A Musicians Guide to Booking Concerts and Gigs

A Musicians Guide to Booking Concerts and GigsA Musicians Guide to Booking Concerts and GigsPlaying live may be the most important thing a formation can do, butbooking a gig can seem like an overwhelming process - especially when a band is making all of the booking themselves. If your band is unsigned, playing live is a great way to build up a loyal fan base, get some media attention and attract record label interest. For signed bands, gigs are the best way to build your audience while promoting your new releases. If youre in a cold sweat about how to book shows for your band, take a deep breath, relax and follow these steps and you will surely get your band on stage. How to Book Gigs for Your Band Lets start at the beginning. Before you even can think about booking a gig, there are a few things you will need to have in place. What You Need To begin, you are going to need promotional material to showcase your talent and music, including A demo or a finished CD, or a website on which people can listen to your musicA press pack, including information about your band and clippings of any press coverage you may have had. You should also have an idea of when you want to play a show - approaching a venue or promoter and asking for a gig whenever doesnt send a message that you are a professional band looking for consistent work. Come up with a window of preferred dates, make sure everyone in the band has their calendar clear for those days and present your availability to the venue or promoter. Call Around and Network So, youve got the promo package and demo ready to go - now, who should you send it to? There are two ways you can go about booking a gig Book directly with the venue, in which case you as a band take on the costs and responsibilities of promoting the showBook with a promoter, who takes dienstgrad of promoting the show Sometimes, venues work with a specific promoter, and sometimes they dont. Give your venue of choice a call to find out how they do things. If you dont know any promoters, ask the venue for advice, or ask around to find out with whom other bands in your area work. If possible, get the names of a few different promoters and venue booking agents and send them all promo packages - nothing wrong with people fighting to give you a chance to play, right? Tired of booking gigs for yourself? Try getting a manager or agent on board who can help you get the shows you want. Make a Deal A good deal is part of a good gig. You should prepare yourself, however, for the fact that many shows lose money. If youre just getting started and dont have much of a following yet, you should think of your gigs as promotional opportunities for your band rather than moneymaking opportunities. Your willingness to work with a promoter and/or venue to try and minimize the financial risk involved in a show will only help convince people to work with you. Your deal should detail how any income for the show will be divided and confir m information about things like accommodation for the band, riders, backline, and soundchecks. If there is something youre unsure about or you dont think is fair, speak up well in advance of the show. Also, you may want to learn more about the following Door Split DealsBefore You Sign a Music vermittler ContractBacklineRiderShould I Pay to Play a Gig? Show Up and Play Well Now all you have to do is show up and play a good show. Be professional, treat the promoter and the people at the venue with respect, and if you cant handle yourself well if you drink all of the riders before going on stage, then dont overdo it. If you happen to have an off night, but you have treated people well, most promoters will want to work with you again. If youve given everyone working to put on the show a night of utter chaos and stress, well, you probably will not get a call back anytime soon. Make sure you take full advantage of the audience at the show and promote any releases, new websites, or any other news the band may have. Encourage everyone who enjoyed your set to sign up for your mailing list, so you can let them know when youre playing again.

5 In-Demand Skills That Provide a Career Boost

5 In-Demand Skills That Provide a Career Boost5 In-Demand Skills That Provide a Career Boost8Here are five in-demand skills that provide a career boost1. Business Development SkillsAs Hannah Morgan writes about in a Career Sherpa article, business development skills are at the top of the list. Learn to develop your ability to pitch and talk about your ideas in the workplace.Every employee has internal customers, so learning how to improve how you work together and communicate will benefit you and your career. Pitching your idea to a gruppe is all about sales and relationship building. You cant just shove your idea down the team members throats and expect them to buy into it, she writes.2. Data Analysis SkillsThough most often associated with accounting or marketing, being able to interpret and analyze data can help you in nearly any job.Think back over your previous jobs. Were there reports compiledor metrics shared? Your ability to understand and intrept this data for your particula r role is an in-demand skill employers are looking for. Having knowledge of data software can put you ahead of the pack.3. Technical SkillsTechnical skills are necessary for any employee, but especially for remote workers who have to rely mora on their own expertise and less on the IT department in the next cubicle.To give yourself a career boost, focus on not only mastering your understanding of the basics, such as basic computer and Internet troubleshooting, but also the specific programs used in your role and company. Employers seek out employees who can hold their own in the technical world.4. Collaboration SkillsAnother skill that is doubly important for remote workers, collaboration skills involve your ability to work well with others. It can be easy to put your head down and work, especially if youre a remote worker.But employers want to know you can collaborate with your coworkers in a positive way. Some people are leaders and some are followers- focus less on what your posi tionis, and more on working well with others no matter what your role is.5. Process Improvement SkillsEmployers want to hire employees who will not only perform their job successfully, but also improve upon it. Process improvement skills involve analyzing your tasks and finding better, more efficient ways of completing them.Maybe you know of another method that will save time, or youve used a program at a previous job that can be implemented at your new company to save time and money. Helping improve processes will show you are involved in your job at more than just a surface level.Want to improve skills and gain experience?Explore Part-Time and Flexible Job OpportunitiesReaders, which of these five in-demand skills do you need to work on? Share with us below

