Is FaceNation the new improved MySpace for music?
Hi there,
Let me say firstly that I'm sorry this isn't going to be a tale of some crazed stalker pinching my recordings or anything as equally intriguing, as my title may suggest. But it is about something more insidious for performers like me.
I did a gig recently where I completely lost my confidence. It was a new gig for me and I had a lot of new songs jostling for real estate inside my head so perhaps I wasn't as self possessed as I might have been with a more familiar repertoire. But really, I have been doing this a long time and I am often thrown into brand new situations, so what was so different?
It started almost as soon as the show began. A few times during the beginning of the first set, I opened my mouth and absolutely no sound came out. I didn't have a cold, my voice felt warmed up and in good shape before I hit the stage, so what was going on? Eventually I spied in the corner of my eye, side of stage, a portable pedestal fan, aimed directly and going at full bore at my face. It was obviously meant to help the performers keep cool and combat the incredible humidity that hung in the air that night. The venue folk weren't to know that blasts of air like these were my Kryptonite.
Voices are as individual as the singers who possess them so not everyone would have had the same reaction I did, although it is fairly common. This fan was quite literally stealing my voice away by drying my mouth out. Anyway, I angled the fan away from me and that fixed the problem quick smart. Well one of the problems. I had my voice back but what to do about my desire to have the stage swallow me up because I was ashamed of my singing? It took the rest of the set to regain my equilibrium and I know my overall performance suffered as a result. Apparently I managed to summon enough superficial bravado to convince the audience that all was right with my world, and the momentary blips in my singing were barely noticed. But inside I was really struggling. And unfortunately, while I may be getting better and better at covering it up, this wasn't the first time I've let something like that throw me. It really reinforces the fact that singing and performing really are psychological games. Preparation, practice, skill - all vital, but sometimes confidence is everything.
Got any tips on how you handle your inner anxious dude?
All the best,
Amanda
Hi there,
I recently had the great pleasure of performing as part of a 9 day music festival cruise. We musos spend a lot of time wringing our hands over a dying live music scene but certainly the success of these music cruises makes me wonder. This particular company just announced, after a few years in play, that it sold out its full series (ranging from Country through to Classical) of themed music cruises for the year. And that's around 2000 passengers and 30 bands per cruise. Sure audiences are attracted by the cruising life and the exotic destinations but these passengers pay a significant amount more for these concert cruises than a standard affair, so they must be coming for the music. On my ship, the shows were hugely well attended and well appreciated. So audiences are there, for the right shows. Maybe we need to find more creative ways to present live music. I've been to a small bar in Sydney that combines sneakers, champagne and fried chicken and that seems to work. What else can we merge with music?
I can't help but think that if you treat live music with love, it will love you back. Could it be the lessening of respect given to live music over the years that has caused the scene in pubs and clubs to wither? In most industries it's a given that if you treat your workers well, they will give the best of themselves. I really felt that was a guiding principal of the people who ran the music on my cruise. Looking at the 1000 seat theatre I was working in, at the incredible calibre of the production crew and facilities around me, I couldn't bear to give anything but my best. I was told I reached 'a new level' during one of those cruise shows and I'm talking about feedback from my harshest critic (my Mum). Do you think, if venues and bookers on dry land followed suit and instead of cutting back, paring down, they threw everything they had at providing the best conditions for their live entertainers, that the scene would be healthier?
Over the years I've seen venues shrink their entertainment offerings until they are only content to hire solo performers with backing tracks. They are removing stages - my local pub has just spent a fortune on renovations and a bar maid told me they 'didn't bother' putting the stage back even though they are continuing with their live music. Do you think the performer on the Opera House stage is automatically more talented (or more deserving of respect) than the one performing on the floor in the corner of your local pub? Even though we know the answer is 'no', you can be pretty sure which one would get more love from an audience. Without the trappings that mark out entertainment as something worth looking at and listening to, how can audiences be expected to hold it in high esteem? As time has gone on, venues expect more, with some asking 4 or even 5 sets for the same fees they used to pay for 2 . How can artists be expected to deliver this at the same quality and without resentment?
The standard of the musicians and the music itself on the cruise was very high, but what stood out most was we were all chuffed to be there. We were well paid and the conditions were fabulous. That was something the passengers commented on too, which in turn made them feel good. We felt valued and those extra touches like artist-only cocktail parties and notes of appreciation under the cabin door (the spacious cabin that featured a balcony and free room service) ensured that we did our best, if only to clinch an invitation on the next ship out...
Hint hint!
Till next time,
Amanda
www.amandaeaston.com
Hi there,
I've said 'Put me on the door?' many times myself and it seems such a small ask, doesn't it? Please just write my name on that precious piece of paper - the one in possession of the door biatch - so that I don't have to pay to get in the club. There was one period of my life and career that I wore as a badge of honour the fact that I never paid to get into any gig I wanted to go to. It was my selfish 20-somethings and I felt that my industry somehow owed me that.
I'd like to think that passing years have made me wiser and less selfish but truthfully, it has been my experience on the 'other' side of the velvet rope that has really made me think differently. When you ask for free entry to a gig, who is really paying the price?
I am now often the promoter of the shows I perform in. The promoter is the person at whose feet the financial responsibility ultimately falls. Depending on the deal, too few tickets sold can directly hit the promoter in the hip pocket. Venues are less willing to take financial risk nowadays, so will often offer 'door deals'. That means a promoter gets paid only by receiving a percentage of the ticket prices and out of that, must pay the band, possibly the sound system and engineer, promotional costs and any other expenses. Obviously in this situation, any tickets given away are tickets that can't be sold to help the promoter make costs.
When you're an indie artist putting on your own gig, you're a promoter whether you like it or not. If all your friends and family ask to be 'put on the door', what chance have you got to break even let alone actually get paid for your work? For an indie gig I promoted at The Basement a few years ago, I worked out that even with a house almost full of paying punters, if I included all the hours I had spent working towards this event, my hourly rate would make even a Nike factory worker blush!
I once invited an agent to see a show I was in, and I offered to put him on the door. He said he would be happy to come and see my gig but insisted on paying his way. His belief was that it was our duty to support each other in this industry and always paying to see gigs was one way to stop live music being devalued. That was the first time I had heard this particular point of view, and I eventually adopted it as my own.
So, is all this to say that no smart businessperson would ever give away tickets? Not at all! Recently I was working with an international act in their first time to tour in Australia. One of the venues for this act was only half sold, two days out from the show date. In this case, the act's promoter had negotiated a guaranteed fee, so the financial risk lay with the venue itself this time. As part of the deal, the venue had offered the promoter a small number of 'comps' which they had duly given to various industry folk - but they found they needed more freebies than were offered. Obviously the venue would prefer to sell than give them away so they decided to cross their arms and refuse to give the promoters any additional free tickets. But in this case, that is exactly what the venue should have done. In fact, they should have been giving away tickets with gusto! A full room is in everybody's interest. A full house creates the illusion of success - it's more exciting for the artist and even audience members prefer the atmosphere of a well attended show. Giving away unsold tickets is such common practice (I was lucky enough to see Pink at the Entertainment Centre as a result of this strategy) that it has a name - it's called 'Papering the House', and it is an art. Don't do it too early and risk losing last minute sales - and when you do do it, be discreet so that paying audience, media and reviewers don't suspect!
The bottom line is that giving away tickets directly affects someone's bottom line one way or another. We all know there is no such thing as a free lunch - we need to also realise there is no such thing as a free gig!
All the best for Christmas and a safe and successful 2016,
Amanda
