How to Book Your First Gig

You've spent months working on your set list, recording your demo, and perfecting your stage presence and now you've come to the pivoting point; Setting up your first gig. Don't worry, there is nothing to fret (pun intended), setting up your first gig is as easy as plugging in your instrument. Here are some insider secrets on the art of setting up your first gig.

1. Get your act straight - this means have a demo, a webpage with some recordings and pictures, and possibly some friends already. This is not required, but it is a huge help when trying to score a gig at a bigger and more popular venue. Some venues will not consider you unless you have an EPK (electronic press kit), or at least a webpage with music and pictures. If you don't have a demo, record your 3 best songs, burn them to a cd and send them to all the venues you'd like to play.

2. Know your crowd - this is going to help you figure out what venues to call and set up arrangements. Obviously, if you're a rock and roll band, it might be good to know if the venue you're playing is primarily a rap crowd or a country crowd. Make sense? Usually this is as easy as asking around, or making a few phone calls. Most of the time, a venue will be able to let you know if your music would fit their scene, and if not, usually they can name off a couple other venues that would fit.

3. Ask the promoter - at the venue you've selected what the average head count is on weekends, and what other local bands (or out-of-town) bands play there regularly. This will help you establish if it's worth playing, and if it's just another hole-in-the-wall joint.

4. Once you've figured out the other bands - give them a call or email and see if they'd like to include you in their next show. Most bands out there love to have other local bands of similar taste play shows because it brings in different people, and can help increase their exposure. This also helps you because their crowd will be able to see you, which will bring you more exposure.

5. Sell your band - to the owner or promoter. Usually at first, if they've heard a demo, you'll get a gig (you'd be surprised at how many bands get accepted to play for venues that aren't too "awesome"). Venues will provide you with tickets in most cases to sell off, since this is your first gig, take 25 - 50 tickets, as it's not as easy to sell tickets as you'd think... then sell, sell, sell. Anywhere can sell a ticket, it all depends on you.

6. Promote like your life depended on it - you must promote. Flyers are a great way to promote, put them around at local tattoo shops, grocery stores, or stores that you might find people who listen to your music at (hot topic for example for metal shows, etc..). Pretty much anywhere they'll let you put a stack of flyers is a great place. Flyers can be made on one sheet of regular sized computer paper, 4 to a page. This way you can spend less money for more exposure. Be prepared to spend at least 10 bucks on materials for posting flyers.

Your webpage is another great place to advertise your show. Tell all your friends, family, and anyone you know or do not know about your show. Also setting up shows with other local bands (where you're headlining rather than them) is another great way to get promotion out. This will bring more people as stated before, and you can also post comments on their pages getting people to see more about the show. Also adding friends from local bands that are similar to your genre are a great way to get more fans. Make sure you have recordings! No one wants to go to a band page with no music.

7. Set up your set-up - when you get your tickets and your go-ahead on playing a show, make sure you look at the stage so you can draw up a layout. Usually after a few shows, you'll have the basic concept of your layout embedded in your head. But for now, draw up a rough sketch of the stage and go over a few ideas on where to place your amps, keyboards, drums, mics, etc.. and make sure you remember to factor in how much time it will take to move your equipment into desired positions. Usually a few friends works great for stage hands.

8. If you're looking for a real bang - hire a light guy. Lights are one of the most impressive factors of a show, and good lighting can make-or-break a show. Lights add a different effect, especially when they're your own. Most venues already have lights, but it'd be nice to stand out from everybody else. Light guys can be expensive, but sometimes they're pretty cheap... it's even better if you already know someone with lights. Ask other bands who their guy is and see if you can get a deal. Sound is usually taken care of, but if you want to go the extra mile, hire a sound guy to make your sound stand out more than the rest.

If you're more about being cost friendly, and know how to hammer a couple boards together, make your own light show. Usually all it takes a couple 2x4's and some florescent lights to make a really good show. Using a power-strip is a great way to turn on flood lights by the click of a button when the timing is right. Play around, it's not too hard.

9. Figure out the cost - It's just like a business (it actually is if you think about it), you need to factor in distance of venue from practice spot, labor (moving your equipment around), gas, and play time. If you're playing a half hour set, you'll ask for less than if you're playing an hour or more. Make sense? At first, pricing is not as important as getting exposure. Once you bring in the crowds, you can charge as much as you want. Some local bands around my area make 400+ a show for a half hour set. It all depends on the crowd.

Also, playing locally will usually get you less than playing out-of-town. If you're from out-of-town, then charge them more. Have a set price after a while, because remember, it really is all about the crowds. If you play out-of- town on your first gig, then charge them a little more. If you're going to be bringing them a big crowd though (first show or not) then you better charge more. The more you charge, the more you appear to be professional. This is a big step in getting more venues to call you instead of you calling them.

10. Play and have fun - When you get your crowd involved, it makes them have more fun, and they get a connection to you and your music. Don't just be another band going from song to song. Talk to the crowd, make them have fun, make them cheer, make them move. Venues love it when you remind the crowd about the bar and tipping the staff. Promote the venue you're in, and always, always, always remember to thank any other bands you have and promote them as well. For example

"We loved playing for you guys, you rock! Remember, so and so is playing next, so give them a riot and rock on!"

Other bands who play with you will love to play with you more often if you promote them as well, remember, when you combine, your crowds become one. You and the other bands both get more exposure.

