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I am lookinh to gig out more often than I do at the moment and I would like to know if you could answers some question about you gigging "busniess".
1. How did you get your first gig?
2. Do you play in a band?
3. Are you a solo artist?
4. How do you get gigs now?
5. Do you use booking websites such as GigMasters?
6. If you play as a solo artist and in a band, where do you most of your gigs coming from?
7. What is your typical audience? What is the typical age and gender of your audience?
7. Do you sell things at your gigs such as t-shirts, hats, CDs etc?
8. Do you stream your gigs on social networks such as Youtube, Live Stream, or Facebook?
9. How do you approch you gig? Do you view them as opportunities to sell your music, or do you gig because you enjoy preforming?
10. How do you sell yourself as a musician to convience the person looking to book that you are worth the time and money?
This question are in not particular order. Please comment as I would appreciate your perspective.
Last edited by Islansoul; 04/18/18 07:29 AM.
Computer: Macbook Pro, 16 inch 2021
DAWs: Pro Tools, Logic, and Maschine
plays drums, percussion, bass, steel pan, keyboard,
music producer/engineer
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Journeyman
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I am lookinh to gig out more often than I do at the moment and I would like to know if you could answers some question about you gigging "busniess". 1. How did you get your first gig? I auditioned for a band that already had gigs booked. They just wanted to replace their singer.2. Do you play in a band? Yes. www.blackwaterjackband.com3. Are you a solo artist? Yes. www.sammycountry.com4. How do you get gigs now? Mostly word of mouth and occasionally taking promo material to new places.5. Do you use booking websites such as GigMasters? No.6. If you play as a solo artist and in a band, where do you most of your gigs coming from? Most months I play more solo than with the full band.7. What is your typical audience? What is the typical age and gender of your audience? Generally blue color/bikers. Typically 35% female, 65% male, age 35 - 65. I have started playing some beach bars lately which can draw a younger crowd, but they are usually on vacation.7. Do you sell things at your gigs such as t-shirts, hats, CDs etc? CDs. I have other products but only sell them at bigger shows.8. Do you stream your gigs on social networks such as Youtube, Live Stream, or Facebook? I have done Facebook Live and Periscope before but not lately.9. How do you approch you gig? Do you view them as opportunities to sell your music, or do you gig because you enjoy preforming? I enjoy what I do but it is also how I make a living. 10. How do you sell yourself as a musician to convience the person looking to book that you are worth the time and money? I let my work speak for itself. If you are a musician you shouldn't need to sell yourself as one. However putting a professional appearance forward and conducting yourself as a professional business person in all aspects of your music ventures will help.This question are in not particular order. Please comment as I would appreciate your perspective.
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I am lookinh to gig out more often than I do at the moment and I would like to know if you could answers some question about you gigging "busniess". 1. How did you get your first gig? When we heard they were holding dance in Jr High School, the guitar player asked if we could play, and then we auditioned (a semi-formal audition).
For those out of school; agencies are good, networking works, cold calls work (but it takes a lot to get a gig) but first get good promotional material together.2. Do you play in a band? Yes, and I've played in a number of them3. Are you a solo artist? I'm a solo hog  -- seriously, no, although since I sing as well as play 7 instruments I could be, but I prefer to play with others4. How do you get gigs now? Agencies, word of mouth, and repeat business - I used to do cold calls, but I have enough repeat business and referrals that I don't have to. I also have a website http://www.s-cats.com and I run a free ad in cragslist.5. Do you use booking websites such as GigMasters? I have a free account with GigSalad, but in my area it isn't worth the pay feature - my locality is too small6. If you play as a solo artist and in a band, where do you most of your gigs coming from? Mostly repeat business followed by referrals and agencies. I keep business cards out for all my gigs except those booked by an agent and people take them. If they call, I never know if it is from a card or a referall7. What is your typical audience? What is the typical age and gender of your audience? 40 to nearly dead We do yacht clubs, country clubs, retirement developments, private parties mostly, and we've had a house gig one day a week in a commercial marina for 10 years now.7. Do you sell things at your gigs such as t-shirts, hats, CDs etc? No8. Do you stream your gigs on social networks such as Youtube, Live Stream, or Facebook? No9. How do you approch you gig? Do you view them as opportunities to sell your music, or do you gig because you enjoy preforming? I enjoy performing. At each gig I use my eyes and exerience to size up the audience and decide what to play first. Then I simply use how the song went over plus eyes and experience to call tunes for the rest of the night. I want to give the audience the right song at the right time to give them the maximum experience. That's my goal anyway. 10. How do you sell yourself as a musician to convience the person looking to book that you are worth the time and money? I first ask them what they want, then honestly and conversationally tell them what I can do. In the conversation I'll point them to our website (with demos) if they haven't already been there. It's important to be honest, and not to oversell yourself and it's important to listen.
