A possible different approach than selling to play

[saito]

Hi everyone!

Saito again. Happy new year

Just had one of my random hit-sink-with-head ideas that might be useful for promoters trying to harness the marketing acumen of bands to enhance their turnout.

How about giving bands a list of distribution points for flyers, an address list for invitations in exchange for PAYMENT and an EXPOSURE slot?

This could probably circumvent the rigmarole of presale whoring.

Basically, the bands in question distribute flyers and snail mail invites as proper WORK in exchange for a fair fee?

In execution it might be difficult to audit the bands because they might just take flyers / posters and dump them in the trash and later claim that punters took all of them at each drop point. However, it might help with cohesiveness with bands and promoters because they would be operationally interconnected.

Either that or my OTHER idea:

Do you know the way schools force you to donate money? Remember those cards that you had to accumulate signatures and donations? Perhaps we have a "BAND PARTICIPATION CARD" - the promoter engages a band that they have to collect, let's say, 20 signatories (the current 'market rate' for ticket selling as well) except those signatories DONT pay upfront, but book tickets. IF those signatories default (dont show up) at the door, the Band has to answer for them.

What do you all think? Just brain storming here

 

[weminchickenchan]

Can't bands just chip in say $5 each to perform on stage?

Rather than going around asking for supports?

I believe if you have good music,you have good audiences.

 

[saito]

This is an age old argument. You are right naturally - when bands grow (or rather "appreciate in value socially") they accumulate a following which transits them from an entry level (C-list band) to a paid professional (B-List)

But $5 is seriously a joke.

The promoter shells out on average 500- 2000 rental for a show.

 

[AgingYouth]

There's so many ways for a band to get more shows.

1) Join the countless band competitions out there. Oh wait, can pay good money to join band competitions but cannot do payola? No lah, "we only join band competitions for fun and make friends. Not to win." Fucken bollocks...

2) Do payola which a lot of bands have been complaining. Eh, even Guns'n'fucken'Roses had to pay to play in the Viper Room. What makes you think you are any different? You feel you are exploited. Think far and earn back the initial investment.

3) Approach as many promoters (or DGOs, hurhurhur~) as possible. Hopefully, they'd like your music and give you a chance. If not, just hang out at their shows and make friends. It's fucken true that most DGOs work in a kampung mentality. They give shows to their friends. If you have no DGO friends, fucken make some!

4) Still cannot find shows? Organise your own shows lah. After all, all you wanna do is perform your music.

5) Like what my bro edder bro is wont to say, JUST GIVE UP! Take up knitting or fishing as an alternative hobby...

 

[wyldeboon]

number 5 is a gd idea...


but there are bands(who are damn good) who want to perform and end up cant due to choice of genre maybe. i've seen a few gd bands playing in front of like damn few ppl.like 10 or less. yes they feel bad coz they pay to play. i'm not talking abt a month old band or sumtink like 'juz join the scene kids'. bands who oreadi achived sumtink good and damn blardy power dont reli have tat chance.

 

[AgingYouth]

Actually, charity work is quite a goot option too...

 

[PatheinRaindropMoe]

3) Approach as many promoters (or DGOs, hurhurhur~) as possible. Hopefully, they'd like your music and give you a chance. If not, just hang out at their shows and make friends. It's fucken true that most DGOs work in a kampung mentality. They give shows to their friends. If you have no DGO friends, fucken make some!

but but, what if i make friend with promotoers/DGOs, after they cheat my feeling, bed my sister and still hate my band stuff plus no gig to play? Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh, goodbye cruel world

 

[AgingYouth]

Then there's only one thing I can say:








































SUAY!!!

 

[rottenramone]

..

i think i'm becoming dodgy too.

 

[PatheinRaindropMoe]

yeah, that be really suay. But then, thanks to technology, i can log on internet and post in as many forums, from gardening to sewing to knitting forum on my grievences and how DGO cheat my feeling, bed my sista, take my money, want to sue me if i cant sell enough tickets etc.

 

[edder]

just give up.

 

[XLayaR]

I like saito's 1st idea....haha

How about every band goes around sticking posters/flyers/invites etc. of their event? Its free publicity...