How to Create an Advertising Portfolio

How to Create an Advertising PortfolioHow to Create an Advertising PortfolioIn this increasingly digital world, online portfolios are replacing traditional books that advertising creatives take to interviews. But they are not dead. Not yet. Some people still like to look at physical samples, especially if you specialize in product packaging, direct mail, or anything else that a website doesnt do justice to. So, if you want to create a stunning traditional portfolio, follow ansicht 10 steps. 01Buy an Advertising Portfolio CaseYou can find a standard black portfolio case at your local office supplies store or an art supply shop. You can also find a large selection online, even at stores like Amazon and ?eBay. They come in several different sizes but you wont need a very large one. Prices start at around $40 and can go up to several hundred dollars.02Purchase Extra Portfolio PagesYour advertising portfolio case may come with some starter pages. These pages are protective plastic over a black page.Go ahead and purchase a small pack of additional portfolio pages so you dont have to worry about running out. You never know when youll need to add a new writing sample in a pinch, and you dont want to be without some extra pages.03Add Your Advertising ResumeYour advertising resume should be the first page of your portfolio. Even though youll send your resume to potential employers or ?clients, youll still want your resume in your portfolio. You could be one of the hundreds of prospects so it never hurts to reintroduce yourself and your qualifications with the first page of your portfolio.04Decide On Your Best SamplesEven if you dont have many samples to your credit, youll need to pick out your best work for your portfolio. Dont be afraid of using rough comps, sketches, and other spec work.Many times, creatives have a great project theyve finished but the project is still in production and hasnt gone to print yet. You dont have that full-color brochure or that glossy prin t ad to put in your portfolio but youll want to show off your copy so you can land the next assignment.This is also a similar case for the budding creative who has no official samples to showcase at all. You can create SPEC ADS, which are ads youve created on your own. In other words, you can rewrite an ad for a major company with your own style, label it as a SPEC AD and industry pros automatically know youre showing your ability to write without you trying to mislead them into thinking you really reworked the branding of Nike, for example.Choose the work that best shows your copywriting talent, even if it is simple text on a piece of paper. Well dress it up in Step 6.05Create Divider SectionsLets say youve got three TV commercials, four samples of print (both brochures and print ads) and three samples of website copy you want to include in your advertising portfolio. Create divider sections to help your work stand out and not get lost in the clutter.In our example here, we would c reate a divider page with a heading for Commercials, one for Print and then another for Web (or Internet). Remember, copywriting is a creative talent so dont be afraid to get creative with your own portfolio.Dig into your old magazines and cut out various pictures from ads. Arrange these so that your divider page appears like a collage.This helps your sections stand out on their own and shows your creativity at the same time. It really helps your portfolio become more memorable, which is a huge plus when youre competing for a job or a client.06Dress Up Those Text AdsDont think your text ad isnt worth putting in your portfolio. You can dress up these ads and make them every bit as appealing as a full-color ad.For copy you dont have in final pretty form, you can simply put at the top of your page, In Production. For copy that is written as a SPEC AD, meaning you wrote the ad on your own to show your writing ability, title it SPEC AD.Remember, employers viewing your copywriting portfol io are looking at your ability to write. Theyre not hiring a graphic designer so dont try to pretend you are one by wasting all of your time designing a mock-up ad so that your copy looks more finalized. Even seasoned copywriters put their best work in their portfolio and that doesnt always mean they have the final printed version of the materie so they use plain text on paper.To dress up those plain text ads, print them on professional-quality paper. This is the same type of paper you would use to print a resume on.To really make that text ad stand out, buy a decorative background paper and offset the two by about an inch.07Arrange Ads for Easy AccessDont glue your brochure down to the portfolio page and then hide it behind the protective plastic. Be willing to cut into the portfolio page so that the person looking at your portfolio can have easy access to the materials. This means you may have a brochure flap sticking out of the protective plastic but your prospect can easily see your work.Your portfolio pages are also designed to protect your work. The last thing you want is a prospect wanting a closer look, so they start trying to feel the protective plastic back to get their hands on your materials.08Change Your Advertising PortfolioNever be afraid to change your advertising portfolios pages to a client or employers specific needs. If youre interviewing for an agency position that exclusively handles direct mail, load your portfolio up with direct mail samples. A hodgepodge of samples wont do you as much good as the types of materials the agency specializes in.Same goes for freelancing clients who need something specific. Your portfolio is your calling card and it will change with you and your prospects needs.09Take Extra ResumesYes, youre in the employers office because he or she looked at your resume and called you in for an interview. As mentioned before, you could be one of thehundreds of people going after the same advertising job.Stuff some extra co pies of your resume in the back flap of your portfolio case. Now youve got the first page of your portfolio with your resume as described in Step 3 and you can also hand a copy of your resume to the prospect for them to keep. This is especially handy in interviews when the employer or client just cant seem to find your resume.10Never Leave Your PortfolioIts the best portfolio Ive ever seen I just have to show it to my business partner.What a great compliment. But never, ever leave your portfolio no matter how much you want the position.Once your portfolio is out of your hands, you have no idea how its going to be handled. Portfolio cases can easily get damaged and even lost in an office. You dont want your portfolio to end up stuffed in someones inbox with papers all over it while it also serves as a coaster for morning coffee. And, agencies make copies of ads they like. Its a hard fact.You have a couple of options so you dont offend anyone. You can say you would love to schedule an other appointment to show your portfolio. Or you can even say youll be happy to fax over a copy of your portfolio, which is basically a black and white copy of all of the materials youve shown in your portfolio.