Guerilla Marketing for Independent Artists and Why It Matters

06-Apr-2020 By Tanay Mulukutla

“Independence” implies a sense of autonomy, and for an artist, it can mean creative freedom: to find themselves express their inner thoughts in the most uninhibited fashion. Something to think about is why be inhibited about getting your music heard? While it can get competitive for emerging artists who want to get their music out, guerilla marketing for independent artists can stand out. It’s an approach that you can align your values with whilst being just as quirky as your vivid imagination.

The central objective behind carrying out a guerilla marketing activity is to obtain a sense of visibility for you as an artist, but what’s unique about it is that it’s cost-effective and highly impactful. While a strong online presence is essential, what’s also equally important is how you shape your presence offline, and that’s where your DIY ethos will come into play. As consumers, we have an eye for things that look and feel different, so the curiosity and sense of mysticism that comes with guerilla marketing stands out. To top it over, it is also a sign of effort made on your part that agents and promoters will most definitely notice.

Guerilla marketing has its traditional footings in doing things in the most unperturbed fashion, where the simplest of music promotion chores can have a quirky spin to them: imagine, for example, giving out your band stickers with a limited download code for your music online. These marketing collaterals act as great talking points within your community where you are instrumental in encouraging people to create a buzz around your music. One of the many advantages of this is that all the activities you carry in a fully offline space will lead to will make their way online through word of mouth. The next time you are dropping a new song or an album, go the guerilla way, make that personal connection with your fans. Those types of kinships that you establish early on for you and your music go a long way!

youbloom is a platform that helps you as an artist to grow, sign up here and find out more: https://www.youbloom.com/artist-apply/

Indie Artists: Be Your Own Booking Agent

27-May-2018 By Guest Blogger

Time to Drop the Booking Agent, Here’s How to Book Your Own Shows

No one knows better than an indie artist how frustrating and stressful it can be to book shows, tour, and perform. The struggle, when it comes to getting in touch with venues, managers and bookers, is quite real. Hiring a booking agent may seem like the easy answer, but if the royalties aren’t exactly flowing in yet, you might not be in the financial position to do this. What to do, then? Let’s not forget that we are the DIY generation, we do it ourselves. Here’s how to book your own shows.

Perhaps you’ve made a list of all the venues that would fit your music, sound, and style, and yet it’s nearly impossible to get them to give you a decent time slot. You will most likely get an 11pm weeknight spot or a 3pm Sunday afternoon one, and we all know that no one is going to miss brunch to catch your new band at what promises to be an empty, desolated venue.

When you ask for a better, higher profile slot, the booking agent usually says: “Well, how many people can you draw?”. If the answer is more than 20, then you’ve got yourself a Friday night show. However, if your response is anything less, you’ll have to wait patiently in line until your following is bigger.

Which brings us to our next point.

Book Others, to Book Yourself.

How is a band supposed to grow a fan base if the only shows they can play occur when people are watching Netflix or in a yoga class? Good question indeed. Those who manage to bring a good crowd are those who are either already established or have a lot of friends in town. Venues are not going to bet on a new indie artist nor are they looking for the next big act to feature before they blow up. Venues want to break even. They want to see the money they spend on a typical Friday night come back in full, and if possible make a little profit.

Be your own booking agent. Look for an equally unknown band that shares your ambitions, ethos, and sound and put a show together. Perhaps, pick a less reputable venue in your town; smaller and more intimate is ideal. Make sure you market the show as a party; a night to have some fun and enjoy some live music. Startups like Sofar Sounds have built a brand around this exact experience and platforms like youbloomConnect match local indie artists with one another, making it easy for bands to come together and book.

Each band will bring their friends, and if you advertised the event properly, their friends will bring other friends looking for a fun night.

Play the show, distribute some t-shirts, have a beer and repeat.

One of two things will happen. You will either get a call from the bigger venues looking to book your band or you won’t need them anymore because your fan base has been growing without their help.

You should hope for the latter.

About the Blogger

Luca a freelance writer, blogger, musician and songwriter. Born and
raised in Italy, his passion for Rock n Roll made him move to London where he
lived for one year and gained a certificate in Songwriting from ICMP.
Luca relocated in NYC in 2014 to pursue jazz music and liberal arts at the
The New School from which he graduated in December 2017. Luca currently
resides in Nashville, TN

You’ve Been Writing Song Lyrics Wrong

08-May-2018 By Guest Blogger

As musical styles progress and change with the times, one thing is for certain, writing song lyrics continues to play a vital part in what sets artists from being good to being considered a great. So for those of you currently in a creative drought, here is some advice from a few of the greats.

