The way bands gig swap and share gigs (4)

We’ve shared gigs with some great bands who’ve become great friends, just as much as we’ve shared gigs with some horrible bands who we would never consider friends. And a wise piece of advice for bands who want to share gigs: if you’re going to share your gear with other bands, then make it clear beforehand. Bands who show up to gigs assuming they can borrow whatever gear they need, wake the fuck up! You want to perform live? Then act professional and come prepared, because if you don’t have all your own gear, then you don’t have any business sharing the stage.

Dutch Oven

myspace: www.myspace.com/thedutchoven

We’ve done this several ways. Most of the time we go by contacts, friends or friends of friends who have bands. We talk to the club owners and especially the bartenders, sound men and bouncers, they see a lot of bands and have some good ideas on who would go well with us, and usually can get in contact with them. If we can, we’ll go out and see bands and talk to them about sharing or trading gigs. There is also MySpace.

The Covers

myspace: www.myspace.com/coversdonepunk

In person. Start spending a lot of nights hanging out at places that have live music from the kind of bands you’d want to play with. Introduce yourself to the good ones. The best possible situation you can be in is to have gigs lined up where you need another band to fill an opener spot or whatever, so when you talk to the band you can say “I saw your set and really liked what you did. I’d like to see if we can swap out some gigs. I’ve got a gig on X date where I need somebody to play for X minutes, would you all be interested?”

If you’re looking to get your start by opening for bands, it can be a little tougher. That’s when it pays to be good friends with one or more band members so you can ask them for a favor. It’s hard to walk up to an established band and basically ask them for an opening spot without being able to show them anything like a demo CD or video of a past performance.

I’ve only been in one band that pulled itself up by its bootstraps and got to the point of playing the bigger venues in OKC. What I posted was exactly how we did it–a couple guys in the band were friends with some people in a couple other established bands. We rehearsed until we had a tight 30-45 minute set, then asked the other bands if we could open for them, basically as a favor. It worked out really well because 4 of the 5 guys in the band were in fraternities at the local college, so at our debut performance they had to turn people away because the little dive bar we played in exceeded their fire code. After that show we had a standing invite from the band we opened for and a standing invite to play that little dive bar anytime we wanted. Word of mouth and a few more opening gigs at different bars around town got us established enough over the next 6 months or so that we could call up the bar owners and book our own shows. When we got to that point, we basically kept our karma up by offering opening spots to other new bands. It really was all about the relationships, with a healthy dose of having good music and the ability to draw a crowd.

Jehos

Playing with other bands on triple bills, for example, you talk to the other band directly and suggest gig swapping, if they fit your genre and you think they are in your caliber. Other than that, Messaging or Craig’s List, that’s about it. As bands, we are always checking other band’s sites out and listening to their music, checking out the competition, and when we hear a band we like, in an area we want to play, you just send them a message and ask if they are willing to trade gigs. It’s time consuming though. Your site will save us the time, the widgets are there to attract more bands to sign up, meaning more bands for “US” to trade gigs with.

Craig Maxim from Southern Mischief

myspace: www.myspace.com/southernmischiefband

As far as how we find bands, it’s 99% from Myspace. How they present themselves and promote their band online says a lot about their potential ability to draw.

Ryan from Throw the fight

myspace: www.myspace.com/throwthefight

website: www.throwthefight.com

blog: www.throwthefight.blogspot.com

I think that gig swapping is a very grey area for most bands. Sometimes they work out phenomenally and other times not so well. I always recommend doing as much research as possible on any band that you may wish to swap with, i.e. do they play a similar style of music? (or at least a style close enough so that your fan bases can crossover for the benefit of both bands), do they have a history of drawing well in their home market? What clubs are they playing in their home market and on what days of the week? and most importantly are they good and reputable people?

If all these things line up and it still seems like a good opportunity then the gig swap will probably work out great. If not, you may want to think twice about it.

Bryan from Zelazowa

myspace: www.myspace.com/zelazowa

website: www.zelazowa.com

blog: www.zelazowa.wordpress.com

rockumentary: What they want us to be, we can’t alsways be (trailer) – www.filmbaby.com/films/2318

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The way bands gig swap and share shows (3)

More gigdoggylicious quotes on gig swapping here and here. Mruff.

