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smaller tight fitting “alternative” tees. They cost more but the look they
achieve supports their brand image. Check out the on-line stores of
d i fferent recording artists to get a sense of what fans are buying and to see
what might work with your audience.
What makes your t-shirt sell isn’t the style, its size or color but its logo
design. Logo art needs to be readable and convey the image you want to
promote, but keep in mind it should be something a person will want to
w e a r.
When it comes to printing logos, you can opt for gel, sugar- g l i t t e r,
suede, reflective, metallic, glow in the dark, and ink in one color and up to
12 colors.
Screen printing using one color ink in one position on the shirt is the
most economical. You have to pay for an art screen with each color you
use as well as for any extra handling of the shirt. That includes flipping it
over to print on a different side. Some artwork may require added film
screens to replicate more complicated designs. So keep it simple if you
can. If you have to go with a certain “look” make sure you get a thorough
quote before you proceed.
Your logo art needs to be in a graphic format generally saved as an
eps file. Many imprinters charge an hourly rate to prepare art that isn’t
standard or isn’t vector art for more complicated designs. Most printers
carry standard Pantone Colors but also offer color-matching inks for an
added charg e .
How many T shirts should you buy? The real price breakpoints in the
industry start at 144 units, but that amount isn’t practical for everyone. Yo u
can find reasonable shirts at the 72-unit range or even less if you plan it
right. Funds still short? I know of some bands that purchased co-op shirts
with another band or with a sponsor such as a local nightclub. T h e y
basically sold space on the shirt to share or subsidize the cost and helped
promote their partners at the same time.
If you can get your shirts for under $5 and sell them in the $10-15
range you will see a quick return on your investment. When I taught music
business classes, I used to illustrate the power of selling tour merchandise
to my students this way: A typical major label recording artist might make
a little over $1 off the sale of a CD . He would have to sell five CDs or
more to make the same margin off the sale of one basic T- shirt. T h a t ’s why
some of the major labels have affiliated merchandise companies as an
added revenue stream for themselves.
Tour or gig merchandise can be incorporated in your overall
marketing plan. It fits right in with preparing press kits, driving traffic to
your website, getting people in the door and selling CDs. The right product
will promote you long after the gig.
Keep an eye out for future articles on more promotional products.
Trucker hats anyone?
Gigi Swanson started an entertainment division three years ago when she
left her teaching and administrative duties as director of the music business
p rogram at McNally Smith College of Music located in the Twin Cities. She
commutes between the company’s Minneapolis and St. Petersburg offices
and recently opened a satellite office in Nashville. M.G. Incentives, Inc., a
company that specializes in promotional products. The company has
worked with advertising firms and corporations for over 15 years.
HOW TO MAKE THE MOST OUT OF A M U S I C
C O N F E R E N C E
by Valerie DeLaCruz, Musician/Songwriter
© 2009 All Rights Reserved. Used By Permission.
♦
OK, so you’ve decided to take a positive step toward your goal as a
songwriter or artist; you want to check out that music conference you keep
getting brochures or email blasts about. It’s time to take the plunge,
whether you are a seasoned veteran and have attended them before, or a
“newbie” hoping nobody at the conference notices!
How you get the most out of the experience
1. Review the promotional materials to determine what the main focus of
the conference is; i.e.: songwriting, legal issues, performance, and
make sure that this is an area you are interested in.
2. Define your goals. Are you going to strengthen some qualities you
already have? Gain more knowledge about something technical or
legal? To network with others at you’re level and hopefully move up a
notch in your field of expertise? Write them down and refer to them as
you determine your schedule. Often, panels or workshops are taking
place at the same time and you have to choose between them. If you
go with a friend, you can split up and compare notes and resources
l a t e r.
3. Figure out the overall cost including travel, accommodations,
conference fees, etc. Start saving up and realize this is an investment
in your profession. You may be able to interest a friend to go and
share the expenses of a room.
4. There is almost always the opportunity to showcase at these events,
and usually, if you are selected to showcase, you can attend the
conference at a reduced fee or for FREE. This is certainly worth doing
as you will get to show the industry professionals and potential
collaborators what you can do. Be realistic about the costs involved in
bringing your band to the conference. You may elect to do a solo or
duo acoustic set to cut costs if that presents your material well. If not,
again it may be a worthwhile investment to perform a showcase,
always more fun than a bar gig and in a concert setting where people
actually listen. We’ll touch on the showcase preparation further on.
5. Send in the application. Many times there is a reduced “early bird”
registration fee and this is great if you can take advantage of it. If you
are also applying for a showcase slot, tailor your presentation
materials to the theme of the conference to better your chances of
being selected. Remember that professional presentations, or
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.
www.indiebible.com The Indie Bible – 10 th Edition