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Blog: Musician Tips

FestivalNet

Musicians: Maximize Success in Booking Events and Boosting Merchandise Sales

posted December 6, 2023   category » Musician Tips
Musicians: Maximize Success in Booking Events and Boosting Merchandise Sales

As a musician, booking events and selling merchandise is essential for building a successful and sustainable career. However, competing in a market with limited opportunities and networking challenges can be discouraging. In this article, we’ll guide you through actionable tips and suggestions to increase your chances of booking events, boost your merchandise sales, and establish a professional social media presence to excel your music career. 

Back to Basics: Getting Booked at Music Festivals

posted October 24, 2023   category » Musician Tips
Back to Basics: Getting Booked at Music Festivals

Music festivals are a fantastic platform for musicians to showcase their talent, connect with a diverse audience, and gain valuable exposure. However, getting booked to perform at a festival can be a competitive process. In this blog post, we'll share some effective tips and strategies to help musicians increase their chances of getting booked at a music festival. Keep in mind the event does not have to be a music festival per se. Many art fairs and expos also book entertainment and often have decent entertainment budgets.

Prepare For Your DJ Debut At A Music Festival

posted August 11, 2023   category » Musician Tips
Prepare For Your DJ Debut At A Music Festival

Getting booked to spin tunes at a music festival is a dream for many DJs. With over 32 million people attending music festivals in the US every year, getting a gig at events like Riot Fest, Bonnaroo, Desert Daze, or at Love-In Music Festival guarantees maximum exposure for DJs, which can lead to more high profile gigs in the future. If you want to share your unique take on music with a diverse audience at a festival, you need more than just passion to do well at this type of event. Knowing how to put on a performance and proper preparation is key for a successful DJ debut. Here's what you need to do before DJing for the first time at a music festival.     

Booking Music Festivals: Putting Your Best Foot Forward

posted July 5, 2023   category » Musician Tips
Booking Music Festivals: Putting Your Best Foot Forward

Booking music festivals is a dream come true for many aspiring musicians and bands. The opportunity to perform in front of enthusiastic crowds and gain exposure can be a game-changer for your career. However, with numerous talented artists vying for limited slots, putting your best foot forward is essential. We'll explore valuable strategies and tips to help you successfully book music festivals and increase your chances of being selected.

 

Crafting an Irresistible Pitch

The first step in securing a music festival slot is creating an irresistible pitch that grabs the attention of the organizers. The pitch should be concise while showcasing your unique sound and what sets you apart from other artists. Here are some tips to help you craft a compelling pitch.

5 Things to Look for in a Music Manager

posted May 26, 2023   category » Musician Tips
5 Things to Look for in a Music Manager

You wouldn't pick just anybody to play in your band. You want the best you can get, someone who adds something to the music you're creating. You should approach hiring artist consultants or music management companies the same way. Chances are, you already know what to look for in a bass player or a producer. But, do you know what to look for in a music management company? Obviously, you need someone you can trust both personally and professionally. But what else should you be looking for in music management companies?

Bringing your Act to the Festival: Booking Music Events

posted January 18, 2023   category » Musician Tips
Bringing your Act to the Festival: Booking Music Events

Music festivals are a great way for entertainers to showcase their talent and reach new audiences & potential fans. However, booking a gig at a music festival is often a competitive and challenging process. Using FestivalNet to find music festivals is a great start to help you get ahead of deadlines.  You also want to send professional, personalized emails and follow up with a phone call.  Here are some more tips to help you increase your chances of getting booked for a music festival:

Overcoming Musical Frustration

posted October 26, 2022   category » Musician Tips
Overcoming Musical Frustration
Are you musically frustrated with yourself? Are you not the musician that you want to be? Or not as good as you could be or should be? Do you look with envy at other musicians who are doing what you wish you could be doing? Does reaching your greatest musical goals seem out of reach?


I think just about everyone has had these thoughts go through their mind from time to time. Fortunately, you are not alone and there are things you can do to combat the negativity of frustration. Many of the great masters of music have been frustrated at times with their own musical abilities. I've provided four (4) examples from famous classical composers:

How to Create a Context for your Music

posted September 6, 2022   category » Musician Tips
How to Create a Context for your Music

As you plan your digital promotion strategy, one thing to think about is whether contextual content can help connect audiences closer to your music. You can use your own social channels to create a content universe — articles, videos, social posts, and other interactive elements — to drive an emotional connection between your songwriting and your listeners.