We find bands to share gigs by networking, so far it’s worked out. I am going to be doing some shows with a couple of bands who’ve gotten into NXNE and contacted us (so I’ll probably see them at the festival), as well as a band I personally just tripped across on myspace, loved their sound/style, will be going to check out their show this week, but more because I just love their sound and want to see them anyway. If that match up works out I’m sure we’ll do a few shows with them, including one out-of-towner, which would be great.
Myspace, facebook are excellent ways to at least preview the band and get a sense of their direction/attitude. But there’s no substitute for seeing the band play live, and on that note I totally agree with the live video option as a great tool/calling card. We’ll definitely try to get one happening ourselves at some point.
SleepSix – www.sonicbids.com/SleepSix

First time I was half of an acoustic duo in Austin, we played a club there regularly and they booked us to open for another local band. They set up during our last break, and had some nice comments about us. We decided to do Neil Young’s “Old Man” for our last song, starting into the second verse I suddenly heard bass guitar…in key, perfect volume, turned around to look between lines (I did the lead vocal) and their bass `player grinned at me just as the drummer fell into place. We finished the song with bass and drums, it went well and sounded great, the crowd loved it. It ended up to be a really good night.
PaleoPete – www.bandmix.com/paleopete

Sharing shows is pretty common these days. Almost the norm. It’s a good strategy for a local band whose fans see them often. Get an established band to play the show with you, and open for them. That gets all your fans out at the same time, and the club loves the business.
The better question is “have you traded gigs?”
Trading gigs is getting pretty popular. We have had at least 3 bands ask us to do it. A band from out of town takes your gig, and you play their gig. It helps BOTH bands develop a fan base in each other’s states or cities. It gets you “touring” faster. As long as the venues are cool, which they usually are, it is a win-win-win for all three parties.
Craig Maxim – www.myspace.com/southernmischiefband

To me, just as important as building a fan base and getting in good with club owners is getting in good with other bands. If other bands like you and your music, they will probably ask you to do shows with them off and on..
Sylvan Lane – http://www.myspace.com/sylvanlane)

Sharing gigs is almost the only way to get one someday. So it’s pretty much the only thing we do. I can’t remember performing a gig with just the Fleets. It’s kinda weird, geez. I mean when you’re an indie self-produced and managed band like us. When you get a bit bigger, then you can expect to perform on your own (even if there’s always a first act to open for you…). I guess it’s pretty much the same for you in Canada. At least, I hope ! Cause it’s a great way to meet bands, have great nights and great gigs.
The Fleets – myspace.com/thefleets

More band quotes on sharing shows and gig swapping here:

• The way bands gig swap and share shows (1)
• The way bands gig swap and share shows (2)

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Why bands should not sign with a major record label by Steve Albini

These are not Dick Dale’s words but Steve Albini’s. He’s been around for some time acting in all domains of the music industry so he knows what he’s talking about. This article is a classic of sorts. Very good read. Enjoy.

“Whenever I talk to a band who are about to sign with a major label, I always end up thinking of them in a particular context. I imagine a trench, about four feet wide and five feet deep, maybe sixty yards long, filled with runny, decaying shit. I imagine these people, some of them good friends, some of them barely acquaintances, at one end of this trench. I also imagine a faceless industry lackey at the other end holding a fountain pen and a contract waiting to be signed. Nobody can see what’s printed on the contract. It’s too far away, and besides, the shit stench is making everybody’s eyes water. The lackey shouts to everybody that the first one to swim the trench gets to sign the contract. Everybody dives in the trench and they struggle furiously to get to the other end. Two people arrive simultaneously and begin wrestling furiously, clawing each other and dunking each other under the shit. Eventually, one of them capitulates, and there’s only one contestant left. He reaches for the pen, but the Lackey says “Actually, I think you need a little more development. Swim again, please. Backstroke”. And he does of course“. (read more)

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Why bands should consider online music licensing (2)

Last week we went over 3 sites that allowed you to publish and license your music online. Today we’re going to discover quite a few others. There are lots out there to be honest, most of which are fairly new and up-coming, and we should be expecting more to appear as internet is slowly (well actually rather rapidly) transforming itself into the main platform for the music industry’s new business model.