Cold-calls are tough, and fortunately I haven't had to do that in decades (we've been a duo for 30 years now).This question are in not particular order. Please comment as I would appreciate your perspective.
There are a lot of musicians out there, and whether we are in the union or not, we are all small businesses in competition with each other (hopefully friendly competition). Your job is to do it better than the others. Make better music, pace the audience better, and have a more professional off-stage demeanor.
Good luck,
Notes
Bob "Notes" Norton  Norton Music
https://www.nortonmusic.com
100% MIDI Super-Styles recorded by live, pro, studio musicians for a live groove
& Fake Disks for MIDI and/or RealTracks
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Journeyman
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9. How do you approch you gig? Do you view them as opportunities to sell your music, or do you gig because you enjoy preforming?
I enjoy performing. At each gig I use my eyes and exerience to size up the audience and decide what to play first. Then I simply use how the song went over plus eyes and experience to call tunes for the rest of the night. I want to give the audience the right song at the right time to give them the maximum experience. That's my goal anyway.
Notes[/b] I usually do this as well. I hate using a set list. It's much better to feel out your crowd and be flexible. If needed you can always keep a master list of the songs you know on hand but set lists limit you too much.
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I learned long ago that I'm not clairvoyant enough to do set lists. With experience I learned to pace the audience and give them what they need when they need it even though they aren't aware of what they need at the time. Of course, I'm not 100% accurate 100% of the time, but I'm on it most of the time. It makes the gig more fun for the audience, and that makes it even more fun for us. Insights and incites by Notes
Bob "Notes" Norton Norton Music
https://www.nortonmusic.com
100% MIDI Super-Styles recorded by live, pro, studio musicians for a live groove
& Fake Disks for MIDI and/or RealTracks
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I was always the opposite. I worked from set lists all the time. BUT.
I was always in bands that required guitar changes, me putting on a sax and crossing the stage to the horn section... we had to know what was coming to keep the dead air to a minimum. And in another band, our second set was 60 minutes where every song was bridged to the next, so there was no mix or match there,
But whatever works.
I am using the new 1040XTRAEZ form this year. It has just 2 lines.
1. How much did you make in 2023?
2. Send it to us.
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PG Music Staff
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Very interesting thread! Most of my gigs have been through meeting people word of mouth who put me up. Very intrigued to hear other people's experiences, particularly with social media related booking.
Cheers,
Deryk
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I learned long ago that I'm not clairvoyant enough to do set lists. With experience I learned to pace the audience and give them what they need when they need it even though they aren't aware of what they need at the time. Of course, I'm not 100% accurate 100% of the time, but I'm on it most of the time.
It makes the gig more fun for the audience, and that makes it even more fun for us.
Insights and incites by Notes
Me, it's not about how many times you fail, it's about how many times you get back up.
Cop, that's not how field sobriety tests work.
64 bit Win 10 Pro, the latest BiaB/RB, Roland Octa-Capture audio interface, a ton of software/hardware
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As a relatively new solo live player, I'd love to know a little more about how you read the audience. Monkey see, monkey do for this little monkey. I use a set list most of the time, but even if I didn't it would be sort of random. I did notice last week a friend put on a iPod of songs and the whole crowd of mainly middle aged and older people went for it - continually dancing. When I asked him how he did it, he told me his pro DJ mate had given the set list to him. So I know it works. He put on YMCA and it went off. I tried it once at the start of a DJ session after a show at the same place and nearly got thrown out. I swore never to DJ again. :-) It's a real art form.
