Building a buzz for your name and finding gigs.

One of the first things an artist needs to do is to create a strong team to help get the project off the ground. This team needs to consistently keep their ears and eyes on whatever is going on in the streets for new gigs. Starting off, your team may only consist of supportive family members and/or friends, if you don’t have an established managerial team to help push, promote, and sell your show, music, and project to different promoters. As you continue to build, some people will go and new ones will come… until you find who and what you need to get the job done, or… until a seasoned manager comes along to take the project to the next level.


Once you have a strong team established, I encourage all artists to promote to a point to which they can start putting their own shows together for more exposure and also for more profit. This requires getting your own venue, handling your own street promotions, and any and all expenses. Many times, no one can promote “you” better than you… If done right.

Resourceful guides for upcoming events and gigs are your local newspapers, entertainment guides, and magazines

For Atlanta: Check out Creative Loafing, Access Atlanta, and Rolling Out

Also, check flyers, radio, and Internet searches for various events such as open mics, showcases, conferences, auditions, or submissions for opening acts. All of these elements are critical to your search in finding live gigs.

HOW LONG ON STAGE? - NEW ARTISTS' SHOW LENGTH

Most promoters only allow one song, or maybe a 3 to 5 minute show upfront, so it’s good to start with a show-cd around that length. As promoters get to know you and acknowledge your talent, they will start asking you to do a longer show, usually from 7 to 10 minutes, depending on the event. As your song(s) begins to pick up, and starts getting you more attention, you'll definitely start to get paid (at some point), and when that time comes, the length of your performance will be written into your booking contract.

ORIGINAL TRACKS OR COVER SONGS?

It’s good for new artists to do a mixture of material; perhaps a few bars with a familiar beat to allow people to vibe with you, and then once you do the beat and gain their attention, transition into your own material. Be sure that if you pick a classic beat, you represent that producer or artist to the fullest because you will be tuned out if you murder a classic, or a hit.
Once an artist has his or her show and package together and if they’re ready, they can definitely get it to club owners and promoters themselves. But, this is only effective if they are out in the streets grinding and networking. If artists find that they don’t have the connections, then it’s usually only a matter time and working harder; making a “buzz,” all until their presence is felt and they are well respected. Now if you know you’re not a great speaker or not business savvy, be sure to have someone on your team that is. But know this You, your label name, and
Everyone around you represents your business!

The last thing you want to do is to upset a club owner or a promoter that you’ll need to do business with in the hopeful very near future. This applies when speaking with labels and the djs too

What's your take... leave your comments below.