I keep on harping about playing for free and giving away your best material. Literally giving away the kitchen sink. Well, at least giving away your Mother -in-Law who hates you being a Musician.
The Realization:
The realization is no one knows who your band is--at least not yet. If your lead guitarist isn't the greatest thing since the Shred Master's Like Yngwie Malmsteen, Paul Gilbert,or Blues Guru Derek Trucks. Chances are you'll have to play for free for a while.
Mean while, play those Jam Sessions weekly even though you hate it like a passion sometimes. Open for other bands for free, and come out with a 3 or 5 song EP and give it away for free.
For free? what in the hell are you talkin' bout Mark?
Yes, free.
If you structure your band as a business when you first start out, you can actually write off the free CD's as a promotional business item expense. You may live in Canada, United States, South America, Asia or Europe. If you have a Liberal government that encourages indie music business, you'll be able to write off those expenses.
Work on writing more songs for your bands and other bands, and practice your ass off and give away songs on your bands website.
Giving Value interviewing Band's:
Offer to interview other band's in your genre and set up audio and video podcasts of those interviews on your website. This creates MASSIVE VALUE for other bands. Keep playing regularly opening up for other bands. Then start asking for money.
Because, if a club booker only offers 50 to 100 bucks for opening or even head lining because of low attendance, work out a deal with the club booker and put that money in a bank account. Preferably, in a high interest ING Direct account. If you have a 3 piece band that money is useless to each member, other than a little spending money. Hardly worth it.
But you could take the money and use it in the business online or paying for gas to gigs, and writing that off as well.
Besides giving value to other bands think about how to create value for your band. Creating even more Massive Value for other bands:
Set up videos and podcasts of other bands interviewing them on different aspects of the music business such as guitar and gear tips, music business, getting booked, recording-- what ever.
These can be free to musicians and eventually used as how to material in E-books for even more value to musicians.
Going back to opening up for musicians. Offer to start round table discussions at clubs with the headlining acts and interview them, and have fans turn out as well.
This can be done before or after gigs. Keep on playing gigs and asking to open for other bands. This also gives you leverage with high paying gigs by creating value
for clubs, bands and your fans.
You have created so much value with your free stuff, musicians will wonder, if their free stuff is this good the stuff like interviews, CD's, and how to E-books I have to pay for, for musicians must be incredible!
This little tip will help your band insurmountably when you become a headliner and start touring.
But keep on creating value for other bands by continuing to give away so much value that you create fans of musicians, music industry people and your fans most of all.
Mark Grove
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