Start your career as a cruise ship musician or guest performer today with this comprehensive list of cruise ship talent agencies. Perform, see the world – and get paid to do it.

100+ contacts for only $9.99

The Power Of a Good Contact List

When I first came to New York City looking for a job on Broadway, I made an excel spreadsheet of every musician in the scene. I listed their names, positions and email addresses and I contacted every one of them. Three years later I’m performing as the Associate Conductor for my third Broadway show.

Persistence, mixed with a good contacts list, pays off in this business. If I were going to pursue any gig in the musician industry, I would definitely approach it in a similar way.

Frequent Questions

I’m often asked two questions by the readers of the Chronicles of a Cruise Ship Musician:

1. How can I get a job on a cruise ship?
2. Are there any talent agencies outside of the U.S. and Canada?

The answer to the first is: Musicians are hired for cruise ship gigs either through a talent agency or directly through the cruise line. I wrote an article about it here.

I never used to know the answer to the second question – so I decided to find out.

The List

What I came up with is a spreadsheet of over 100+ talent agencies in the US, Canada, the UK, Australia and New Zealand that hire musicians for jobs on cruise ships.

The list includes:

• Company names
• Addresses
• Phone numbers
• Fax numbers
• URLs
• Email addresses
• And most importantly: directions on how to apply

The big, North American agencies that I usually suggest are on the list – Proship, Landau, Oceanbound – but there are also smaller companies like Jiggy Piggy (US), Parker Entertainments (UK), Double T’s International Entertainment (Aus) and dozens of others.

We’re going to sell the list here on MusicianWages.com for $9.99. The money will go toward maintenance and hosting of the website.

Start a New Career Today

If you’re interested in getting a gig as a showband musician, string quartet, party band, guest entertainer or any other musician position – this list is the best way to jump start your hustle for new career opportunities. Take advantage of the head start I’ve built for you and download this directory today.

This article is an addendum to the 5-part series How I Became a Broadway Musician.

2011 was a prosperous year for my career, as it marked not only the first time I played as a musician on Broadway, but also the first time I acquired my own chair on a Broadway show.

What does it mean to have a “chair”?

Having my own “chair” on Broadway means that I have a full time job on a show. I have 3 subs that I can call to play for me on my days off (the union contract allows Broadway musicians to sub out up to 50% of the shows in any month), but the position is mine. A chair on a Broadway show is a difficult thing to get, and I’m incredibly fortunate to have one.

Acquiring a chair on Broadway is a different process for keyboard players, conductors and MDs than it is for instrumentalists. If you are an instrumentalist, being hired for a chair is a little more straight forward, and (perhaps) even more difficult. When a show is ready to hire an orchestra for a new show, the music department and producers hire a music contractor to handle the hiring and personnel issues. Big name contractors in the Broadway scene include John Miller, Michael Keller, Howie Joines, “Red” Press and others.

But don’t call the contractors if you want a job. You’ll never get a job that way. The contractors are under enormous pressure to hire not just the best of the best, but also to hire orchestras that will work well together in the cramped, underground chambers of New York’s Broadway pits. As such, it’s very unlikely that they will hire someone who has not already proven that they can be successful in this situation. The contractors will want to hire someone that has already played in Broadway pits – either someone who has had their own chair before or has subbed regularly (and successfully) on Broadway for a long time. So the best way to get your name in front of a contractor is to sub regularly on the other shows that they contract.

Straight from the source

Another thing I want to add, and I know this is counterintuitive, is this: if you want to be a Broadway instrumentalist I recommend against emphasizing your theatre experience to the people in the scene. Whether its true or not, Broadway music is largely seen as a derivative art form among the Broadway musician community. Look at shows like Jersey Boys, Million Dollar Quartet, In the Heights – these shows showcase rock n roll, country, hip hop and salsa – none of which originated on Broadway.

The last thing you want to say, therefore, is that you learned to play R’n'B by playing a summerstock version of Dream Girls. Broadway wants authentic players that have learned music styles from the source, not from itself. If you want to get into the Broadway scene, I advise emphasizing your close-to-source experience in addition to (or more than) your theatre experience.

