How some bands make money off their music (1)

“Do we live off of our band? Well, not entirely we still have jobs but were working towards it. Best business model…well there is no silver bullet. It takes money to make money and it takes a bit of success to get free money. Obviously a record company ideally would provide you a front for cash but if you guys can get a good enough recording out to get played on commercial radio you might be surprised as to what you can get in terms of a government grants and loans. I Know the province of Quebec puts a lot of money into the arts so go to the provincial web page and see what they have to offer. Apply as often as you can. Money is a bitch and until you establish yourself you will always be burdened by it. Try to play shows with other good bands so that you can make cash off the door which hopefully means merch sales. If you don’t have a following then get creative…poster the free ways or high traffic/traffic jam areas. Its hard work so you cant be scared, just get out there! Posters! posters! Posters. Play shows but dont play too many our you’ll saturate your market. I cant say which model is best. No two bands go about getting a record deal the same way, other than working hard…really hard. It usually takes a band 10 years to full understand what to do. Once you guys get rolling and are touring within your province and nationally you should seriously consider “incorporating” your band into a business. Once your rolling tour wise I would focus on finding out who the “booking agents” are cause thats who can make your exposure to new audience climb drastically (there are pros and cons to that, mainly in the form of tax breaks but remember you will have to pay taxes). Remember that if you guy want private investors (record companies, booking agents you have to show them first that you are willing to invest in your self…good disc, tour often and build a fan base. I’m not sure exactly where you boys are at with the band but if your not touring and bringing in crowds don’t worry about too much, just work towards it. Don’t over shoot or you will be disappointed”.
(Texas Blood Money - www.myspace.com/texasbloodmoney)

“I’ve found it pretty hard to quit my day job when I first started. With all the money you need to invest in recording, producing, duplicating CDs, and getting merch together, it turns out to be a huge amount of money you need. So, unless you have an investor, you’ve gotta work. However, I’ve made some decent money from playing shows when I can. If you declare it as a business with the IRS, you’d be amazed at the things you can write off for your craft. Instruments, strings, fuel costs, classes, you name it. Merch sales definitely help a band that’s out on the road. Sometimes you can double or even triple what you make from the door on merch sales alone. It’s also very important to get your merch out in your home market. T-shirts and bumper stickers add a lot of buzz when they’re seen in a certain area over and over”.
(Mogote (Brain Probus) – www.myspace.com/mogote)

“I definitely think most of a bands revenue comes from playing gigs. the merchandise sales at the gigs usually helps get that extra gas and meal money, especially if your’re on tour.
Even the bigger signed acts don’t make that much from record sales. By the time everyone has gotten their piece of the pie there’s little left for the band. I think most of the focus should be on getting good paying gigs”.
(Dany Santos - www.myspace.com/santosdrums)

“The most consistent form of making money is the shows. We have made a deal with our promoter, after selling 20 tickets at $10 a piece we get the rest of the ticket sales. this is a great deal because at the end of the day it is up to you on how much money you really make by the effort you made to sell tickets and get people to come to your show. We’ve also booked venues before and even though it may be more expensive (sometimes less) all the profit is yours…you get to pick your set times and for how long. we are just getting to purchasing merch. Our goal with that is to make somewhat of a profit with it, most importantly to break even and still sell our products at a reasonable price. Hopefully an EP on the way and that should rake in some cash”.
(The Svens - www.myspace.com/thesvens)

“It all depends on what stage of your career you are at. There are a lot of “Indie” bands out there that rake in more cash from album sales than some signed artists to a major label (although the vast majority of indie labels are owned by the majors!).But let’s look at the initial stages of an Indie bands’ career.Record sales at gigs can increase the bands’ income by up to 70% depending on the venue.Don’t ever forget that CD’s are a souvenir at gigs and the listener can play your music any time they like and remember who you are, as well as show their friends what a great band you are.Also the CD cover can hold a lot of information,like contact numbers, website addresses etc, a lot more information than say a T shirt could offer.The band would have to have quite a solid position in the market to justify merchandise being bought. Would you wear a T shirt with a name or brand that you hardly know? At the initial stage of a bands’ career, the secret is to get the name out and always keep in touch with the fan base to make that baby grow. Once that has been consolidated, the sales end for merchandise will be in the bag”.
(Annonymous)

“Have Good Merch (and lots of it). It can be a night maker, or at least fill the van up with gas so you can get to the next gig”.
(Chris – www.bandmix.com/chris2203)

“Festival circuit, sell your products. Forget bars”.
(Irminsul - www.irminsul.biz)

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What bands should know about playing in clubs (1)

“I’ve been in a number of bands in the Chicago area through the last 12 years, and I’ve played a lot of clubs and had both great and not so great experiences.

But from the small cafes to the Metro and Double Door, one thing will always be true: Venues are in it for the money. They are businesses. That’s what they do. Undoubtedly, there are places with people who run them who genuinely care about the music and the musicians, and who will treat you fair and treat you well. But the chances that you’ll run into a straight ahead business mindset are far greater.

The key to playing the bars and scene in Chicago is to make your expectations realistic. Any venue in the city is just that. A space. But it’s a space that is just as easy to use to your advantage as it is for them to use you.

Playing The Elbo Room on a Tuesday night at 11pm is not going to make you a star. It probably won’t even make you $50. But if you know that before you play, and you go in wanting to play a show and rock out anyway, you’re going to have a good time.

I’ve played the Elbo Room and The Wise Fool’s and Lilly’s and a host of other bars to audiences of 75+ and audiences of less than ten. And I’ve never had a bad experience, because I knew what I was getting myself into.

I wish I could make music for a living, and I admire anyone who can. But we’re not going to make money from these bars and clubs. And badmouthing them isn’t going to change much of anything – because we’ve been doing it for at least ten years. I wonder how many fewer posts there would be on this board if we all just realized that smaller clubs and bars in this city are pretty much just here to give us experience rather than money?

On any given night, I’ve likely made more money through merchandise and CD sales than through collecting a door cover that might or might not be accurate or even available, depending on how many people said they were there to see me.

So use these venues to your advantage. Have a great live rehearsal. Make a handful of new fans. Sell a t-shirt. Flirt with the bartenders. Just don’t expect that you’ll get paid what you think you’re worth. Because we never do“.

(Jeff Brown, www.myspace.com/jeffbrownrocks, www.reverbnation.com/jbxl3)

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