Dear Creepy Men of the Music Industry, Please Stop – Digital Music News

Having this done to you is a paralyzing and incapacitating phenomenon. In one fell swoop it takes away your power as a woman and your right to consent.

Source: Dear Creepy Men of the Music Industry, Please Stop – Digital Music News

Tour Buy Ons Can Suck On My Big Fat Ethics – Digital Music News

Cam’ron was charging his openers $800 per show to open his tour playing rooms 500-1000 capacity. Motley Crue charged their opener $1 million.

Source: Tour Buy Ons Can Suck On My Big Fat Ethics – Digital Music News

9 Times It’s OK To Ask Musicians To Play For Free – Digital Music News

When is it OK to ask musicians to play for free? When have I been asked to play free shows? Here are a few times when it’s OK to ask musicians to play for

Source: 9 Times It’s OK To Ask Musicians To Play For Free – Digital Music News

Ari’s Take: 8 Reasons Why Singer/Songwriter Shows Are Boring

I just played a new songwriter series billed as #songwritersundays at The Fox and Hounds in Studio City, CA. They have built up quite a supportive crowd of musicians and music lovers for this Sunday series. Without fail, every Sunday the place is packed with an audience silently listening to the performing artists. This isn’t a glamorous event. There’s no stage. The artists setup in front of the front window, and for all intents and purposes it’s a bar. But what makes these shows special, is the crowd.

Run and booked by musicians and music lovers, these nights have become somewhat of a hidden gem of the Valley. Most people in the house are other singer/songwriters checking out the talent. And unlike the pay-to-play clubs on Sunset Strip, the singer/songwriters are paid a guarantee for their performance. And the show is free for attendees.

Before the show, a woman came up to me and mentioned that she was going to review my show for a publication she writes for. We got to chatting and she asked me a curious question, “why are most singer/songwriter shows unmemorable?” Taken aback (being a singer/songwriter) I asked her to expound. She said that most singer/songwriter shows she walks away from she can’t remember a single song they played and nothing sticks out to her about the show.

As someone who has probably seen (and played with) hundreds of other singer/songwriters, she had a point. Most singer/songwriter shows ARE boring. But that doesn’t mean that the singer/songwriter genre is boring.

So, dear singer/songwriters, here are 8 reasons why your shows CAN BE boring as hell:

Ari’s Take: 8 Reasons Why Singer/Songwriter Shows Are Boring.

Ari’s Take: 9 Things You Didn’t Know About The College Music Market

A lot of musicians want to play colleges, but most don’t really know what that means. As someone who has played over 100 official university sponsored shows around the country, it’s a field I know quite intimately. From the schools surrounded by …

Source: Ari’s Take: 9 Things You Didn’t Know About The College Music Market

Ari’s Take: Don’t Be Afraid Of The Phone

I’ve played over 500 shows and I booked the majority of these. I set up a 60 date tour around the entire country from scratch – starting without contacts for the majority of the cities. I’ve spent the better part of 4 years living on the road, making nearly all of my income from live shows.

Ari’s Take: Shows Sell, Events Sell Out

You can’t expect everyone to come out to every show. Even if your favorite artist played multiple times a month in your city you wouldn’t make it out to every show. People need a reason to devote an evening to your band. Being your friend may work for a little while, but a buzzed about event will push them over the edge.

Ari’s Take: Double Your (Merch) Income… No Really

When you’re on tour, merch is your #1 income generator. This can’t be stressed enough. Believe it. Bands stress over their guarantees and door splits and turnouts. If you want to survive financially with your music you must understand the importance of merch sales and approach it as such. I’ve played shows where 10 people showed up, but they had such an amazing time and I stressed the merch to them that all 10 people bought something averaging about $15. That’s $150 in merch sales. That’s good for any night.

Ari’s Take: 10 Steps To Sell Out Your Show

There’s no point in playing a show if no one shows up. Just listing a show on your Facebook Page will not bring people. Bands sometimes think that all they need to do is go on tour and get their shows listed on the venue’s website and people will magically show up because they are a ‘touring band’ far away from home. You must understand that venues do not promote their shows. They can’t. They have just too many. It is the reason Venues work with Promoters or expect bands to bring 100% of the crowd.

Ari’s Take: 50 Is The Magic Number (Book a Headlining Tour)

Building a fan base is a daunting task. Just reading that sentence your blood pressure probably rose a couple points. Everyone talks about how it’s so important to “build a fan base,” but no one really gives a simple way how or what that even really means.

You should not look at the ambiguous “fan base” as something magical and detached that will only take getting a hit on the radio obtainable. A fan base can be your friends and friends of friends who came to your last show and liked the show. If they come to the next show – BAM – fan base. Who cares that you know their last names and went to the bar with them last week. A ticket is a ticket and if they like you enough they’ll pony up the cash to come to the concert.