Here are a few tips for crafting compelling stories to accompany and provide context for your music, online or otherwise.

7 Music Marketing Truths ALL Musicians Should Know

posted August 1, 2022   category » Musician Tips
7 Music Marketing Truths ALL Musicians Should Know

Marketing, or rather lack of it, is why many musicians don’t get where they could have otherwise been, and why they struggle to make sales, get gigs, and generally move their music career forward in any meaningful way. The good news, however, is if you’re willing to put in the work, it’s possible to learn how to market your music. But, before learning specific tactics, it’s important you get a good idea of what music marketing is and isn’t.

Getting Booked at Music Festivals: Choosing the Festival

posted June 13, 2022   category » Musician Tips
Getting Booked at Music Festivals: Choosing the Festival

There are a lot of festivals. There are also a lot of different types of festivals. Your music may not be the right kind for every festival. So before you spend time and money applying to every festival in the world, make sure you narrow down your selections to ones that you stand a chance of being at.

Metal Is Not Edible

We're going to go ahead and get your first restriction out of the way. If you play heavy, dark, and/or depressing music, you've already been axed from a large majority of events. Remember, a lot of festivals are street fairs, city fairs, corporate events, etc. They are generally trying to cater to a crowd full of families, kids, and people shopping at all the vendor booths. They want live music that is "appropriate" for the vibe of the festival.


 

How to Write an Effective Band Bio

posted June 1, 2022   category » Musician Tips
How to Write an Effective Band Bio

Make sure you have three bios: a long one, a short one (1 or 2 paragraphs, definitely under 500 words) and an elevator pitch. Make sure every bio includes pronunciation of the name. Your bio should be written in the third person.

Your long and short bios can be on your website. The elevator pitch is not mean to be written anywhere, but just for you to think about.


Your long bio can be structured like this:

How to Start Playing At Music Festivals

posted May 24, 2022   category » Musician Tips
How to Start Playing At Music Festivals

A recent survey done by Gallup found that 54% of households have someone that plays a musical instrument or sings. If you're one of those people, you might know that this fun hobby can turn into a real passion and a way of expressing yourself with live music. If you want to start your career in the music industry, then a small music festival could be the ideal informal place to do this. It gives you the opportunity to network with other artists in the music scene. There are a plethora of great venues to choose from. You can book a slot on stage or sign up for an open mic session and start playing to an audience that really appreciates your music. 


Practice and submissions

If you want to get a place on one of the smaller stages at a local festival, you will probably have to make a submission to them online. Choose festivals that are a good fit with your music and you are more likely to get in. Practice your stage routine regularly in its entirety and make a decent video of it.

 

3 Ways to Get More Music Fans Fast

posted February 8, 2022   category » Musician Tips
3 Ways to Get More Music Fans Fast

As a musician, you want to always be trying new ideas for ways to get more fans. Of course, music is subjective and at the end of the day you can begin to feel more like a salesperson and less like an artist. You want your music to be able to speak for itself. Unfortunately, we live in very fickle times, and it can be difficult for even the best musicians to gain any traction.


Here are three ways how to get more fans and boost your musical presence:

Interact With Your Existing Fans


If you're looking for how to get more fans, you have to engage your existing audience. This means not only setting up accounts on social media platforms, but monitoring and participating in those spheres. You do not want to set up a page and leave it. You are going to want to answer every single post or comment that is made on your social media page (or at least as many as you can) to get results. Do it honestly and quickly. Not only will this help retain existing fans, but the interactions will draw in their networks to increase your fan base.

18 Ways Musicians Can Make Money

posted January 19, 2022   category » Musician Tips
18 Ways Musicians Can Make Money

1. CD Sales: If you’re going to be playing live shows, having CDs on hand is still a good idea. They make great takeaway souvenirs that can easily be signed by band members.

2. Vinyl Sales: If you’ll be playing live shows, printing a small batch of vinyls to offer at your merch table can help generate extra income. Data on vinyl album sales in the United States from 1993 to 2020 shows consistent growth since 2006, and in 2020 a total of 27.5 million vinyl albums were sold, up by over 30 percent percent from the previous year.


