7 Things Promotors Do To Make Bands Frustrated

After receiving some response about my previous post, "7 Things Bands Do To Make Promotors Frustrated", I felt the need to write a follow-up article. There are many other posts out there quite similar to my article which seem to always go after the bands, so I thought I would turn it around. Promotors are far from perfect and to be completely honest, there are some promotors who frustrate me more than any band could. Here is my list of 7 things promotors do that make bands frustrated.

1. Pay-To-Play - This is one of the biggest pet-peeves that bands not only talk about but many other promotors talk about as well. Some larger promotion companies, who I will not name but many probably know exactly who it is, will seek out any band who is willing to play on a Sunday on a 10 band bill and then make them sell overpriced advanced tickets for no pay or very little pay. It isn't just the large promotion companies who do this but also local and regional promotion agencies. There is a pretty big movement in the USA and the UK criticizing the practice and even a website dedicated to informing bands about who does the practice and why it sucks.

2. Horrible Communication - When it comes to contacting promotors it can be a crap-shoot, even if you have worked with them before. When it comes to booking shows all bands can expect a large amount of their inquiries to receive no response. But horrible communication becomes a terrible problem when you get a promotor to take on a show. Once you get that email of "we've accepted your offer" then it is time to play the waiting game of show details. It is absolutely and horribly frustrating to have waited 3 weeks, contacted the person multiple times, and have received no word about anything. If something is wrong with the show and it falls through this is ample time lost I could have been setting up another show. Some promotors don't even take the initiative to tell the bands the info for the show, so if you don't follow-up you won't know load-in, set times, or anything.

3. Knows Nothing - When a band arrives at a gig they usually look for venue staff or the promotor to find out the where to load-in and the times for the show. The venue staff may tell the band where to load-in but will usually just direct the band to the promotor. It's one thing for the promotor to not know the drink policy for the venue or the closest place to get food but to not know where to load-in, band order, set times, ticket prices, or anything that is their job to decide is just ridiculous. I've played some shows where the promotor just kept saying "I don't know, you decide", which is not just stupid but pretty damn lazy. Which leads into the next part…

4. Does Nothing - When a promotor sets up a show I always see the promotor as the lead-person for the night. They are the director of the show and need to be active with the show. Shows always seem to be rough when the promotor just sits back and does nothing. The promotor should be all over the venue all night; checking on the bands, checking on the door, checking on the sound guy, making sure everything is on schedule, making sure the switch-overs run smoothly, and just gauging everything for possible problems that could arise. If you go to a show and see the promotor sitting all night, expect a shitty show.

5. Horrible Promotion - When it comes to working with a promotor there is one main job everybody thinks about…Promoting. It is the promotor's main job to get the word out about the show and create a buzz. This doesn't mean bands shouldn't promote, everybody involved in the show should promote because it helps all involved in the end. Yet it is the promotor's job to go a step above. You can tell when a promotor's only work was putting up a facebook event and posting on twitter.

6. Mis-matched Bands - I think this is the biggest under-rated qualm I hear from bands these days. It is okay to put bands of different genres on the same bill together but the promotor must make sure there is a theme that can tie it all together. I can't even begin to tell you how many bands have told me they had so much fun at a show I booked just because "the line-up actually made sense".  It definitely happens that shows will have an outliar in the line-up, a band who just didn't quite fit, but to have a 4 band bill with only 2 bands somewhat similar in style is just mind boggling.

7. Being Sketchy - There are many ways a promotor can act sketchy but the biggest tell-tale sign is they always seem to beat around the bush when answering certain questions or give unrealistic answers. Sometimes promotors will deduct things such as food, drink, or supplies from the band's pay without telling the band until the end of the show. Sometimes promotors will promise you a guarantee and then tell you at the end of the night they can't pay you or even leave before the end of the show. Some promotors will lie about the ticket count, expenses, door split, or whatever to squeeze some more money their way. Obviously this doesn't apply to every promotor but there are definitely some conniving promotors out there.

In the end I think promotors and bands should understand that they both have reasonable complaints about the other. This article puts it pretty well, even though it is based in the UK it translates well to what I've experienced (although I don't recommend the video, it's pretty lame).

7 Things Bands Do To Make Promoters Frustrated

Having played the role of booking agent, promoter, and musician for a decade I've found that many bands will do things that promoters absolutely hate and have no clue why the promoter is angry. Promoters have to worry about a lot of factors for each show and having a band who doesn't respect or understand their role in everything makes the process that much harder. And this isn't just limited to local bands…this includes touring bands as well. A lot of this stuff will frustrate anyone who works with the band and can often lead to people in the music industry ignoring you and your band because they see no potential.

1. Bands Who Don't Understand This is a Business - Yes, this is a business. While every show promotor usually starts for the love of music they need to actually make a profit at their shows in order to continue doing their job. Every good promotor is not only investing a lot of time spreading the word of their shows but they are also investing a lot of money. The biggest thing bands do which show they don't understand this concept is expect the promotor and venue to do ALL the promoting. This leads me to my next point...

