Post #22: 'Making it through this week' : ANNIE B.'s D.I.Y. MAGAZINE
"I promise to post blogs here, sharing some daily activities & the work I do to achieve my career goals, and when I do win that Grammy, YOU can say you followed me all the way! I also hope to give inspiration, information, & advice to indie artists, and I hope you take a little something away with you when you read my posts, whether or not you are yourself an artist!"
If you ever have ANYTHING you'd like to respond to in my blog, PLEASE find me at Facebook.com/AnnieBMusic
THANKS!!!
Milwaukee Artbeat's One Year Anniversary is Friday. Thanks to all the amazing board members, I did not have to do almost everything by myself this time!!! We'll have a raffle, a silent auction, and a salsa dance lesson! These are all new since the last Artbeat. But I am STILL sick this week (I usually get sick the week of, or the week after Artbeat, due to all the stress of all the extra activity)!!!! But the fact of the matter is that there are almost 11,000 kinds in 30 MPS schools who have NO ART classes in their schools, & I want to change that!!!!
Good news = There will be an article online about Artbeat in the Shepherd Express, and in the Third Coast Digest - YAY!!! Plus I'll be on 91.7 WMSE on Thursday at 2! Totally cool!!!
Anyhoo, I am still working on getting my original music gigs too... I have been trying to get a hold of the Alchemist Theater for my CD release party. Thinking that June might be a good time for the CD release party, hoping I do not conflict with festivals. The website launch will be September maybe?
Too many tasks for one person... do I get an intern? To come to my house? Is that safe? Not sure... I guess I'd have to talk with Mike about that. I could really use one.
How to prioritize & balance everything - that's the big question. I know I am looking for more ORIGINAL music gigs right now, and that's been a nice change in direction. More soliciting for gigs, and less pay at first. But now I might be able to put together a promotional budget. Getting enough work these days to actually have the ability to put something back & start re-investing in my career. I'll totally have to remember to contact the Bay View Compass about my CD release since I want to do it in Bay View. Plus, getting posters up all over town for shows such as the Art Bar, etc., would have been a good idea. Street team... must do!!! But Don (Art Bar owner) estimated I had 80 people to see me at the Art Bar... was that mostly online/Facebook promotion, or what? I wish I knew!!! I guess my Linneman's show on May 14th & Elbo Room show on June 16 will be a good thing to start promoting right now!!!
Must get started on that Artbeat program... that's always plenty of work. Since I am a perfectionist... UGH!
Have a great evening, and send good vibes so I get better and my health is back to 100% by tomorrow!!!!!
Peace & Harmony!!
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Day 416
Post #21: 'COVERS VS. ORIGINALS: LIVING YOUR LIFE TO CREATE YOUR LIFE THE WAY YOU WANT IT' of ANNIE B.'s D.I.Y. MAGAZINE
"I promise to post blogs here, sharing some daily activities & the work I do to achieve my career goals, and when I do win that Grammy, YOU can say you followed me all the way! I also hope to give inspiration, information, & advice to indie artists, and I hope you take a little something away with you when you read my posts, whether or not you are yourself an artist!"
If you ever have ANYTHING you'd like to respond to in my blog, PLEASE find me at Facebook.com/AnnieBMusic
THANKS!!!
Well, it's a question that all original artists have. Do you play covers, or do you not? Plenty of us have to play cover gigs to pay the bills. We play hits on the radio, learn those songs from other artists, and we play the ones that we do well, since lots of bars that hire bands & musical entertainers cater to people who want to hear their favorite songs.... the radio hits. They can be from Frank Sinatra or from Lady GaGa. Either way, it's not a song written by the artist up there on stage. And I know some venues that will not book you again if you play "too many originals". But let's face it: We are never going to "make it" by playing covers. We need to get out there and push those original songs, we need to get our original music out there consistently and regularly growing a bigger fanbase with every show. In most venues, you can get away with playing one to four original songs in a whole night. You "sneak them in". Or, you just decide that you are not going to play cover gigs, and then you have to find another "day job" (which is what I call cover gigs.... that's my "day job")! Thank goodness I can make a living as a "live music entertainer" (but I am moving towards making my living as an artist, which is someone who plays their own music)! Granted, at this point, it's mostly cover gigs that pay my bills. But I am on a mission to earn my living with my original songs, making money at "original music venues", selling CDs and merch. So, how can that be done???
I guess the first thing we need to do is start looking for those venues, and start booking enough cover gigs to allow us to take a Friday night "off" and play a gig at an original music venue... where we won't make the same kind of money, if we make anything at all! But then, let's NOT PUT THAT OUT THERE! We have to start looking for our target audience at the right venues... it is here that we will find people who WANT to discover new artists, who will buy our CDs & Tshirts, and who will tell their friends about you!
Although, we might be better off just booking original gigs on Sunday/Monday/Tue. nights... since those are the nights that the club does not usually expect to have a big crowd of people who want to hear their favorite radio hits. I just e-mailed the Elbo Room in Chicago - I have played there before with Sparklepussy and am looking for some opening gigs as a solo artist. They should be able to offer me some dates. I also just e-mailed a venue in Madison.