3. Digital Sales:  Offer digital download purchases through your own website to make the most money, but also through online retailers. Online retailers take a percentage of sales. Some digital distributors that place your music in stores like iTunes and Amazon will take a cut on top of that.

Sharpen Your Creative Edge

posted December 21, 2021   category » Musician Tips
Sharpen Your Creative Edge

If you are trying to make it in music today, it is likely that you're writing at least some of your own songs. This can be a daunting task considering the seemingly inexhaustible volumes of music in the world today. And yet, the hits just keep coming. (Granted not all the music you hear on the radio is created equally, but I digress.) So what can you do to make your songs the best they can possibly be? Let's chat.

1. Be A Student

This could seem like a pretty basic concept, maybe one from which you feel you've graduated. There is an argument, however, for lifelong learning. There are always ways to improve. And when you improve your musicianship, you will unwittingly (or maybe wittingly) advance your songwriting chops. So, maybe you're a guitar player? How often do you practice on a daily basis?

🎵 What Every Musician Needs To Know About The Sound Guy

posted November 9, 2021   category » Musician Tips
🎵 What Every Musician Needs To Know About The Sound Guy

As much time as you spend in your rehearsal space perfecting your sound, it won't mean anything if it's botched coming out of the PA. All the money you spent on new pedals, amps, guitars and strings doesn't matter if the mix is off in the club.The sound guy (or gal) is the most important component of your show that most bands don't really think about. He (going with he for this piece out of ease - and most are men) can break your set (few sound guys can actually MAKE your set if you suck).

Musicians: How To Write the Perfect Cold Booking Email!

posted October 11, 2021   category » Musician Tips
Musicians: How To Write the Perfect Cold Booking Email!

Like everything else in the music, booking needs to be approached like a business. The first step is gaining some understanding of who you're trying to contact. If you were a venue owner and your email inbox lit up with 20 booking emails every day, would you respond to everyone? Probably not. You'd only respond to the ones that stand out.


Do Some Research


Spamming every venue in town with the same pitch isn't going to do you much good. That's where a majority of amateur musicians make their mistake. They don't realize that talent buyers have seen it all and can pick out serious inquiries from punks with a computer.


The key to a serious inquiry is research. Before even considering where you would like to play, make a list of every venue at your disposal and learn as much as you can about them. What's the booking agent's name? What's the capacity? What does their upcoming calendar look like? If it appears that you’re not a good fit, don't waste your time reaching out. You only get one chance at a first impression, after all.

Playing Live: What To Do With The Little Voices In Your Head

posted July 15, 2021   category » Musician Tips
Playing Live: What To Do With The Little Voices In Your Head

Whether you play for tens of thousands of people every night as part of a world tour, or 20 people at a backyard barbeque, most of the mental anxieties musicians experience while playing live are the same. In almost every case the negative little voice in your head is centered around fear (fear of rejection, self doubt, etc.). We all have experienced some level of fear or nervousness when playing live at some time or another. You may have felt a fear of failure, fear of making mistakes, fear of what the audience will think of you, your music or your band. Have you ever asked yourself questions like:

  • "What if I make mistakes?"
  • "Am I even good enough to be playing on a stage?"
  • "What if the crowd doesn't like the band, the music, or me?"
  • "Is this show going to be a disaster?"

How to Reach More People as an Up-and-Coming Musician in North America

posted February 9, 2021   category » Musician Tips
How to Reach More People as an Up-and-Coming Musician in North America

Making it big as a musician can be difficult, regardless of how talented you are. There’s a sea of competition, but by playing your cards right, you can reach the stars like others before you. Whether you’re looking for your first big break or looking to continue a hot streak, we’ve got just the advice for you.



Using Social Media Wisely

The biggest problem with social media is also its most tempting fact; almost everyone’s on it. This means that like you, there are countless other hopeful musicians jamming their hearts out to make it big. With talent and luck, several artists like Justin Bieber and Shawn Mendes have harnessed the power of social media and skyrocketed to fame.

How to Make Money With Your Music From Home

posted January 28, 2021   category » Musician Tips
How to Make Money With Your Music From Home

It’s every musician’s dream come true: having the opportunity to make money doing what he or she loves.


A day of strumming your guitar or singing? That beats going to the office any day.


But nowadays, when live concerts are starting to feel strangely like the ancient past and the distant future at the same time, making money from your music is more challenging than ever.


But... not impossible.


Here are some creative ways to make money with your music from home.