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Indie Artists: Time Be Your Own Booking Agent

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Via Luca 

Indie artists, it’s time to drop the Booking Agent

No one knows better than indie artists how frustrating and stressful it can be to book shows, tour, and perform. Hiring a booking agent may seem like the easy answer, but if the royalties aren’t exactly flowing in yet, you might not be in the financial position to do this. What to do, then? Let’s not forget that we are the DIY generation, we do it ourselves. Here’s how to book your own shows.

Photo Courtesy of The Magnettes
Photo Courtesy of The Magnettes

Perhaps you’ve made a list of all the venues that would fit your music, sound, and style, and yet it’s nearly impossible to get them to give you a decent time slot. You will most likely get an 11pm weeknight spot or a 3pm Sunday afternoon one, and we all know that no one is going to miss brunch to catch your new band at what promises to be an empty, desolated venue.

When you ask for a better, higher profile slot, the booking agent usually says: “Well, how many people can you draw?”. If the answer is more than 20, then you’ve got yourself a Friday night show. However, if your response is anything less, you’ll have to wait patiently in line until your following is bigger.

Which brings us to our next point.

 

Book others, to book yourself.

How is a band supposed to grow a fan base if the only shows they can play occur when people are watching Netflix or in a yoga class? Good question indeed. Those who manage to bring a good crowd are those who are either already established or have a lot of friends in town. Venues are not going to bet on a new indie artist nor are they looking for the next big act to feature before they blow up. Venues want to break even. They want to see the money they spend on a typical Friday night come back in full, and if possible make a little profit.

Be your own booking agent. Look for an equally unknown band that shares your ambitions, ethos, and sound and put a show together. Perhaps, pick a less reputable venue in your town; smaller and more intimate is ideal. Make sure you market the show as a party; a night to have some fun and enjoy some live music. Startups like Sofar Sounds have built a brand around this exact experience and platforms like youbloomConnect match local indie artists with one another, making it easy for bands to come together and book.

Each band will bring their friends, and if you advertised the event properly, their friends will bring other friends looking for a fun night.

Play the show, distribute some t-shirts, have a beer and repeat.

One of two things will happen. You will either get a call from the bigger venues looking to book your band or you won’t need them anymore because your fan base has been growing without their help.

You should hope for the latter.

Photo Courtesy of The Magnettes
Photo Courtesy of The Magnettes

youbloom is a platform that helps you as an artist to grow, sign up here and find out more: https://www.youbloom.com/artist-apply/

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About the Blogger

Luca a freelance writer, blogger, musician and songwriter. Born and
raised in Italy, his passion for Rock n Roll made him move to London where he
lived for one year and gained a certificate in Songwriting from ICMP.
Luca relocated in NYC in 2014 to pursue jazz music and liberal arts at the
The New School from which he graduated in December 2017. Luca currently
resides in Nashville, TN

Super-Fan: How To Engage A Solid Fan Base

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(Post Via Contrary to popular belief, a super-fan is not always a crazed group of followers or a die-hard groupie. Josey Dunbar explains to us how all brands have super-fans. They’re a key component in building and sustaining a successful career by engaging a solid fanbase.

Super-fan

How do you build one that attracts a super-fan (s).

The term ‘Super-Fan’ refers to an individual who supports a brand and everything that the brand produces. Artists depend on super-fans as a bedrock of support. When on tour, a band can trust that their super-fans will show up, buy merch, and by tweeting about the show long after it’s over. When bands establish a healthy base of super-fans, they are establishing a continuous body of support that can last throughout their careers.

From Starbucks to your local coffee shop that plays nothing but bluegrass, all brands attract super-fans. This comes down to the fact that people are drawn to originality. Every brand needs its own niche to attract a  sustaining number of super-fans.

Who will your super-fans be?

Before a company, artist or individual can successfully attract, engage, and retain super-fans they must have a well-established brand. At the end of the day, there are billions of different people in the world with trillions of different interests; this means every brand that successfully markets a clear and individual niche has a high likelihood of attracting super-fans.

Whether you’re trying to market your sound or attract a wider demographic of ticket-buyers, your brand begins with your unique offerings and intended audience. Detecting what sets you apart is the quickest way to identify the basis for your brand.

After establishing a solid brand with individualized characteristics that will attract super-fans, the task becomes maintaining engagement from those fans. This maintained loyalty is often seen when artists create personal relationships with fans and release a steady flow of their branded product (shows, recorded music, etc.). In addition to establishing these bonds, the branded product must retain its super-fan as the brand grows.

Joining a community with inter-industry connections can make a huge difference too. Today, a lot of artists are finding security in artist networks, like youbloomConnect, which help bands grow their fanbase and develop their brand through artist-partnering and co-marketing tactics. Definitely check out our guide to how youbloomConnect works if you want to learn more about our strategy.

Ultimately, developing a brand comes down to originality. Pursuing what sets you apart and working to maintain relations with super-fans as your brand-base expands will ensure your success in the future marketing of your music.

youbloom is a platform that helps you as an artist to grow, sign up here and find out more: https://www.youbloom.com/artist-apply

Live Shows; Fans Can Be Hosts Too

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applause and raised hands at concert. Nightclub life

via 

Imagine this. You go to live shows. You identify as a fan. Therefore, you go to all the local concerts, shows, and music festivals. You have been keeping an eye on a talented local band or musician you’ve seen perform from time to time. You hear live music and it makes you smile on the inside.  Yes, we are talking to you! Here’s how fans can be hosts too 🙂

 will tell you how to become part of the show in your city.