These sites deliver what is called royalty-free music, meaning the buyer doesn’t have to pay royalties for any commercial use of the music. We also call this pre-cleared music because the provider of the music granted in advance the rights to use the master recording. Both pre-cleared and royalty-free go hand in hand. Most these sites all function with the same model: non-exclusive deals (exclusivity referring to not being able to place your tracks on another site), site takes 50% of earnings, site supposedly has contacts in all major media conglomerates and so on. For the sake of not making this post boring, I am just going to list the sites that are the most relevant to musicians:

• Audiosparx
• LicenseMusic
• eStockMusic
• AttackTrax
• Musync
• Dittybase

These site are made to sell music more then to promote the musicians but they can represent a an income stream. It’s browsing through such websites that one realizes the true competition out there. Here I only displayed those who allow you to upload your music, or who make it clear that this is possible. There are much more royalty-free ‘stores’ selling pre-cleared music out there but who have their own roster of composers. The music quality is good and the prices are going down due to competition. This is great for content creators and not so much for artists. Nonetheless, these sites represent opportunity to sell your music and get recognition, so even if it can’t guarantee results, going down the music licensing path is worth a shot.

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How some bands deal with club owners

If you’re interest in how bands deal with club owners, you might also wanna take a look at:

• How not to get your band booked
• What bands should know about playing in clubs

Dealing with club owners: your best bet is to put a cd together with about 3-4 of your best songs, go and talk directly to the bar owner…don’t bull shit them at all…remember, they deal with musicians all the time. Don’t be cocky, but be confident, this will help you get your foot in the door, also, if you can play the same place twice, there will surely be people who remember you and word gets out“.
Gunner – www.myspace.com/guitargunn

Club owners are always looking for someone to bring in a crowd, they sell more drinks, that’s thier bread & butter.
I only take the door. They can keep all alcohol sales. They like to hear that.
A simple contract always gets signed, 3-4 things on it only, you get the door, they keep all bar money, your sales are yours, ect. Some don’t want to sign a contract. You play at your own risk without it“.
Cowboy Elvis – www.myspace.com/cowboyelvis

Although I’ve tried for a long time to get gigs in clubs, it’s been very difficult. Maybe because we are mostly a duo and clubs like dance bands. But we’ve tried restaurants too. Seems that restaurants have a rotation of bands that play regularly. It’s hard to break into that rotation. We haven’t yet succeeded. We have to leave press kits and cd’s but can never seem to catch the owner in order to actually book a gig. They will not call you ever. They have their choice of bands – they’re not looking for more or for anything particularly special. Some clubs have acoustic nights – most of these evenings are open mic evenings. We are tired of open mics. It’s great for the venue – free music! But lousy for musicians trying to make a living. Some clubs require you to secure them an audience of anywhere from 30-100 people before they will “hire” you. It’s quite a scam – after you secure them their business, they will pay you only a percentage of the door! Sometimes this is split with other bands who’ve had to do the same thing. What a scam! We’ve tried to find managers and booking agents. We’ve gotten as far as sending our press kit and then never hearing from these guys again.
Our problem is that we don’t play covers – we do originals. We are far from mainstream even in our originals so it’s hard to find a club or venue that will hire us. We’re “not what they’re looking for”. If we were a cover band playing rock and blues we’d probably be working regularly.
Payment is hard to come by – because of all of the above. But we’ve managed to be sure to be paid for most gigs – even if it’s minimal. Here’s a good story for you…
After playing the local Pumpkin Festival for a few years for free, my partner and I decided to ask to be paid. After all, the sound man is paid and so are the staff. Why not the musicians whom, without them, the festival would be basically nothing? We approached the organizing committee and asked for payment. They responded that it was not their policy to pay musicians and if we wanted to be paid we should look elsewhere!“.
Rahel – www.rahelmusic.com

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Why indie bands should not sign with a major record label by Dick Dale

Dick Dale knows what he’s talking about. For those of you who aren’t familiar with the name, you’re most certainly familiar with his music. He’s the king of surf guitar and basically created the style with ‘Misirlou’, the track from Pulp Fiction. He has been struggling with the music industry ever since he started recording albums. His message is simple and straight to the point: be smart and don’t count on anyone but yourself to get your music heard.

Here are the main pointers of this video that indie bands should take into consideration:

• Learn how to market yourselves and become business men,
• Stop trying to be the big man,
• Contact licensing agencies and medial outlets to distribute your music.

