Unit 10- Research
Working towards my FMP, I would like to create a portfolio of research on topics and artists that Inspire my songwriting artistry, I would also like to document my experiences, developments and my songwriting process which I've seriously started to work on. I have begun to build a team of my favourite musician who really see my vision for my songs, and want to get into the studio with them asap but 1st, for this project I'm going to do some research session work which I hope to be doing with my keys player and function band very soon.
Along with our original music my keys player and I are interested in starting to do striped back jazz function work for bars, restaurants, hotels, weddings and private parties. We have planned to create a promo video in the northbrook theatre as a duo and then a promo video out of college with our function band in which we can then send out to people, create a social media page and pop the videos up there. I will be attending 2 meetings prior to the recording session at Northbrook and will be sending the theatre team youtube links and photos of the vibe that my keys player and I are going for.
The video above shows the kind of visuals that I would like to capture of the duo promo video in Northbrook theatre.
We do not have enough time to learn a combination of songs like in this youtube video but we will be recording two songs, an original and lets stay together by Al green which is a song that we both know very well and we feel that it is our most perfected cover song.
In this video I love how there is subtle use of a smoke machine, which I'm hoping to use in the theatre. To add to the visuals of our video I would like to use red lighting for as red really speaks jazz and I would like to recreate that mood.
This video really captures the vibe that me and the boys want to create for our function work. Also instead of going for the usual pop function band route we would just like to be your chilled back, smooth and easy to listen to quartet with a selection of your more up beat soul and jazz standards. luckily the the drummer and keys playing in our band have already started function work and have a list of contacts who are waiting for us to get rehearing together. For our promo video my keys player is going to jump on the double bass and our good friend is going to play keys for us, we are going to be offering a 3 piece Jazz quartet, 3- piece band with vocals and a piano plus vocal duo. Our video is going to feature a combination of our most polished songs as a band to date, and we will be meeting up regularly to build a setlist of songs so we can we be completely ready to start working.
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Is It a good Idea for a function band looking for work to join a live Music Agency?
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I have started to do some research on this as the boys mentioned it in our last session and I wasn't completely sure whether it was something we should be looking into. So naturally I typed the question into google and found an article - https://www.lastminutemusicians.com/how_to_get_gigs/joining-a-live-music-agency/
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Which basically stated that it is every musicians dream to gig and start growing, and joining a live agency is a great way to move your band a step forward but the competition is fierce, and agencies receive hundreds of emails everyday so it is really important to stand out as a solo act or band.
An agency is also a great way for a musician to start getting paid properly and avoid the old free beers or food card that most event organisers try and pull when it comes to booking musicians. Another great thing about booking agency is that they will be constantly advertising to draw in more potential clients, meaning you have to worry less about promotion.
They may even single out your band to promote online via their social media or with physical promotional materials…
But of course this comes with a price some agencies will take a commission out of the musicians fees. Alternatively, other agencies (such as the Last Minute Musicians Entertainment Agency) add their commission on top of the musicians fee.
NETWORKING -
The Article also talks about how Important networking is, which is why the boys and I need to get working on a social media page to take our promotion to the next level, then when our video is edited and put together we can get posting and interacting with other musicians.
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Tips for networking in the music industry:
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Be yourself
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Cover all social media
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Go to gigs, talk to musicians and promoters
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Be professional
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Have relevant materials to hand (like business cards)
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The website then took me to an article all about networking- https://www.lastminutemusicians.com/articles/musicians/networking.html
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Which stated that networking work in 4 different ways- musician to musician, musician to promoter, musician to music lover, musician to press, and musician to business man.
Then Article begins to talk about how social media has evolved over the years and how thanks to social media its alot easier to network, and how the act of meeting new musicians and finding new music is effectively being handed over on a plate.