2. Bands Who Don't Promote Their Shows - Not promoting a show you've been booked on is a slap in the face to everyone involved in the show, especially the promotor who put you on the line-up. It isn't hard to promote. What makes me especially crazy is when I call a band out for not promoting and they insist they have been "telling all their friends." That's great but that's about the lamest way to promote and a sure fire way to never build a fan-base beyond your close friends. Post on your facebook, twitter, instragam, or whatever. When you get new fans who don't know you they will often connect to your social media pages or check your website. If you don't announce your shows then how will they ever know about them? And don't wait until the week of the show to announce it, give your fans time to schedule it in so you don't have one of those nights full of people telling you they were busy and couldn't make it out. No promotor or venue can reach your fans as easily as you can and there is no reason to not post about your shows online. But DON'T LIMIT YOURSELF TO JUST ONLINE PROMOTIONS!

3. Bands Who Don't Use Street Promotion - While online promotions and social media is wonderful it doesn't come even close to the power of street promotions. Unfortunately many bands think street promotions is simply printing flyers to put up at local coffee shops and music shops. While that is part of it you can also print off handbills of the show flyer and hand them out around town. My favorite thing is to bring an mp3 player so you can play your tracks for people you meet who are interested in coming out. Even if the people don't come out they now have heard of your band which is the first step in creating a local buzz. Once that buzz is going you've got to keep it up by promoting your band!

4. Bands Who Don't Promote Themselves - I will never understand why bands love to skip this step. I've seen some great bands who start to build a local fan-base from playing shows and then just plateau because they don't actually market themselves. If you want your band to be taken seriously and actually go places you need to understand the band is a business and all businesses need marketing to find customers. Hand out free CDs at shows, malls, college campuses, or anywhere that it is allowed. Make a press kit to send to radio stations, magazines, reviewers, writers, and other music related platforms to get some press. If you don't have recordings then go get some done in a studio so you have a professional sounding product. I once heard a saying that I think is a great segue into my next point, "Bands should be spending money on 3 things; equipment, recordings, and promotion."

5. Bands Who Don't Invest In Themselves -  When I say invest I mean literally putting money into the band fund. When I say this many musicians will instantly think of all the money they have spent buying equipment or recording. That's great but you are basically spending money on making a product that you aren't properly marketing. Every band should have a budget set aside to put towards marketing and have an actual business plan thought out (writing it out is even better). Each member should be putting money into this or you need to work out a deal between each other so you aren't at each others throats a month later. Start out small with social media marketing on Facebook, Twitter, etc. Music based websites like Reverbnation and Purevolume also offer different opportunities to help promote your band. Order merchandise to hand out for free, especially CDs so they don't have to look for you online to hear your music. See how much ad space costs in local radio, newspapers, magazines, and blogs. Don't limit yourself, think outside the box and look for opportunities which present themselves. If you aren't willing to invest in your band why would anyone else?

6. Bands Who Overbook Their Hometown - This is one of those things that frustrates everyone; the promotor, the venue, the bands, and even the fans. Most local bands, especially today, don't have very large draws and by overbooking your hometown you are thinning out your crowd which ends up hurting both shows. Some promotors and venues will kick a band off of a show if the band books another local show too close. I've had two separate bands I had booked on a show book another show in the same city on the same weekend, one of them was even playing a third show in the same city the next weekend as well. That is a surefire way for a venue or promotor to lose interest in working with them again. The rule of thumb for this is called 30 and 30, as in 30 days and 30 miles. This means you shouldn't book a show within 30 miles and 30 days (15 days before the date and 15 days after) of a date your band already has booked.

7. Bands Who Don't Understand The Music Industry - The music industry is a very complex beast with all kinds of twists and turns that each musician who wants to do this professionally should understand but many have little interest in doing this. The six previous points all tie into this but on top of all that a promotor will have little interest in working with a band who doesn't know what they're doing. If you want to really get serious look into forming your band as an LLC, talk to local managers and agents, research local entertainment lawyers, read up about licensing and publishing, and just learn as much as you can about the industry. I suggest reading "What They'll Never Tell You About The Music Business" by Peter M. Thall to get a really good overview of the whole industry.

Check out the follow-up article "7 Things Promotors Do To Make Bands Frustrated"

Time To Get Serious

Things have become much more serious for me in the music world and I have grabbed some attention locally and throughout the country. My booking agency is back in swing and I am trying out some new types of shows which I hope will innovate the collective local scenes in my area. What I mean by this is that I have found each music genre has its own scene with few people jumping from scene to scene, even though they would like the music. As well there are art scenes, comedy scenes, dancing scenes, and other artistic/entertainment scenes with decent crowds.

These new style shows will feature musicians, artists, comedians, and other entertainers of all styles. This will meld the different scenes and allow people to be exposed to new things they may like but would have never otherwise seen. We already have two of these shows setup, one in April and another in May, and will be getting more setup soon. I have a good amount on the line here but have also found ways to innovate my cash flow from these shows. As most promotors know, especially in todays scenes, it is very easy to lose money and being able to make money gives me more ability to help the scene as a whole.

As well as booking I am doing much more musically. I am now teaching guitar and have 2 students, both of whom seem to really enjoy and take in what I teach them. I still haven't written a new song in a while in hopes of finding inspiration but I may need to stop waiting and start getting to it. With my current band I am trying to expand my drumming and we have a new song and new cover which both push me a little in different ways. I am getting much better as a drummer and felt quite flattered at my last show when I noticed a good amount of the crowd air drumming along to our songs. Makes me feel like my hard work may begin to really pay-off.