Be Wary of Certain Situations
by Larry Weir
Many recording artists will do just about anything to take their craft to another level. When it comes time to put the live show together, for instance, many have to make some serious choices. If they are not careful in choosing the right venue or situation, it could end up costing an act a small fortune. Venues take full advantage of the need for exposure, and many bands and recording artists can get hit up hard in a number of ways. You have to be very careful when you get into this and understand exactly what is going on. Some clubs have contracts that you have to sign. Make sure to read the fine print carefully.
We were involved with a young artist's event at the Whisky in Hollywood recently, and were shocked and dismayed at how bad the treatment of the artist was. Not only did the venue and management have them pay a large amount of money up front for advance tickets, they got hit up for fees for home video use, and even for the use of a board audio feed. In addition to that, the treatment by the staff toward the band was degrading. After soundcheck, for instance, they made the act leave the venue and stand in line with the rest of the patrons waiting to enter. We were disappointed to see that after the artist and band had worked so hard to make what turned out to be a great performance, they were subjected to being treated like any average attendee. Venues of this nature need to come up with a better way of treating people. Even club bouncers grabbed band members and harassed them.
For the amount of money and mistreatment the act got for the one night out in Hollywood, they could have pressed a vast number of CDs and could have done an entire national radio campaign. Many acts think that some high-powered industry executive is going to walk into a club and sign them, but that is happening less and less. Many major labels don't send anyone of importance, except for interns that work there that are interested in attending a free show. They have no signing power, and many that show up think it's a joke anyway.
We have always believed that if you have spent a good deal of hard work and energy on making a great CD, why not let the album or single do the work for you. Take all the money that you would spend on the "pay to play" club scene, and put it into a radio and marketing campaign. That will serve you far better and help take you to a new level. Once you get enough airplay and chart action at radio, you will find that the tour you do with some radio support will be far more exciting and lucrative than pouring money into some local watering hole in your hometown. One live tour that will make sense at the start is one that would involve radio station visits or special promotions for a radio station. That would guarantee some spots and special announcements. That way you will at least get a crowd at an event, and make some money and get attention in the process. You can also arrange to sell CDs at the event. Just to feed a club money for your own ego makes no sense.
We know that playing is an important aspect to building a career, and many club owners and managers understand that too. Just make sure that the deal you make with them is fair and that they are not taking you to the cleaners. It will be much better to do it the right way under the right circumstances than to "pay to play" for having a bad time.
Larry Weir and Masika Swain run National Record Promotion. Send your CD for consideration or evaluation to NRP, 137 N. Larchmont Blvd., #500, Los Angeles, CA 90004. Call 323-658-7449. E-mail lweir@larryweir.com, and visit www.heartlandent.com, www.larryweir.com and www.masika.net.