Jimi Hendrix on Artistic Liberties with the Facts

“Imagination is the key to my lyrics. The rest is painted with a little science fiction.”

–Jimi Hendrix

Many artists pigeonhole themselves by believing that every word written must be 100% accurate to their lives and story they are telling. Of course, speaking from your own personal experiences is vital in creating meaningful music. But the point is to get your message across in the best way possible. Sometimes, this might involve a little science fiction.

Dolly Parton on Throwing Yourself into the Process

“It’s therapy. It’s fun. It’s creative. I love getting on a big writing binge and staying up a couple days working on song and knowing at the end of those two or three days that I’ve created something that was never in the world before.”

–Dolly Parton

If this is your passion, don’t be afraid to throw yourself into your work. The stories of artists writing a hit song in 5 minutes’ time, on a napkin, in an airport is incredible! But most great songs come from hard work, dedication, and focus from the artist. This mean sitting down and wrestling with a song until it feels right.

John Mayer on Speaking Your Own Truth

“I hope that what it comes down to at the end of the day is that people believe that I believe what I’m singing. It comes down to being believable.”

–John Mayer

Authenticity is key in songwriting and producing. This may seem strange since the first piece of advice was to stretch the truth in the songwriting process. Don’t be confused, there is a difference between writing a nonfiction story to produce a personal truth, and writing a meaningless song for the sake of staying on trend. Be true to your artistic endeavors and creative process because the song will thus come across genuine to the listeners.

Now go on and be inspired to create and then when it comes time to perform, remember to sign up for youbloomConnect to get the chance to connect with your fans and other artists to grow not only your fan base but your connections in the industry. To get more information on how youbloom can help you book more gigs across the world and have the chance to play at #youbloomLA and #youbloomDublin, follow the link: http://www.youbloom.com/

House shows are the New Frontier of the DIY

02-May-2018 By Guest Blogger

There’s a new way to get your band out there: house shows.

Playing local clubs and venues is certainly a must for any emerging band. But the networking opportunity that might spring from throwing house shows is something not to sleep on. It might seem counter-intuitive that playing a house show is more fruitful than a local club. It’s not, and here’s why.

It’s Cheap

Playing a house show is a great way for your friends and fans to save a ton of money. No cover charge or overpriced drinks to deter potential guests! Sure they are going to want to drink, but let guests bring their own beverages. And everybody knows that a six pack from your local store is cheaper than a tall boy at a bar. And most importantly, it lasts longer. More people are encouraged to come, have a good time, and spend the few bucks they saved on some merch.

You’ll Definitely Fill the Room

Second, unless your marketing skills are extraordinary or you are playing your hometown, your band is definitely going to have a better time playing in front of a house show audience than a half empty room at a club. And if your band is coming up in the club scene, check out our tips on how to ace those live shows. It takes practically nothing to gather 50 people to a house party, the only thing you have to say is “Hey, there’s a house party”. You won’t even have to add “Bring your friends”. That’s a given.

It’s Easy

Third, you are way more likely to build a fruitful relationship with other bands at a house show than at a local club. A party is a familiar environment, even for someone who’s somewhat of an introvert or just doesn’t know anyone else except their bandmates.

It’s a lot easier to go up to someone and chat at a house party than at a club with loud music playing, people sticking to their friend groups, and bands always busy loading their gear or getting lost at the bar.

In an era where DIY is king, house shows must be queen.

youbloom is all about helping bands build relationships in unexpected places. If you could see yourself hosting a show in your own space, check out youbloomConnect to see what we can do to connect you to a CityRep and a band near you.

Luca is a freelance writer, blogger, musician and songwriter. Born and raised in Italy, his passion for Rock n Roll made him move to London where he lived for one year and gained a certificate in Songwriting from ICMP. Luca relocated in NYC in 2014 to pursue jazz music and liberal arts at the The New School from which he graduated in December 2017. Luca currently resides in Nashville, TN.

How to Make Money as a Venue Owner

24-Apr-2018 By Robert Loustaunau

Whether you’re re-branding your old bar as a buzzing music hub or just getting into the game, the question is always, how do I make money as a venue host?