 

[budakbone]

i got some sugestion, I dun know if they were talk bout b4.

1. Y dun e organiser increase the amount of tiket need to sell but make e price of the ticket cheaper. E.g. Each band must sell 30 tickets instead of 20 but the price of the ticket is now $6............ 8)

2. Bands that sign up Has to pay $20 if they want to play n they will have to sell about 10 tickets which is the normal price n no commission...... :lol:

3. Y dun e orginiser ask for sponsorship from the owner of the gig place......let say gas haus, y dun gas haus cut down the rental so as the the ticket will be cheaper......like the band has to sell 20 tickets at $6 or $8??? :wink:

SO HOW??? IS IT OK MY SUGGESTION :twisted:

My LAST ONE I SHOULD SAY IF BANDS TAT DOESN"T WANT TO PAY AND PLAY, JUST DUN PLAY!!!!!!! EASY HAHA!!!!!!!! :wink:

BUt still someone has to bring e local music up

 

[Crawldaddy]

Hmm.

XlayaR wrote: How about every band goes around sticking posters/flyers/invites etc. of their event? Its free publicity...

Umm.. I might be wrong.. but isn't that kinda like vandalism? As in the pasting up of a flyer onto a public installation (lamp post, bench, bus stop etc).

Not sure ar... so don't flame me. :wink:

 

[litford]

maybe it's vandalism, but it sure is rock and roll.

i don't think bands should ever pay an organiser to play onstage. that is really quite silly. and it just turns everything upside down. as a band we already pay for our own gear, our own practice space, our own recordings, generating our own media, and now you wanna pay to perform? as my fictional alter ego in NS used to say "OOO YAH BOH???"

saito: guess i can see where you're coming from.. making bands do some legwork is good, cuz hey.. i think bands should learn to manage themselves as well. can't expect the organiser to do everything. the donation card thing seems abit childish, but if it works for the current state of things, who am i to argue? but i can't say i'd be thrilled telling my friends to come for my gig and then asking them to 'sign a donation card'..

in general: if you're a good band that brings a crowd in who are willing to buy drinks or merch from the organisers, i think organisers trust you more that you are serious about what you do as a band and not just here to take up space at a gig. soooo.. practice hard and market ourselves more. pay to play is a ridiculous model.

 

[saito]

lol. Mr. Budak.

Its a circular argument regarding getting sponsorship from Venues. You will not believe the amount of promoters calling up asking to use the place for free "keeping it real" when they do not realise that we (Gashaus) still have to pay tens of thousands of rent to the building owners who in turn pay etc etc.

You might as well just get sponsorship from the government - which some DGOs have already started exploring

 

[AgingYouth]

Not us... yet.

 

[visa]

i think we can all agree that:

what we need to develop is a culture where the bands and promoters work hand in hand with mutual respect and desire for the scene to prosper;

-bands and promoters must want to put up a quality shows and both play their part with publicity and sales (hey, it's for your own benefit! why would you play or organize a good show and not tell any of your potential friends and fans about it?)

basically we have to have more people saying "how can I help, what can I do" instead of "this sucks, that sucks, i can't deal with this, i'm getting ripped off with that"

and i think everything would fall into place.

 

[blueprintstudios]

i think the "help sell abit of tickets" is fine, but not too many (I ever been to a gig which requires sale of 15 - 20 tickets?). but bands should get a little creative with it like : buy 1 ticket,get a demo cd recording of my band included. (cd-rs only cost what, 35¢?)

then maybe it isn't so hard to sell tickets after all?
but it comes down to a little problem , recording isn't cheap. so this only applies to the bands who already HAVE demos.

so for those who don't, maybe like what I used to do, filming gigs. get a friend who's got a cam, film it down , convert to vcd. tada~. for those who don't know how to do conversion go to videohelp.com

or lately since there's a trend with band-photographers who seem to do free "charity" work for the bands they support. why not just include all of the above. photo/gigvideo/demo recording.

so yeah, this's a good thread, maybe someone can suggest what bands could self-improvise on their ticket selling.

my suggestions all relate to what I used to/do. cost efficiency.

hope this helps cheers.
50¢ worth.