One Way to Enjoy the Show

If you really love live music, you would have signed-up as a fan on youbloomConnect already. In that case, you can request an artist to perform in a city near you and tell your friends to do the same. If enough other people start requesting the same artist, consequently the CityRep will reach out to the artist to book a show. Once a show is announced, you buy tickets and show up ready for uninterrupted, unforgettable live music. There’s two sides to every story though.

Host Your Very Own Show

As a fan on youbloomConnect, you can sign-up as a host and bring the show to you. When you sign up to host and your spot gets chosen, we’ll have a gift for you. Because you’re basically VIP in our eyes, every host automatically receives four tickets to invite their very own guest list. You and four (4) friends will have front row seats to the show in your very own space. Think backyards overlooking the hills, beachside cafes, downtown rooftops, a co-working space, on a boat, or a wine bar. The possibilities are endless. If you have a space that you and a few friends could have a pretty cool concert, we’d love you to become a host.

Sit Back and Enjoy

Music is meant to be experienced with friends, so share your space as a host, this way you can actually sit back and enjoy the show. No worries, certainly you can trust youbloom will take care of the rest. By becoming a host with youbloomConnect, you will really be able to make a connection with the artists and all the other music fans who show up. As a result of your hospitality, the artists will be super appreciative and ready to put on a show for you and your friends.

It Takes a Village

Next time you are out on the town listening to music with your friends and you think to yourself: ‘it would be really cool to have a concert at my place one day.’ Know that you can! youbloom puts on shows around the world bringing together people who love live music.  So, go ahead. Become a host today!

Cheers to live music!

If you enjoy this blog about music and want to know more about youbloomConnect be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.

Curate An Affordable Live Music Experience: Change The Game

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Let’s take you our 3 stage process in being to curate an affordable live music experience in your local neighborhood!  Your local music scene needs YOU: a local hero

Ever wanted to be a part of something big? Now is the time!

If you’ve always been someone who’s daydreamed about big ideas to manifest into reality, there’s a ninja  in you. Look around, there’s talent everywhere and they all need someone who can take initiative to guide them. Your passion for music can be infectious in more ways than one. It’s your chance to steer the ship, create an enriching experience, curate that special live music experience.  All you need to do is provide your local talent with a platform that YOU help build: it is after all, your scene, so let it be seen! The first step is to acknowledge that you yourself can be the person that you’ve always felt your local music scene needed.

Don’t own or have contacts at a music venue? How about your friend’s backyard!

We all know that one person in our neighborhood that we can find complaining on a regular basis about there being nothing to do in the area, or that there aren’t enough venues where live music can be played anymore. Well, you being the ninja that you are, have found a solution. The creative, ideas person is always prone to think outside the box; why not use this to think up alternative locations for live music? Go ahead, give your friend’s backyard a fresh spin! Getting a bunch of artists to play at unconventional settings is how a lot of legendary music and artists started their journey.

Give your ‘scenesters’ a chance to pay what they want: using crowdfunding as an effective DIY tool

Crowdfunding is a perfect gauge of how much your fans are willing to contribute to a local show, particularly with the first few shows you run. It is imperative to learn more about the purchasing power and engagement level of your audience. You want to make all your shows not only accessible but also affordable: the best way to do it is by allowing your community to pay what they want. Over a period of time, you’d have an estimation of the exact price at which you want to sell tickets to your show, thereby creating a sense of value in return to your fans, artists, and hosts.

We’re very excited to hear from you! Click here to sign up as a CityRep and you’ll hear from us in 2 weeks’ time! To find out more or sign up as a CityRep, click here

If you want to learn more about the youbloom community follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram

youbloom reserves rights of the selection process.

 

From Your Playlist To Your Living Room: Hosting Your Own Live Music

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With an evolving trend of “breaking the convention”, we are always on the cusp of change, where possibilities are boundless. In time to come, the world will witness a scene where you truly go from your music playlist to your living room.  Never before has it been so viable for communities to equally contribute towards change and made to feel like everyone involved has a stake in something they value greatly. Music playlists have played a rather integral role in our music listening experience, essentially because of how it impacts the way we choose to perceive our immediate reality. It’s time we go from our playlist to our living room, isn’t it? 

Music has the power to bring people together and it all starts with you. 

A dire need for us to create our very own social infrastructure in the age of social media is upon us, and music finds its place in being able to enable that need. “Unplugging” is a common trend today – especially in commercial contexts, where the challenge is to take one’s online accumulations into the real world – and what better way to do that as a music fan than to bring the music on your phone to your living room! Hosting music on your premises not only provides your local musicians with a platform but also creates and encourages a close-knit sense of community in your local scene. It not only gives you an opportunity to involve yourself with something you absolutely love but also gives you the power to act as a catalyst for change. Utilizing your space for something as euphoric as live music comes with immeasurable rewards and the satisfaction of having been instrumental in successfully creating a social infrastructure that is tangible. 

An interesting fact is that most touring musicians are on the lookout for non-traditional ways to perform, and experts in the music business are more than willing to collaborate with you as a host. As such, potential local hosts such as yourself now have more opportunity than ever to work with industry veterans who can bring their expertise into every aspect of a show, from set up to clean up, leaving you to eventually settle into a more comfortably managerial role. If you’re a local promoter reading this, here’s an interesting read on what our show organisers aka CityReps bring to the table. If your love for music is infectious, it’s your chance to contribute today.

Sign up as a host with youbloom today: https://www.youbloom.com/host/

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