It really comes down to two things: 1), How you negotiate cost with artists and 2), booze sales.

Selling drinks is pretty straightforward. Estimating the potential cost-benefit of an unknown artist on any given night, is not. Here’s a few things you’ve got to know if you want to make money as a venue host.

A Flat Rate

Photo taken at youbloom Dublin Music Festival

For the indie artists that can’t promise a surge of fans, a flat rate is often in their best interest. This will guarantee the band they’ll get paid an agreed upon amount, regardless of ticket sales.

The number they’re asking for should be entirely based on the draw they can bring in. Remember the part about how important it is your selling beer? The concern over flat rate is not whether or not they’ll make you rich at the ticketing booth. It’s whether or not they’ll be keeping your barbacks busy.

You have to factor in operational costs, what similar acts are receiving in the area, and projected earnings. Don’t be afraid to turn bands away if you believe they’re asking for too high a price – Bands have money-making rules of their own to follow, and making friends with the local talent is not worth it if your venue can’t sustain itself.

Claiming the Door

Bands with a following will often want the opposite from their undiscovered counterparts. Instead of a flat rate they might demand 100% of the door sales as payment. These artists are anticipating their paying fans will follow them in.

If you’re not quite as confident as the band is about their ticket sales, be honest with them. Offer them a percentage of door profits for their first time at your venue. A door split of 80/20 with the artist taking the majority is not uncommon with lesser-known talent. Then, use that first night’s profits as a reference point. If the band brings in the audience they anticipated, you’ll feel more secure promising them 100% of the door next time around.

Stay in the Loop

d2.6_mh1464952221722.jpg While at times it may feel like that dive-bar down the street with the open-mic night is your competitor, this does not have to be the case. It pays to build a relationship with other venue owners.

To make money as a venue, hosts can provide each other valuable intel on the local talent: who’s worth hiring, how they conduct business, and what their draw really is, compared to what they’re asking for. Checking a band’s concert history on a hub like Pollstar is a good way to “feel out” what type of pull they have had in cities similar to yours.

Know your Market & Differentiate Yourself

An ideal crowd is packed with fans of a venue, not of the band playing. Get an idea of who your target show-goer is, and build your venue to draw them in. A venue that is consistently hosting artists of a particular style will build trust among fans, and promise a consistent stream of attendees even when the headliner is unknown.

Even though it can be tricky straddling the sidelines of a music scene, many third-party fan club ticketing platforms have sprung up to make it easy. While ticketing companies like Live Nation/Ticketmaster and Eventbrite partner with venues to pull in appropriate acts, they often disproportionately serve big-name acts. Meanwhile, weighty surcharges are enough to turn away potential concert-goers from seeing smaller talent.

For this their are splatforms like Songkick, Artist Arena, and youbloom Connect which link venues with lesser-known artists that are better tailored to a venues style and atmosphere.

Fan-club ticketing companies like these allot artists a percentage of tickets (usually 8 – 10%) for them to sell directly to their fans. Unlike the larger ticketing companies that make their revenue off hefty service charges, fan-club ticketing brands usually take their share from the artists’ profits at generally lower rates.

Giving artists a hand in their own ticket sales increases selling incentives for the bands. Companies like youbloom Connect have raised the stakes by also allowing fans to sell tickets, increasing selling power for the venue in exchange for discounted tickets. Plus, hosts get more security of a show’s success from increased pre-sale tickets.

Get Creative

While getting your bar or venue up and running feels mostly like a numbers game, there are also creative steps you can take to bring in some extra cash.

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As I’ve mentioned before, your ability to move booze will always be the staple form of income, but expanding your amenities to include a food menu will do more of the same. And you don’t have to get fancy – becoming locally-renowned for your bar’s half-pound blooming onions is a milestone in itself.

Finally, make your space rentable. More than ever, people are looking for a one-of-a-kind atmosphere that can double as a work-space, or be rented out for company retreats, rehearsals, or a recording studio. Platforms like youbloom Connect work for these types of events, making it easy for you to choose from a variety of acts that suit whatever private event you’re hosting.

By knowing how to properly negotiate with bands, and by innovating your space to draw a loyal niche of show-goers, you’ll be able to make money as a venue at a sustainable rate; and beer, don’t forget about selling lots and lots of beer.