specialists. Previous clients include the BBC, Citi Group, NHS to name but a few. They are also the booking agents for Pizza Express, English Heritage and many more. You can contact them on 0871 890 1015 and info@themorrisagency.co.uk or visit their website at www.themorrisagency.co.uk
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