Keyboard chairs

Back to keyboard players and conductors. The Broadway scene for keyboard players is a lot more robust than it is for other instrumentalists. There are many more job opportunities for pianists – playing auditions, accompanying classes and lessons, vocal coaching, vocal directing, music directing, etc. And then the are jobs than often come from these jobs – arranging, copying, orchestrating, sequencing, programming, conducting, etc. There is a rich scene in the Broadway community for smart, talented and resourceful pianists.

And for that reason, the keyboard spots on Broadway shows often sprout from this scene – as it did for me. In my case, I was working my way through the standard jobs – first as an audition accompanist, then as a classroom accompanist, then as a copyist for new shows, then as a keyboard programmer for new shows – and in the process I made friends with other keyboard players.

Specifically, I made friends with Jeff, who I mentioned before in the 5-part series. If you read the series, you may remember that Jeff gave me my first subbing opportunity on his show.

Jeff is very good at his job and in high demand inside our scene. He is in such high demand, in fact, that he can’t possible do all of the opportunities that come his way. Such was the case when he was asked to be the assistant music director for the workshop of a new musical in the summer of 2010. The show was a revival with (as yet) no Broadway plans, and the workshop was 4 weeks long.

Jeff was busy with other projects and was unable to commit a full 4 weeks to the workshop. The management asked him for a recommendation, and he gave them my name and a few others.

Workshops

Eventually I got the job. I worked on two workshops for the show, mostly performing as a copyist for the score and the pianist for dance rehearsals. A year later the show picked up a celebrity star and a Broadway run was announced.

Because I proved myself valuable during the workshops, and because of the dedication I showed to the team, the conductor asked me to be his associate conductor and pianist for the Broadway run. And that’s how I became the associate conductor to a Broadway show.

I should note, however, how incredibly lucky and unlikely my story is. There are hundreds of new shows being workshopped in New York every year and the vast majority of them do not make it to Broadway. It’s almost impossible to guess which ones will and won’t make it and the workshops often pay poorly and require a huge amount of work for the music teams. Yet music directors like myself almost always say yes to the job – because you never know if the next one is going to make it all the way to the top and take you with it.

You can see, of course, how lucky I am to have this job.

Interested in playing on Broadway?

If you are interested in working in the Broadway scene in New York City, my advice is to move to NYC and get as involved in the scene as you can. Ask people like me out for coffee, ask a lot of questions and do a lot of listening. Make (authentic) friendships and do your best on every single gig. If you re humble and help others as much as you can, you’ll soon find that people will help you as well. As you’re working your way into the scene try to find a source of income that gives you some stability but does not interfere with your goals.

If you are a music director, be sure to join the Theatre Music Directors Facebook group and get involved in their discussions in a positive way. There a many, many wonderful keyboard players from around the world in that group, and they give wonderful advice.

Best of luck!

MusicianWages is proud to introduce translations of our most read articles, beginning with the Spanish translation of “Recording, Releasing, and Performing Cover Songs,” or should we say, “Grabar, Lanzar e Interpretar Canciones Versionadas.”

As musicians ourselves, we’ve realized that many working musicians in NYC are bilingual, and English is their second language. We’d like them to be a part of the MusicianWages community.

If you’d like to see specific articles translated to another language, please let us know. Additionally, if you are a skilled translator, we could use your help in 2012. Contact us with your suggestions or to help.

This article has been translated from English. View the English version here.

Las canciones versionadas tienen un lugar interesante en el léxico musical. Canción versionada es un término que se originó en los primeros años de la era de la grabación, cuando la distribución de grabaciones con sello discográfico a menudo se limitaba a una región. Cuando una canción crecía en popularidad en una región, los sellos discográficos de otras regiones la grababan y la distribuían para cubrir su región. Una práctica similar ocurre hoy, online, con las tiendas de música digital como iTunes. Algunas bandas populares se niegan a vender su música en iTunes. Cuando sale al mercado un nuevo álbum, invariablemente aparece en iTunes una canción versionada del sencillo, generalmente hecha por una banda de estudio.

