btw, this Poll thing rocks.

Well, at one time I was in a band that suffered from a lack of planning and it has been an important subject to me since then. We did have a good plan at the start -- 1. Play live often 2. Mix covers and originals 3. build audience and phase out covers 3. build mailing list 4. get college radio play to support tours 4. enter contests...

Ok, so we won some pretty big contests, but we didn't really plan any way to capitalize on those wins in a timely way. We also didn't come up with any strategy to get in front of labels. Hiring a manager at the right time would have been helpful. We could have used one to get us to the next level. Live and learn.

And I've learned a lot from being a manager myself and working with artists to accelerate their careers. So, if you have a plan, let us know what it is and we can discuss whether it'll work or if it's as incomplete as mine was.  

Nice sentiment. I like my coffee sweet.

mike hunt wrote:

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I would really like to hear one of your songs. But under your Alias of Coffee anon

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Dear Micheal Hunt,
        My name is Ben Dover, I am just borrowing Jeff and Debbie's computer to make this post.
    Maybe you and I shoud team up. what do you think?
    Ben Dover / Mike Hunt.
    

No way - it must be a publicity stunt!

It's improved since Arnold took over.
Why do you ask?

Please, girl. You're not getting rid of me that easily.

it's just good to see that the 7 of us have played so well together the past few months since I adjusted my meds. You guys were about to get on my last nerve.

what do you mean what has happened?

Weren't you supposed to be looking out for them?

Where can I send the bill for the time consuming thankless task of making mostly helpful observations based on an acquired three 1/2 decades of musical experience while listening to your work?

Not sour Ms.O, disappointed. All I could see was "...are ready for sale. " Just seems like someone waiting for you to open the car door for them after you have fixed thier car. Hit me the wrong way at the right time I suppose.

Wow, quite a disappointing series of responses to such an important topic. It's enough to turn horses to even smaller, yet less yellowed pastures. From what I understand this is a small community, is it not? A small community of unsigned and frequently unheard musicians that really have nothing to lose when it comes to helping each other with such things as a discussion of music business. That said, why is it so hard to get straight answers out of our fellow musicians about such things? Is it that we are so incredibly worried about competition that we feel the need to hide our goals, our paths to those goals, and how we have gained what little successes we've had? It's odd, isn't it?

One thing I've successfully done for my business is network locally. Go to shows, play every gig, promote the big ones. As a solo artist, it is often a pain in the ass to get bigger shows than coffee gigs and hole-in-the-wall bars. I have found that by my contacts with other bands, I have not only been able to play better venues, but also been able to book and promote my own nights in places I never could get into by myself.

That said, I could definitely use more information on how to build regional success. I have a better grasp on local success, but the surrounding cities seem to pose a problem. It's the old, "how many people can you bring in?" quandary. Travel costs to other cities add up quickly to the point where it is nearly a lost cause to play any show, any time. Attempts to network with other bands in those cities has been...trying. The flaky musician stigma is in full effect.

There are so many aspects to this business that we all could use some information on. Booking, promoting, web presence, marketing, merchandising, touring, live performance...and the list goes on. I've gone through countless other boards touting to be the place where musicians connect and they are either lying, or kidding themselves. I'd love to find one where we could come to pasture, even if only for a little while.