HAMMERHEAD BLOG

If you suck at running sound – please quit! Sorry if I come across as being emotional about this next topic – but I cannot emphasize how critical running sound is. The issue is live sound. Some clubs around our locale no doubt use good gear. Some don’t. Some Indies bands …

A lot of bands debate on whether or not to hire a sound guy or do the setup themselves. If were talking quality venues, most professionals will in fact bring their own guy on tour with them. This keeps thing consistent show to show. If you don’t bring your own …

To get paying gigs in a club, the person you need to talk to is the club owner. The club owner will decide whether to book your band based on your demo CD. I’ve seen these people throw away CD’s without even listening to them based solely on the package appearance. …

So you got the gig, congratulations! Now what? Below are some simple tips to help you avoid those awful ‘oh no’ moments, especially if your band members are bad timekeepers, lousy with directions or have short term memories! Of course if you have never been late, missed, double booked anything, …

Ask anyone who has been touring for an extensive period of time, or played in a live circuit regularly – having a tough crowd, off night, belligerent hecklers, whatever is just a reality of the music business. How you handle it will determine how much of a professional you really …

Many newcomers are unaware of their responsibilities towards the venue, people in the crowd, and even opening acts. Having an incident occur during the show could have disastrous consequences as you are trying to build a reputation regionally as a professional. Club owners, bookers, and other agents don’t want any …

In the Music Business a “handshake” or verbal agreement is quite acceptable, not to mention it can even be used in the court of law. However when things don’t go according to plan, I’ve seen the golden handshake turn into bad situations in a hurry, especially when the things that don’t …

How important is touring and gigging to getting your band noticed? Apart from Professional Radio airplay it’s probably the most effective thing you can do to get your band recognized by a mass group of people. Mass groups of people means mass amounts of money. Word of mouth about your …

If you’re like many artists, your distribution strategy begins and ends at the merch table. But for too many acts, the at-the-show marketing effort involves nothing more than a shout-out from the stage: “We’ve got CD’s for sale at the back of the room!” Come on, is that the most …

PAY TO PLAY – Where venue owners charge an up-front fee to performing artists for the use of their facilities. The practice began in Los Angeles, CA, sometime in the 1980s. It has become common in many U.S cities at low-turnout all-ages shows where performers are required to guarantee a …