Windows 10 Home 20H2 Build 19042.487
BIAB 2021 (Build 818)
Intel(R) Core(TM), i3-4160, CPU @3.60 GHz RAM 16 GB, 64 Bit X64-based processor
Zoom UAC-2 (USB 3 interface-built in midi)
VoiceLive 3 Extreme, Sputnik Valve Condenser Mic
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I am lookinh to gig out more often than I do at the moment and I would like to know if you could answers some question about you gigging "busniess".
1. How did you get your first gig?
My first gig was soo long ago I can barely remember it. But it was a job with my brothers band. In those days there were few bands about. How we came by it I don't know.
2. Do you play in a band?
Not these days. I retired from bands a number of years ago.
3. Are you a solo artist?
These days yes. But I may assist others
4. How do you get gigs now?
when I moved into a retirement village I gave away my amps and pedals I was retiring. I gave a couple of guitars to my daughter as keepsakes. I moved to the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia where few people knew me. First month I was here someone asked me to do a few songs. From there more people asked so I play every few weeks which is as busy as I want.
5. Do you use booking websites such as GigMasters?
No
6. If you play as a solo artist and in a band, where do you most of your gigs coming from?
Solo
7. What is your typical audience? What is the typical age and gender of your audience?
A lot of what I do is in aged care or retirement villages so mostly older people.
7. Do you sell things at your gigs such as t-shirts, hats, CDs etc?
Not these days
8. Do you stream your gigs on social networks such as Youtube, Live Stream, or Facebook?
No
9. How do you approch you gig? Do you view them as opportunities to sell your music, or do you gig because you enjoy preforming?
I have fun and enjoy having others enjoy themselves. I look for audience participation.
10. How do you sell yourself as a musician to convience the person looking to book that you are worth the time and money?
I don't really, it is pretty much word of mouth.
This question are in not particular order. Please comment as I would appreciate your perspective.
HP i7-4770 16GB 1TB SSD, Win 10 Home,
Focusrite 2i2 3rd Gen, Launchkey 61, Maton CW80, Telecaster, Ovation Elite TX, Yamaha Pacifica 612
BB 2022(912) RB 2022(2), CakeWalk, Reaper 6, Audacity, Melodyne 5 Editor, Izotope Music Production Suite 4.1
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Apprentice
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Posts: 287 |
1. How did you get your first gig?
Cold Calling and leaving flyers etc
2. Do you play in a band?
Yes, we're called Reeverb
3. Are you a solo artist?
Not at the moment but did some solo work a few years ago under the name of Blues House
4. How do you get gigs now?
Still a lot of cold calling even to the repeat venues, they soon forget
5. Do you use booking websites such as GigMasters?
No
7. What is your typical audience? What is the typical age and gender of your audience?
We mainly play pub gigs so all ages but our catchment audience are the Boomers.
7. Do you sell things at your gigs such as t-shirts, hats, CDs etc?
Not yet
8. Do you stream your gigs on social networks such as Youtube, Live Stream, or Facebook?
No, although occasionally the venue will.
9. How do you approch you gig? Do you view them as opportunities to sell your music, or do you gig because you enjoy preforming?
Enjoy playing and growing with every gig - always a new experience, but it's also paid work.
10. How do you sell yourself as a musician to convience the person looking to book that you are worth the time and money?
I totally agree with the previous comments about not giving your band away for free in a commercial environment. We've done a fair share of fundraisers etc., but many bands these days will play for exposure and make it difficult to get paid work. Venues will usually go for the cheapest option and take the hit on the quality.
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Ask sales and support questions about Band-in-a-Box using natural language.
ChatPG's knowledge base includes the full Band-in-a-Box User Manual and sales information from the website.
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Update Your PowerTracks Pro Audio 2024 Today!
The Newest RealBand 2024 Update is Here!
The newest RealBand 2024 Build 5 update is now available!
Download and install this to your RealBand 2024 for updated print options, streamlined loading and saving of .SGU & MGU (BB) files, and to add a number of program adjustments that address user-reported bugs and concerns.