If you follow these guidelines, you will get your first show booked, and many more afterwards. Your crowd will increase, and you'll grow in time. A band who plays good is good, a band who can sell and play good is great, and a band who can bring a crowd is excellent.

Rock on!

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Buying Your First Guitar Online

Buying a guitar for the first time is a difficult process. If you've never done it before, it's almost certain that you won't even know where to start. But never fear! This handy guide will take you through the process so that you buy the right instrument for YOU, and at the right price.

The first question you need to ask is whether you're going to by new or used. Obviously buying a new instrument means you are guaranteed an instrument in pristine condition - but you are going to pay for it. The benefit of a warranty, as well as having someone who will listen (and hopefully respond) to your complaints if something goes wrong is something that will sway some potential buyers into taking this route.

The benefit of second-hand, of course, is cost. It's likely that you'll be able to find a better quality instrument for a much better price if you're willing to buy second-hand. A good rule of thumb when buying your first instrument used is to only buy instruments you can play prior to purchase. Don't buy your first instrument from Ebay; if you can't play it before buying it, it's likely you'll be in for a bad surprise when the instrument arrives.

The next question to ask is what kind of guitar you are going to purchase. This includes things such as the size, sound production method (acoustic or electric) and shape. For adults, a full size guitar is recommended. You can also purchase half and three quarter size instruments for younger players; although depending on age it may be worthwhile going straight for the full-size guitar (children grow quite quickly, after all). In terms of sound production type, this will depend on personal preference and living arrangement (roommates or family members might have something to say about this).

Choosing a guitar model or shape will depend on your personal preference, aesthetic preference and (of course) price range. It is recommended that you play many different guitars to find which one suits you (in terms of appearance, feel and sound). The best way to do this is to go to a guitar store with a friend that already plays. If you don't know any one, do your research. Search online and find reviews for instruments that notoriously have quality construction and play well. Ask the store clerk to set up the instrument for you, and (if possible) give you a rundown on the features and benefits of the instrument.

In terms of buying an electric guitar, you'll need some additional accessories to get started. Make sure you have a spare set of strings (as you'll learn quite quickly, broken strings are not an uncommon occurrence). A good quality carry case is also recommended to keep your instrument in tip-top condition. You'll need a guitar cable to connect your instrument to an amplifier; don't go for the cheapest available as they are likely to break. You'll also need picks (buy a few different types so you can work out which you prefer) and a strap to play while standing. Obviously an amplifier is also required - but this is another article entirely.

When buying guitars online it's very important that you've played the instrument in real life before buying a particular make or model. A good practice is to find the guitar you want by visiting physical stores and playing a selection of instruments, then go online and purchase it. This way you get the best of both worlds: first-hand experience that the instrument is right for you AND the best price available.

Hopefully this guide has helped you in your quest to purchase the perfect first instrument. Best of luck purchasing your guitar. Rock on!

Buy Electric Guitars Now is the one-stop-shop for everything electric guitar related. Created BY guitarists, FOR guitarists.

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What Factors Could Affect Your First Album Sales?

There are two pieces of information that could possibly help us to determine album sales. They are:

a) Historical figures - what was the level of sales in the previous years.

b) Top sales figures - how many copies did the leading albums record.

The above allows us to determine a realistic projection upon which we can confidently create a plan. The answer to the question can be found if we discuss the factors that should determine the cost of the first album:

Potential Sales - How many albums are you hoping to sell? How can this be known? You can know this by taking orders from the record stores you know and then projecting across the number of shops within the targeted territory.

So if your focus group thinks you can sell 50 copies and there are 1,000 similar stores that you can sell to directly, then potentially you can sell 50,000 copies. (The Billboards count shows there are limits to album sales.) What is a focus group? -A focus group is a group of close friends who work within the industry that can give you unbiased opinions, guidance, and criticism about your recordings. The object of their critique is to provide improvements that will make your recordings sellable and more appealing to your niche. Your focus group must include DJ's, record stores and some promoters who are knowledgeable about your niche.

Number of fans - In October 2007 Radiohead released the acclaimed album that created the music business model. The website is said to have had 1.2million visits and less than half of the visitors paying $6 for the album. The average is just over $2 for each visit.

Unless you are like Radiohead, visits to your website will be a lot less popular with visitors so the only way around this is to ensure you have a process for acquiring more fans into your database. It is especially important that when you play gigs you need to generate as many names, emails, and phone numbers of those who come to tell you how great you are. People lives are so hectic that you cannot rely on them chasing you to find out more about you and your gigs or tracks available. You need to build better relationships with the fans to ensure future sales.

Costs involved -Using the Thriller album concept, the label made $650million (if we assume the label made $5 for every album) Remember this is an astronomical hit record. Only a few will even sell a million copies (10 out of 150,000 in the USA).

The point to consider is that if all you're hoping to sell is 1000 albums at ?5, the total you hope to make from record sales only is ?5,000 then your recording costs would be between ?500 - ?1,000 maximum. This conservative estimate gives you a small room for profit. If on the other hand you can sell 5,000 units at ?5 then the total income you can expect is ?25,000 on record sale and your costs should be between ?2500 - ?5000. This is a rough estimate and you can project other expected sales along the same lines.

Do you want to learn more about making money with your music? If so, download my brand new free 5 week music business training course here: http://www.musicbusinesstools.com/

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