Bands and Artists can create music pages where others can 'like' their page and therefore be updated regularly with the band or Artists latest happenings and the cycle goes on. Reading this article made me realise how social media is a blessing for musicians and the conclusion to this website is that to become a successful musician you must work hard to maintain a high level of networking, you get back what you put in. It's not difficult to network; after all it is just making friends with those who have a similar love for music as you do. The more people are of your band, the more likely you are to be asked to play gigs.
from my personal experience in networking on Facebook there is a group that I have been apart of for 2 years called Brighton Bands and musicians, with pretty much all working musicians, bands, photographer/videographers and promoters in Brighton. The group has worked wonders, and is one of the best networking groups in brighton, I think it is amazing because it really brings us together as a community.
To further my research I decided to look for the top rated live music booking sites on the internet and found- https://encoremusicians.com/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=&utm_adgroup=&utm_term=_b&utm_content=&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIo8ipj6en5wIVzbHtCh3MkwyqEAAYASAAEgJoPvD_BwE
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This website/app is free to sign up with email and basically puts you in a community of musicians and people who are looking for musicians, for private events etc...
It all sounded a bit too good to be true so I found a blog on the benefits of using encore https://encoremusicians.com/blog/what-makes-encore-different-from-other-online-booking-platforms/
which read that encore gives a secure and fair payment which most booking sites can not give due to the fact they take a chunk out of the money you earn they quote- “The number of horror stories we’ve heard of musicians going out and putting on brilliant performances only to be underpaid or to have to chase the client for payment is astonishing. And we want to do our bit to help bring a stop to this behaviour. With a mixture of pricing guidance and advanced technology, we’ve built a system which ensures musicians always get the payment they deserve, without putting off price-conscious clients. Then shows a table of logistics to back their statement which completely gives me confidence if we were to sign up to this website.
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The website also offers artist support and development with a great customer service and 5 star rating. They also quote that “None of the features listed would have come about if it weren’t for the generous people who believe in a better future for musicians as much as we do” which sounds promising.The downside to working with an agency is, of course, the cut they'll take, which will usually be somewhere around the 15-20 percent point. However, depending on your priorities, this may seem like a worthwhile trade off with your time, as you avoid the hassle and admin that marketing and managing your bookings brings. Add that to your reduced outgoings and that morsel of resentment you've built up may start to fade. I then wondered how much of your earning encore takes and read they actually take and found out that it is only 20% (lower than most agencies*) which said at the beginning, and is transparently displayed to you whenever you quote for a gig, so you always know how much you’re taking home the blog then enlightened me with this interesting fact- *In a recent survey of the 10 most popular online music agencies (according to Google search results), we found that the average commission taken was 27%, with most charging around 20% and more established agents charging up to 50%. Of these, half did not display their commission publicly to either musicians or clients. This just completely goes to show that you really must do your research before signing up to any agency to make sure you have a fair deal.
As a musician it is so important that you are being paid fairly, just like any other profession you are trying to make a living, and I think people need to take that fact more seriously. I stumbled upon this website -https://www.dittomusic.com/blog/how-much-should-you-charge-for-a-gig-
Where i found:
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5 QUESTIONS TO ASK TO MAKE SURE YOU'RE PAID FAIRLY FOR A GIG...
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1. How big is the company booking you?
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Music, D. (2020).Who are they? Is it a major brand? Or perhaps it is a local business? You may be happy to work for a small business playing for a drink reception or a Christmas party for £200, but if it is the opening of a new shopping centre in Dubai for a major brand, then £800 is a good place to start - minimum!
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2. What type of gig is it - corporate or private?
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Music, D. (2020).A corporation, especially if it is a large one will have a set budget for the entertainment at a given event. This may not be negotiable, but if you are asked how much you charge, you want to be careful not to suggest too low a figure. If dealing directly with a large corporation, don’t work for less than £500 for a gig. If it is a private event the budget may be smaller, but don’t go lower than your minimum amount.
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3. Are you performing for a charity?
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Music, D. (2020).If so, you may be performing for free. However, if it is a large established charity then you are completely within your rights to ask for expenses that will cover your time and travel etc. Sometimes people may argue this, but don’t forget, if it is a dinner then the catering staff will not be working for free, so why should you?
