Indie Bible - zankMusic.com

something that stands out, will cut through the many, many packages
that the organizers will be receiving.
6. Reserve your room and travel arrangements. Often the conference will
have blocks of rooms reserved for the conference at a reduced rate. It
is always better to spend a little more and stay right at the hotel where
the conference is taking place. A great deal of the networking and
connections that take place are during casual times between seminars,
and you don’t want to waste time in a taxi getting back and forth. Yo u
may need to run back up to your room to get another package or CD
to give out. They usually have special airfare rates, too. I use
w w w.expedia.com for the best rates and schedules.
7. Now that you are set to go, you need to prepare the materials you will
need. Make a checklist and give yourself a few weeks to gather them.
Once I left printing out lyric sheets and bios ‘til the last minute, and of
course, the cartridge on my printer started to act up on a Sunday
evening when there were no stores open! I also email things like the
bio file and one-sheets to myself so that in a pinch, I can download
them at Kinko’s or forward them to someone I meet. They are up
there in my virtual file cabinet wherever I go.
W h a t ’s in a package?
Bring 5-10 full packages that include: Bios, photos, a one-sheet of several
of your reviews and critics’ quotations, photocopies of great press if you
had a photo in print or if it is from a major publication like Billboard. Use
the magazine’s actual heading on your press sheet to get attention and gain
c r e d i b i l i t y. Also don’t forget your business card and CONTA C T
I N F O R M ATION (the most important thing, seemingly obvious, right?)
The packages should be set up so that your name (or band name) and
photo are on the front. If you have a CD, using the CD cover on the front
of your folder looks very professional too. You want them to quickly
identify you when they are digging through a huge pile of packages. Inside,
have something visually compelling like a color copy or photo on one side
and your bio immediately available on the other. Insert a CD or demo into
one of the pockets. I hate to say this, but it’s time to bite the bullet if you
are still using cassettes and get a CD burner so you can make CD demos
tailored to the audience you are trying to reach.
Note: Have extras of all of the above materials in case you need to thro w
together more packages or don’t want the expense of handing out an entire
package when selected materials will do.
Promotional tools
Have flyers of your performance time and venue if you are showcasing to
hand out and leave all over the place. Have a stack of business cards. It is
worth it to spend a little extra on these, as they are truly your calling card,
and will remind someone of whom you are. I always like to have a photo
on it, and color stands out. An unusual layout is important, and if you are a
band, have a graphic designer (not your cousin’s girlfriend) design a logo
that will identify you. The most important thing here is to make it legible!
A card that you need a magnifying glass to read already makes your
contact frustrated.
Plaster your website on all of your materials. Everything you hand out
should have all your contact information. This seems obvious, but how
many CDs have ended up in the trash can because no one could find the
envelope or cover it came in? A website is the most important business tool
you can have. Busy industry people are inundated with wanna-be and
would-be artists. They love to check out your site in the privacy of their
own office/home and get the important info at their own leisure.
Remember a slow-loading site is one that will not be viewed as they go on
to the next one.
Check in
Take advantage of early check-in, arrive the night before so you are rested
and don’t have to fight a crowd. I always plan to stay one more day if
possible, so that I can really enjoy the last day and night, which is when
you are really feeling connected to the other participants and start making
plans to get together for follow ups or collaborations. Get the materials
upon registration and go back to your room and plot out your schedule.
Leave time for regrouping; non-stop seminars can be exhausting.
N e t w o r k
Networking is the name of the game. You will meet so many people that
you won’t remember them all when you leave, and the same for them
remembering you. The single most important thing you can do is exchange
and collects business cards. Write a note to yourself about what you talked
about, and whether or not you told the person you would like to follow up.
D o n ’t just start handing out packages to the panelists after their
presentation. Instead collect their card and ask if you can send it along in a
week or two. This again separates out your stuff from the crowd. But use
your judgment; seize the moment. If you have the opportunity to hand
deliver a package to the producer you never thought you’d be lucky
enough to meet, take it! Practice remembering names; it will go a long way
to be able to address someone you met by their name. Everyone wants to
feel valued.
Other important tips
1. Find out where everyone is hanging out after the sessions. Definitely
go to the “mixers” to talk to people in a more casual atmosphere.
Sometimes there are informal “jams” or guitar-pulls late into the night
where you hear some of the most compelling music. I ended up
booking someone to share a bill with me after being astonished at her
beautiful song during one of these sessions.
2. In the question-and-answer session that normally follows a
presentation, be conscious of not wasting the time of the panelists or
other attendees with your personal request. (I heard recently and saw
many eyes roll when a participant used his chance at the microphone
to go into microscopic detail about the steps he had taken to get his
demo played on radio). Ask yourself if the question you have would
benefit everyone, or if it would be better to talk to the speaker later
p r i v a t e l y.
3. Take advantage of signing up for one-on-one critique sessions. T h e s e
are invaluable and educational, not to mention making a personal
connection with someone in the industry that may be able to help you.
Even if there is an extra charge for this, sign up for at least one. Here
is where you can pick the brains of the experts. And if you ask for a
critique, take it graciously; don’t challenge the reviewer’s advice or
become defensive. This is how we learn and progress. You may not
agree entirely with them (it is, after all, one person’s opinion), but
there is probably a grain of truth in there.
4. If you showcase, prepare a great and tight set list that shows what you
have that is different than everyone else. Better a fantastic five-song
set than two hours in a bar where no one pays attention. Have only
one ballad, and close with another fantastic up-tempo song.
5. If they can’t get a flavor of your style, in five songs, then you have not
focused on a genre, and you will have a lot of problems anyway. It’s
good to start with a strong, driving, up tempo song. Try for a smooth
transition. Don’t stand around onstage while you and the band are
trying to decide the next song; this looks unprofessional. Be flexible
though if you think a different song would maintain your momentum;
just be well rehearsed and prepared for this possibility if you do it.
6. Have your cards and demo CDs at the stage readily available for
people to take. You never know when Miles Copeland will be in the
a u d i e n c e !
When you get home, the real work begins, unless you were signed to a
recording contract right on the spot! Follow up with thank you notes to all
your contacts. Start by organizing the business cards you collected and
assign action steps to them. Put the packages together and send them
within a week or ten days while it is still fresh. To stay organized, keep a
log of your contacts, and what you did to follow up. Then call in about two
weeks to follow up on the packages you sent out. Lastly schedule those cowriting
or demo sessions, and order the publications and/or resources that
you discovered.
Valerie is one of the 60 original Just Plain Folks members and her
passionate career pursuit and professionalism has been a model for other
g r a s s roots artists. Through hard work and persistence (and talent!) she’s