Concerning licensing agencies, we’ll have a post out next wednesday on online licensing companies so stay tuned.

In our series on major record labels I would also suggest checking out these posts:

• Why the music industry won’t take risks with bands anymore by Frank Zappa
• Why bands should not sign with a major record label By Steve Albini

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The way bands gig swap and share shows (2)

How bands choose other bands to swap/share gigs:

I was in a band that threw a show at a teen community center about seven years ago. The other two bands on the bill were from the local high school. That way the kids would come to check out their friends playing. Turns out that the two bands hated each other. and their friends hated each other. I spent most the night trying to keep the peace and dealing with a bunch of brats. In the end, my band played middle (no big deal) and the other bands ended up trying to rip each other off and fist fighting (that is a big deal). The teen center didn’t allow another show after that. KNOW WHO YOU’RE PLAYING WITH! Ask the other bands if they’re cool with the other bands on the bill and the lineup. If the band you got a show doesn’t get you a show back, then don’t work with them anymore. Your good name is all you got. Don’t let others drag it through the mud. if you set up the show and it’s a winner, the glory is yours. If the show is a bust, so will you.
March into Paris http://www.myspace.com/marchintoparisband

We chose bands by going to their shows and seeing them live before we invite them to play with us.
Throw The Fight, http://www.myspace.com/throwthefight

I have done some gig swapping… it has worked out good for me… but I met the people at a show, so I know they are hard working and will make the gig I go to a good one. They know that of me as well… I am sure if it’s a hit or miss.
ID Required, http://www.myspace.com/idrequired

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Does gigswapping always work out?

Gig-swapping is always a risk. Bands often embellish their worth and/or bail out on their side of the deal. But it’s worth trying. If you win over any of their fans, they will talk about it and hopefully come out the next time your there.
Tims Myth, http://www.myspace.com/tmyth

When doing a swap with a band, always do a little bit of research on the other band. If this is a gigging band that has done its fair share of shows then they should know the deal.
We’ve swapped shows with a lot of out of town bands, and really, it’s just a matter of “you scratch my back and I scratch yours.” If a band comes from a long distance you hook them up with a place to sleep, hot meals, and show them a good time around your city. Make something special out of it. Just try to start good relationships with good bands in areas far away that you plan on going to as soon as you’ve earned a name for yourselves at home. One region at a time. When setting up a bill find some bands you have networked with, three or four, go to the venue you’re trying to play and present them with the bill; show the bills drawing power. (if you don’t know any bands, it’s because your networking game is weak. Don’t bother setting up a bill until you got the networking part of the game down). When you’re setting up a bill it’s always best to work out who’s paying for what as far as the PA goes. If you’re playing at a place without a PA. (and never play at a place without a PA unless you’re setting up a show at the teen community center or something like that. If you’re playing at a bar with no PA, it’s because they don’t do regular shows. No regular shows equals no walk in traffic there to hear bands, and the bar regulars aren’t there to hear bands.
March into Paris, http://www.myspace.com/marchintoparisband

Most of the time bands are always down and don’t fuck around with gig swapping too much, cause it gives them a chance to go play in a new area or city and get good promotion and what not.
Texas armed to the teeth, http://www.myspace.com/texasarmedtotheteeth

We’re friends with most of the bands in town, so they ask us to play out. We don’t even play remotely the same style of music, but there’s a lot of mutual respect. Once you’re in good with a few clubs, you can return the favor, or get someone to help fill the bill when you’re in a jam trying to find that third band to play with. Get in with those bands that see the scene as a community, not as a group of competitors. There’s a good chance there will be a lot of the latter, especially in the rock scene. The older guys are usually the ones to get to know. they’ve mostly gotten past that cocky phase.
Sylvan Lane, http://www.myspace.com/sylvanlane

We’ve hooked up touring bands and they return the favor. There are always bands that will get on a bill that aren’t that good, but it’s part of the game sometimes. I’ve also seen bands be not very good the first time you see them, but then 6 months later they slay!
(Anonymous)

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Mruff?