4. Do you know anyone that has done the same gig before?
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Music, D. (2020).Ask your musician friends. Sometimes a music agency may pay less than they did the year before in order to increase their profits. Or someone you know may have had a problem being paid - or not being paid! It is always worth asking about other people's previous experiences with companies. Even if you don't discuss the actual fee, it's good to know that a company can be trusted… or not!
(This is also a major reason why networking with other musicians is so important, you are a community and asking for a little advice could take your band along way)
5. What is your minimum fee?
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Music, D. (2020).Last, but certainly not least, you'll want to decide on a minimum amount you are willing to work for that applies to any type of paid work. As a rule, I would say never work for less than £100 for an event. This way, you remain in control and won’t be pushed around by corporations or other bookers. But ultimately the most important thing to remember is...
These questions create a clearer picture of how much to charge and also you will feel and come across as professional and in control of your career. Keeping in mind that the more information you can get, the easier it will be to arrive at a fair amount to charge.
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These questions create a clearer picture of how much to charge and also you will feel and come across as professional and in control of your career. Keeping in mind that the more information you can get, the easier it will be to arrive at a fair amount to charge.
UNIT 9
In conclusion I will take my research to the next session with my function band and talk them through the different options and directions that we could go in to develop our chances of being booked at private events.
I have learned that you have to be professional and have something tangible for your clients and promotion/networking is key.
It is also important to go into this business headstrong and to know your worth when it comes to being paid and treated fairly.
Our next step into promotion is to create a video showcasing what we do best, so we organised and arranged a recording session at a private studio in brighton in which we had 3 hours to recorded a mash up of 5 songs, 2 of these songs featured Moon River by Andy Williams and Let's stay Together by Al Green, theses are both songs I already knew, and feel I have mastered vocally which made the process a lot easier.
The only challenge for me was the fact that I had never performed the songs with a band before, and although nervous about what it would sound like I got a pleasant surprise as the boys did the songs complete justice. The studio session ran so smoothly it was uncanny seeing as we only had one 2 hour rehearsal the day before the session, and it gave us a lot of time at the end to perfect the sound.
The day after the recording session we booked a videographer to come and film some visuals so we could sync them up to the audio that we recorded, the filming session also ran very smoothly as the videographer we had booked was very professional and we were able to just mime to the audio that we recorded the day before. Now we are waiting for the video to be put together and edited but I do have the audio to Moonriver and Let's Stay Together so I will attach it down below.
MoonRiver- I am really happy with the mix of this song, it flows so wonderfully and I love the feel of the vocals and piano so much and then the drums which compliment the whole arrangement, the upright bass sounds fantastic considering we had a few issues recording it though certain mics in the studio.
Although it is not my favorite take, the vocals are mixed really well.
Being the perfectionist that I am, vocally If I had the chance to do it again, I Would change the tone of my voice in certain areas creating less of a bright sound and and changing it for a rounder/deeper tone.
I was also quite worried about my vocal health that day, as my voice felt quite strained form the rehearsals the day before and woke up with a sore throat, so I made myself a manuka honey tea with lemon and also used a vocal steamer in which I waited 15 minutes before warming up and then I was all set and ready for the studio.
Let's Stay Together -The only 2 things I would change about the mix of this song are the drums in which are far too loud especially the crashes and the vocals which I believe are too compressed.
Other than that I love our arrangement of the song and I think that this is a perfect song to add to our set and video. When the video is edited and ready I will add it to the project.
UPDATE*
I’ve only just found out that my function band video is finally finished and is up on youtube, and I must say I am very proud of the outcome.
The boys did a fantastic Job of putting the video together and we have already been receiving enquiries for potential future events and gigs. I also shared a clip of the video to my instagram page in which people were very interactive and shared some lovely feedback. The reason the process of this video has been quite slow is because the boys have been very busy with uni which is the only thing slowing us down but we are all bored and really want to make things work.
Finished video^