Mandatory Ticket Sales (by band) to play gig

Well I know of The Flaming Lips, Hinder, Shiny Toy Guns and All American Rejects and I'm in Australia so they must be doing something right.

I see a lot of bands doing things that make them successful locally, but getting international attention is another ball game altogether. I'm not even touching that subject, I have no place talking shit about something I don't understand haha.

Maybe if/when I start up another project I'll have all the points I've mentioned above ironed out and can share my experience with you guys. I really hope that at least some of what I posted above helps someone out somehow.

 

I'm honestly a late bloomer. I've been a part of that scene for over 20 years. I'm old enough that my first band was a grunge band in the mid 90's. That was never really my thing though. I went back to school and got a degree in performance and a minor in music business in my late 20's. I've done everything from glam to stoner metal to touring in a Johnny Cash impersonator's band. Seriously though, if you over saturate your potential fan base, they'll think, "Well they have a show next week too. I'll go to that one." Play enough in one market and they'll lose interest completely. Hinder played shows locally once every 4-6 months. ALL of their local shows were packed. Yes playing out is fun. But supply and demand rules work for live shows. Under supply the market with a quality show and you'll be sitting on some serious interest. If you don't want to start off doing regional stuff, still limit the local shows, and spend all that extra time making sure your set is flawless. Invest in some multimedia. Dudes on a stage isn't enough anymore. People want flashy. Give them something to post on Facebook and YouTube.

 

Quote for truth.

 

Ha, that's cool. Big flaming lips fan here.

 

I wish I could say the same. I've seen them put on some killer shows. Lately, Wayne has been out of it and a lot arrogant. He's got a local art venue that bands play at and there's a bar in a vagina. The whole thing comes off as pretentious. Hang out enough in the Oklahoma City bar scene and you'll see him a couple nights a week if you're lucky. He literally EXPECTS to get into local shows for free and pulls the "You know who I am, right?" on a regular basis. I'm not trying to bad mouth the guy. He's done some really interesting things in his career, but the fame, drugs and alcohol are taking enough of a toll that he's starting to alienate the bands that he'd want to bring on the road with him. Steven Drozd is one of the best dudes I've ever met. Super talented, super nice, and super humble. I wish them continued success simply for his sake.