[Dixielandjazz] The Business Side To The Music Business (Unions)

[Larry Walton Entertainment - St. Louis]

Dave said: The days of cassette tapes and pages of printed material doesn't 
make it any longer.

Dave is right about the digital age is here and that's a good thing.  I know 
I have lost gigs because people would put a tape on a crappy player and 
choose a poorer band because they heard them live.  A demo CD is much 
better.

Unions like everyone else are partial.  The St. Louis local has always been 
that way.  If you look at the listing of gigs that are subsidized by our 
local it's always the same few guys that get them.  I assume that that's 
true of the booking agency too.   Now some of that's my fault for not 
visiting the hall and smoozing the hired help but they aren't real close to 
my house and that's not real practical.  I have a problem here.  Virtually 
all of the Dixie musicians have dropped out of the local and I don't think I 
want to go through a service if most of my musicians don't support the 
service.  That just isn't fair to the guys that pay for it and are members.

Dave is right about keeping up on your publicity package.  You have to treat 
an agency like a garden that needs tending.  You have to stay in their face. 
Even if you don't use an agency you need a personal publicity pack. (or web 
site) The only exception that I take is that you do need printed material 
because something has to direct them to your web site if you have one.

An advertising rule is to Keep it simple stupid.  On printed things assume 
that your reader is functionally illiterate.  Use headlines, Photos, Bullet 
lines and not a lot of copy.  The idea is to get them to look at your web 
site where there is more information or give you a call.  If they can't scan 
it in a few seconds (at a slow reader pace) you have too much copy.  Most 
advertisers try to include too much stuff.  Think billboard.  They use 
pictures and headlines or slogans.  Less is more.  Dave is right about the 5 
minute rule on music.  I use 1 minute sound clips on my site and I probably 
have more clips than I need.  One site I visited had only one clip on it. 
If you use only one there is a way to have it automatically load and play 
when someone accesses your site.  I think you can have a different one play 
on each page as it's accessed but I don't know how to do that.
Larry
St. Louis
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Dave Hanson" <jazzdude39 at comcast.net>
To: "Mike" <mike at railroadstjazzwest.com>
Cc: "DJML" <Dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>
Sent: Thursday, January 25, 2007 3:51 PM
Subject: Re: [Dixielandjazz] The Business Side To The Music Business 
(Unions)


> Mike,
>
> Perhaps you need to update your digital press kit for the agent at the 
> Union or any booking agent for that matter.  Streaming audio a short bio, 
> short tune list and flexibility to play several styles if your group can 
> do it, will help sell your band. The International Union also has a web 
> site ready to help you sell your group. It's called GoPro, but you need to 
> be in the Union to take advantage of these services and is perhaps a 
> little easier for people to find you rather then having your own stand 
> alone web site. But any web site can help and you can link to other web 
> sites that friends allow you to hook up with.
> I'm in the Union but there are many non-union musicians and groups that 
> are doing quite well, but the digital age is here and that's what people 
> want. No more than about 5-8 minutes is what you can expect people to 
> watch or listen to. The "inner circle" is only as big as you want it to 
> be.
>
> Good luck in booking the "good" ones !
>
> Dave Hanson
> Vice President
> Atlanta Federation of Musicians
> Local 148-462
>  ----- Original Message ----- 
>  From: Mike
>  To: dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com
>  Sent: Thursday, January 25, 2007 4:36 PM
>  Subject: Re: [Dixielandjazz] The Business Side To The Music Business 
> (Unions)
>
>
>  Thanks for your comments Larry. Most helpful
>
>  So the union books their friends first and foremost? I thought
>  the union was supposed to be for all union musicians? What if
>  you're a starving musician but you don't happen to be in the
>  "inner circle"?
>
>  Mike
>
>
>  Larry Walton Entertainment - St. Louis wrote:
>  Some places and corporations will only book through an agency.
>  My Local
>  > AFofM union has an agency but I have only booked one gig through them
>  > and that was two years ago.  They tend to send their friends or book
>  > things for themselves first.  There is also a web site for Union bands.
>  > I haven't availed myself of that yet.
>  >
>
>
>
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