This free update is available to all RealBand 2024 users. To learn more about this update and download it, head to www.pgmusic.com/support.realband.htm#20245
The Band-in-a-Box® Flash Drive Backup Option
Today (April 5) is National Flash Drive Day!
Did you know... not only can you download your Band-in-a-Box® Pro, MegaPAK, or PlusPAK purchase - you can also choose to add a flash drive backup copy with the installation files for only $15? It even comes with a Band-in-a-Box® keychain!
For the larger Band-in-a-Box® packages (UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, Audiophile Edition), the hard drive backup copy is available for only $25. This will include a preinstalled and ready to use program, along with your installation files.
Backup copies are offered during the checkout process on our website.
Already purchased your e-delivery version, and now you wish you had a backup copy? It's not too late! If your purchase was for the current version of Band-in-a-Box®, you can still reach out to our team directly to place your backup copy order!
Note: the Band-in-a-Box® keychain is only included with flash drive backup copies, and cannot be purchased separately.
Handy flash drive tip: Always try plugging in a USB device the wrong way first? If your flash drive (or other USB plug) doesn't have a symbol to indicate which way is up, look for the side with a seam on the metal connector (it only has a line across one side) - that's the side that either faces down or to the left, depending on your port placement.
Update your Band-in-a-Box® 2024 for Windows® Today!
Update your Band-in-a-Box® 2024 for Windows for free with build 1111!
With this update, there's more control when saving images from the Print Preview window, we've added defaults to the MultiPicker for sorting and font size, updated printing options, updated RealTracks and other content, and addressed user-reported issues with the StylePicker, MIDI Soloists, key signature changes, and more!
Learn more about this free update for Band-in-a-Box® 2024 for Windows at www.pgmusic.com/support_windowsupdates.htm#1111
Band-in-a-Box® 2024 Review: 4.75 out of 5 Stars!
If you're looking for a in-depth review of the newest Band-in-a-Box® 2024 for Windows version, you'll definitely find it with Sound-Guy's latest review, Band-in-a-Box® 2024 for Windows Review: Incredible new capabilities to experiment, compose, arrange and mix songs.
A few excerpts:
"The Tracks view is possibly the single most powerful addition in 2024 and opens up a new way to edit and generate accompaniments. Combined with the new MultiPicker Library Window, it makes BIAB nearly perfect as an 'intelligent' composer/arranger program."
"MIDI SuperTracks partial generation showing six variations – each time the section is generated it can be instantly auditioned, re-generated or backed out to a previous generation – and you can do this with any track type. This is MAJOR! This takes musical experimentation and honing an arrangement to a new level, and faster than ever."
"Band in a Box continues to be an expansive musical tool-set for both novice and experienced musicians to experiment, compose, arrange and mix songs, as well as an extensive educational resource. It is huge, with hundreds of functions, more than any one person is likely to ever use. Yet, so is any DAW that I have used. BIAB can do some things that no DAW does, and this year BIAB has more DAW-like functions than ever."
Convenient Ways to Listen to Band-in-a-Box® Songs Created by Program Users!
The User Showcase Forum is an excellent place to share your Band-in-a-Box® songs and listen to songs other program users are creating!
There are other places you can listen to these songs too! Visit our User Showcase page to sort by genre, artist (forum name), song title, and date - each listing will direct you to the forum post for that song.
If you'd rather listen to these songs in one place, head to our Band-in-a-Box® Radio, where you'll have the option to select the genre playlist for your listening pleasure. This page has SoundCloud built in, so it won't redirect you. We've also added the link to the Artists SoundCloud page here, and a link to their forum post.
We hope you find some inspiration from this amazing collection of User Showcase Songs!
Congratulations to the 2023 User Showcase Award Winners!
We've just announced the 2023 User Showcase Award Winners!
There are 45 winners, each receiving a Band-in-a-Box 2024 UltraPAK! Read the official announcement to see if you've won.
Our User Showcase Forum receives more than 50 posts per day, with people sharing their Band-in-a-Box songs and providing feedback for other songs posted.
Thank you to everyone who has contributed!
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