Anyone Can Book a Gig Pt. II: Promotion.

Greg Tilson continues his series about booking shows in Kingston by discussing the fine art of promotion. Click here for Part I.

Photo by Jeff Barbeau.

Promoting Kingston concerts is tricky business. I should know – a couple of recent shows that I promoted really bombed. Like, “nobody showed up” kind of bombed. Not like, “that show was the bomb”.

What’s the secret to a good turn-out at a concert? Answer: a good band. There might be one or two other tricks to keep in mind, but that is the basic formula.

Someone pretty damn smart recently told me that it is important for the band you are promoting to be on people’s musical “radar”. This usually means that they have recently released a new album or video and are receiving some good media coverage. Or perhaps they were just nominated for an award, like the coveted Polaris Prize (although this will dramatically raise their musician’s fees). I guess people are drawn to what is new and exciting.

I thought this was the case for my recent Artel booking of Montreal alt-country singer, Angela Desveaux. She had just released her new album, The Mighty Ship, which features guitarist Mike Feurestack from Snailhouse. Her sexy label, Thrill Jockey, has been working hard to promote her tour. Most importantly, we had two solid local acts: Rueben de Groot and Danielle Lennon (both weekly favourites at the Grad Club). The end result did not make any sense to me: a night of beautiful music in an intimate setting… watched by a handful of people, (like, I could name the audience members on one hand). Leading up to the show, there were full-page articles in The Kingston Whig Standard and The Queen’s Journal, in addition to some decent poster distribution and some invites sent out by e-mail. What the heck? Well, in retrospect, I think I made a few key mistakes. #1 Nobody knows who Angela Desveaux is (this was her Kingston debut, and she obviously has not yet established a fan base here); #2 Nobody sent out a face book notice for the concert; #3 None of the local musicians brought out any of their own fans, (this was not really their fault since they perform so often in Kingston). So I tell myself, “live and learn”.

As mentioned in my last submission, Grad Club manager and booking agent for Flying V Productions, Virginia Clarke, has really got her act together. Her venue is at the top of most Kingston music lovers’ favourite pubs. This gives her something of a built-in audience, which is exactly what you want when you book a show (note: if you are thinking of booking a show through the Grad Club, be prepared to book a date several months in advance). More importantly, she books amazing bands that are hot. I know she gets a lot of flack for not booking more local bands, but I can understand the importance of having a consistent turn-out. The Grad Club seems to have become one of those magical places where you can go to see a concert without knowing too much about it and expect to see something good. Some recent Grad Club highlights include: Plants and Animals (Polaris Prize Nominees), The Acorn, Holy Fuck, Woodhands and The D’Urbervilles, (which also featured Kingston’s P.S. I Love You from Apple Crisp Records). It should be known that Virginia works hard at seeking out new and exciting bands, mainly by attending awesome festivals like POP Montreal and South by Southwest (not to mention all the time she likely spends reading reviews and listening to new music).

But I already wrote about choosing a venue in my last Apple Crisp submission (eg. be careful not to book a 350 person capacity venue like Alfie’s if you don’t want the space to look shockingly empty). So, let’s talk about promotion!

Here is your “to-do list”:

1.Create a Facebook event and post the show on sites like Stillepost and the Apple Crisp blog (email apple.crisp.publications@gmail.com). It’s a good idea to remind the band to post on their website too.

2.Make stylish posters (hint: contact Benjamin Nelson benjamin-nelson@hotmail.com or Lisa Visser visser.lisa@gmail.com) and distribute throughout town (see our poster location list). Hand bills are fun. Other concerts are great places to promote.

3.Send a press release and CD to:

a)The Queen’s Journal
b)Greg Burliuk @ The Kingston Whig Standard
c)Kyra Walker-Pearson @ Kingston This Week
d)CFRC RADIO (inquire about co-sponsorship)
Note: Try and include a brief summary/bio of the band, in addition to all of the pertinent info.: name, date, time, cost, venue, ticket sales, and musician’s contact info for interviews (media deadlines are usually at least a week in advance)

4.Create a list of all the people you think will like to attend and send them
a nice e-mail (keep this list for future concerts – I always forget…).

5.Create an advance ticket sale location, at a reduced price. Or, better
yet, have a team of advanced ticket sellers. This is especially helpful
because you will have a general sense of the turn-out before the concert doors open.

Creating a buzzzzz:

The best promotion is word of mouth. People usually go to a show if their friends are going. Give them something to talk about. How can you make your concert stand out as something different?

Piggy-backs:

Collaborating with other groups is the best way to go. If you can figure out a way to co-sponsor your show with another group who has a large audience of concert goers, then you’re home-free.

Musicians can be lazy:

Bands need to help promote their own shows: plain and simple. Make sure they are helping you with the essentials like: website postings, press releases, and poster distribution.

That’s about all I’ve got for you. I hope it helps. Don’t forget to invite me to the show.

Coming soon:

Part III: The big night – From sound-check to tear-down

Part IV: Music in your Neighbourhood