Finding bands = easy, choosing bands = not so easy. Any band should be wary of putting their reputation on the line for another band they’ve never seen before. Even if your musical styles aren’t exactly the same you should consider the outcome of the partnership. If they have a steady fan base and let you in on a tight venue in a city you want to access, in that case swap away. Good production tells a lot about a band. If the production is thorough then in most cases the live sound will be well finished. So if you like their music (or not, but they’re hot), they sound good and they are consolidated in your target location, there is one last thing to look into, and having looked into that thing in the first place might have rid you of all the other things: a simple video of the band playing live. This doesn’t answer all your questions but it’s the most direct impression your gonna get. Actually it’s not, sorry; the most direct is seeing them live. It’s worth taking your band out on the road for a short drive to see them play. Live is where a band shows its mettle. And you get a chance to meet their fans, which in turn could become your fans. It’s always all about the fans…”.
(gigDoggy, http://www.myspace.com/gigdoggy

More bands quotes on sharing shows and gig swapping here:

• The way bands gig swap and share shows (1)
• The way bands gig swap and share shows (3)

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The way bands gig swap and share shows (1)

Why swap gigs?

I actually think that “gig swapping” might be the best possible way to get shows… the problem is you have to be in a position where the venue owner or booker lets you bring another artist in to actually make the trade. The idea is if they put you on a bill, you put them on your bill. And the best shows are those that expose your audience to theirs and vice-versa, and that the two artists are close enough in appeal that the folks who would buy your music and swag and tickets would buy theirs, too. It’s tougher than it sounds to put together a good bill, especially if one or more of the artists aren’t known names… but it’s possible, and gig swapping creates friends and partners and can prove to a club owner or booker or promoter that you can be trusted to get people in attendance.
Benjy Kantor, AR manager, www.sonicbids.com

For me, a good show is one that has multiple bands (2 or 3) on the bill because that draws more people in the door. Keep in mind that for every show you do there is at least one person there that hasn’t seen you before”.
Publik Parking www.myspace.com/publikparking

I think gig-swapping with other bands could be the way to go. Over time we’ve scored some great gigs and contacts but find it hard to break into new areas. We can offer support slots to bands in venues that like us, and, in return, that band can organize support slots for us in their neck of the woods. It’s quite common practice and a good idea.
Anonymous

Of course, hooking up with a local act is best for getting gigs, so you can cross-pollinate their draw with any friends you have in the area, and try and win them over.
Tims Myth www.myspace.com/tmyth

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How bands meet other bands:

For getting gigs with other bands, I think the best way is to go to other people’s shows and check them out. Hang around after the show, buy the band member(s) a beer and have a demo of yours handy. You can say you’re looking for an opening slot for the future and to keep you in mind.
Linda M www.myspace.com/lindamsongs

Most of the bands, we meet either at shows or through myspace. Many bands are willing to do swaps. It usually works out well. I spend many hours each week organizing our show schedule. It is tough to be in communication with that many people but I know a thing that is tough is providing the same size audience that may have been provided to you. It is hard to make shows equal in value you for both bands when swapping shows.
Take One Car www.myspace.com/takeonecar

I made friends with some folks in NY and we just kind of took it from there… we trade out shows to get each other on the road as often as possible back and forth and anywhere in between… still trying to make it out to Europe one day ($$$!) and that’s about it… just networking, really. myspace is a great tool. Always people looking to get in the van… maybe I can visit you guys sometime!.
Dave Johnson www.myspace.com/davejohnsonsmusic

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Mruff?

Gig swapping is considered by many as a very important part of DIY booking and building a fan base. It’s about networking with other bands. Whether you’re looking for a gig in your home town or you want to extend your reach to out of town gigs, gig swapping is definitely something to look into, if not to depend upon. The process can also be thought in terms of fan swapping. Its important to find bands that you relate to, so the fans will relate as well. To find bands you must network, and all the social media sites out there can make it easy. You’ll find tons of bands willing to swap, share shows and basically just help out. A great way to find them is through band forums as most of them have dedicated threads for sharing gigs. Google around by typing in the search bar ‘gig swap + (city or region where you wanna swap or share a show)’ and kablamo! you’ll most likely find a local music forum hosting threads for sharing gigs. Be creative with your website: the Everyday Heroes have a gig swapping form bands can fill. Cool idea.
gigDoggy www.myspace.com/gigdoggy

More band quotes on sharing shows and gig swapping here:

• The way bands gig swap and share shows (2)
• The way bands gig swap and share shows (3)

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