Is It Possible to Play Several Shows in One Month & Get Great Turnouts at All of Them?
This question is the average local artist’s biggest dilemma. You don’t want to dilute your show turnouts, but you do want to play out as much as possible to get as much exposure as possible. So how do you do this while ensuring that each show is good, well-attended, and worth it. Here are some [...]
Grassrootsy’s Top 10 Posts of 2010
Hmmm…it was really hard to pick just 10. Perhaps these are personal favorites. But we felt like these posts were worth taking a second look. If there’s another gR post that has stuck with you this year, stick it in the comments section. Oh…and we cheated. The last one on the list is actually 5. [...]
What To Do When Your CD Has Lost Its Momentum
Ah yes…the 1 year mark! Your latest album ain’t so hot anymore and you’re not quite ready to go into the studio again. What do you do? What have you done? Well, this post is certainly open to your suggestions and we definitely want them! BUT here are some immediate thoughts… RELEASE AN EP Do [...]
DAY 2: What Exactly Does a Full-Time Artist Do All Day? An Interview with Justin Trawick.
Today’s post is the second installment of a 5-day series where 5 different full-time artist share what it looks like to pursue music for a living. Today’s contributor is Washington, DC-based artist, Justin Trawick. His words are insightful and they’ll probably be a kick in the pants for all of us who’ve been sitting on [...]
An Interview with Allison Weiss
The first time I came across Allison Weiss’ myspace page, I knew she was a musician after my own heart. Grassrootsy first covered her back in July in a feature on Kickstarter. And after reading more about Weiss, it was apparent that she is one of the hardest working independent artists you will ever come [...]
Tour Maintenance: Things You Should Do Before Hitting the Road
1. Is your website’s show calendar completely updated? Do you have links to all facebook invites? Do you have links to where people can buy tickets? Proper show times? Correct addresses? Don’t just stick the name of the venue and time of event on your calendar. Give people good, solid information so that they can [...]
Booking a Show – From Start to Finish
I often find the below process comes into play when I have no relationship with a venue. They are new to me, I am new to them, and we are basically starting off a new “partnership”. Here’s a loose step-by-step of what happens. If you’ve got steps you’d like to add to this process, post [...]
House Shows – Small Crowd, Big Return
It’s almost winter and its time to start thinking about booking for the next several months will look like. As I’m about to embark on recording a new CD, I’ve decided that I’d like to put less effort into promoting shows while spending more time in the studio. That said, I’m reminded of why house shows are [...]
Step to It! C'mon!
This is a simple post brought on by the lack of time to write something longer and the same question that several people have been asking me lately…”Can you give me any tips for booking college venues.” Ding Ding! Well you’re smart if you’re thinking about booking college venues. If you think about it, [...]
Music & Current Economic Challenges #2
So here’s what a couple other bands are doing to push through these economic times. “TOURING WIH JOBS” “The model of touring [involving a bus and several weeks of shows scheduled across the country] is gone. The recession has made it so that bands have to focus on their geographical areas, which is regionalizing [...]
Money: Ask and You Shall Recieve…Sometimes
Money-related issues are undoubtedly the most-shared frustration among all independent artists. Its hard to fund your art while also trying to fund yourself through your art. This post offers suggestions on how and when to ask for money Asking for Compensation Don’t be afraid to ask for money! If you’re providing a service to people, you [...]