So, the goal is to keep contacting venues until you get a substantial amount of dates lined up with your original music, and hopefully you will be asked back and can start building a regular following as an original artist.
It's hard to find that balance, though. As an original artist, you will not make the same kind of money until you have been doing it and returning to those venues for a year or more. It takes time and patience, which most of us do not have! I was just reading a book about building your audience, and the author recommends the artist hangs out at the venue where they want to play for a month or two, offer to play for free on a weeknight, and then work your ass off for weeks to promote the show to fill the joint and get a great review. Well, that sounds like a great plan on paper, but actually doing it would be frustrating. How can you put so much energy into ONE show, and expect to feel like you are accomplishing your goals? There HAS to be a better way.
We must actively create that perfect situation where we are making enough money playing original music to pay the bills and also have enough to keep getting back into the studio to record new CDs, etc, etc. That requires us to travel. You can't keep playing the same market an expect people to come out to your shows if you are playing every week. You must make your shows a big deal, and they must be sparse enough to compel people to come out when you do have a show, since they might not get a chance to see you again for 2 or 3 months or more.
Well, now at least we have a plan. I'll let you know how it goes with me! Anyone who can suggest a venue in SE Wisconsin or Northern IL, even as far as Dubuque, IA, PLEASE e-mail me at AnnieBBaby at gmail dot com!
Thanks!!!
"I promise to post blogs here, sharing some daily activities & the work I do to achieve my career goals, and when I do win that Grammy, YOU can say you followed me all the way! I also hope to give inspiration, information, & advice to indie artists, and I hope you take a little something away with you when you read my posts, whether or not you are yourself an artist!"
If you ever have ANYTHING you'd like to respond to in my blog, PLEASE find me at Facebook.com/AnnieBMusic
THANKS!!!
Well, it's a question that all original artists have. Do you play covers, or do you not? Plenty of us have to play cover gigs to pay the bills. We play hits on the radio, learn those songs from other artists, and we play the ones that we do well, since lots of bars that hire bands & musical entertainers cater to people who want to hear their favorite songs.... the radio hits. They can be from Frank Sinatra or from Lady GaGa. Either way, it's not a song written by the artist up there on stage. And I know some venues that will not book you again if you play "too many originals". But let's face it: We are never going to "make it" by playing covers. We need to get out there and push those original songs, we need to get our original music out there consistently and regularly growing a bigger fanbase with every show. In most venues, you can get away with playing one to four original songs in a whole night. You "sneak them in". Or, you just decide that you are not going to play cover gigs, and then you have to find another "day job" (which is what I call cover gigs.... that's my "day job")! Thank goodness I can make a living as a "live music entertainer" (but I am moving towards making my living as an artist, which is someone who plays their own music)! Granted, at this point, it's mostly cover gigs that pay my bills. But I am on a mission to earn my living with my original songs, making money at "original music venues", selling CDs and merch. So, how can that be done???
I guess the first thing we need to do is start looking for those venues, and start booking enough cover gigs to allow us to take a Friday night "off" and play a gig at an original music venue... where we won't make the same kind of money, if we make anything at all! But then, let's NOT PUT THAT OUT THERE! We have to start looking for our target audience at the right venues... it is here that we will find people who WANT to discover new artists, who will buy our CDs & Tshirts, and who will tell their friends about you!
Although, we might be better off just booking original gigs on Sunday/Monday/Tue. nights... since those are the nights that the club does not usually expect to have a big crowd of people who want to hear their favorite radio hits. I just e-mailed the Elbo Room in Chicago - I have played there before with Sparklepussy and am looking for some opening gigs as a solo artist. They should be able to offer me some dates. I also just e-mailed a venue in Madison.
So, the goal is to keep contacting venues until you get a substantial amount of dates lined up with your original music, and hopefully you will be asked back and can start building a regular following as an original artist.
It's hard to find that balance, though. As an original artist, you will not make the same kind of money until you have been doing it and returning to those venues for a year or more. It takes time and patience, which most of us do not have! I was just reading a book about building your audience, and the author recommends the artist hangs out at the venue where they want to play for a month or two, offer to play for free on a weeknight, and then work your ass off for weeks to promote the show to fill the joint and get a great review. Well, that sounds like a great plan on paper, but actually doing it would be frustrating. How can you put so much energy into ONE show, and expect to feel like you are accomplishing your goals? There HAS to be a better way.
We must actively create that perfect situation where we are making enough money playing original music to pay the bills and also have enough to keep getting back into the studio to record new CDs, etc, etc. That requires us to travel. You can't keep playing the same market an expect people to come out to your shows if you are playing every week. You must make your shows a big deal, and they must be sparse enough to compel people to come out when you do have a show, since they might not get a chance to see you again for 2 or 3 months or more.
Well, now at least we have a plan. I'll let you know how it goes with me! Anyone who can suggest a venue in SE Wisconsin or Northern IL, even as far as Dubuque, IA, PLEASE e-mail me at AnnieBBaby at gmail dot com!
Thanks!!!
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