Las canciones versionadas revelan mucho acerca de los artistas, desde su habilidad hasta simplemente cantar o tocar sus instrumentos, de acuerdo a propios gustos musicales. Para los músicos independientes, las canciones versionadas suelen ser una manera de ganar dinero y hacer crecer su base de fans, así como un medio para la expresión creativa.

Muchos de los músicos que conozco y con los que trabajo tocan en bodas o con orquestas de baile. Se espera que tengan un amplio repertorio de canciones populares y que las toquen exactamente como se grabaron originalmente. Las actuaciones de estas bandas de canciones versionadas suelen ser bien pagadas y tocan con frecuencia. Un trabajo constante y bien pagado es algo que todo músico necesita y esta es una manera de conseguirlo.

Como Tocar Canciones Versionadas

A los músicos que escriben e interpretan música original, las canciones versionadas les dan la oportunidad de añadir algo de familiaridad a sus interpretaciones. De hecho, una de las mejores maneras de darse a conocer es añadir unas cuantas canciones versionadas a su repertorio. Mientras que tus fans aprenden las letras de todas tus canciones, las personas que aún no conocen tu música agradecerán poder escuchar alguna canción familiar. Además, cuando grabas canciones versionadas, ayudas a la gente a encontrar tu música. Esto es especialmente cierto si vendes música online, ya que las consultas por medio de un motor de búsqueda podrían dar a conocer tu versión de una canción popular. Más adelante veremos más sobre esto.

Llevando la noción de la familiaridad un paso más allá, los músicos pueden volver a trabajar una canción versionada hasta el punto en que apenas sea reconocible, salvo la letra o la melodía. Hay un puñado de artistas conocidos por sus canciones versionadas, por lo general debido a que sus versionadas son un claro contraste con la original. En este caso, la canción se utiliza a menudo como una base para medir la creatividad. Por ejemplo, los artistas de jazz suelen conocer una gran cantidad de estándares, que son simplemente muchas melodías que otros músicos de jazz han grabado o ejecutado. Debido a que el jazz consiste en gran parte en improvisación, estos estándares son la base común sobre la que se lleva a cabo la creatividad.

Al ejecutar canciones versionadas, a los escritores y editores se les paga a través de sociedades de gestión de derechos de autor, tales como ASCAP, BMI, SOCAN, o PRS. Una forma en la que estas organizaciones de gestión de derechos de autor (a veces conocidas como PRO) obtienen los derechos de autor es mediante el cobro de una tarifa a los bares y lugares de música en vivo. La próxima vez que entres a un club, busca en la puerta o ventana del frente el adhesivo de la organización de gestión de derechos de autor. Esto significa que están pagando sus cuotas para poder tener una máquina de discos, DJ o música en vivo que reproduzca canciones versionadas. Hay dos cosas importantes a tener en cuenta sobre las organizaciones de gestión de derechos de autor:

1. Ellos cobran regalías por interpretación en público, no por la venta de música grabada. Se considera de uso privado.
2. Como intérprete, no tienes que pagar regalías por tus actuaciones. Estas las paga el lugar que te contrató para la presentación. Sin embargo, si grabas tu programa y lo vendes como disco en vivo, tendrás que pagar por las licencias obligatorias; lo veremos más adelante en este artículo.

Publicación de Canciones Versionadas en YouTube

Una gran cantidad de músicos hacen videos de ellos mismos ejecutando canciones versionadas en casa y luego los suben a sitios como YouTube. Esta es otra gran manera de aprovechar la familiaridad del público con las canciones versionadas, como una puerta de entrada a tu música original. Desde mi experiencia, los videos de canciones versionadas obtienen muchas más vistas que los videos de música original. Asegúrate de usar inteligentemente la descripción del vídeo y las etiquetas para ayudar a las personas a encontrar el vídeo de la canción versionada y luego enlázalo a la música que tengas online en otro lugar.

A veces se te permite publicar tus canciones versionadas en YouTube.

En un principio, YouTube tuvo problemas con los titulares de los derechos de autor (principalmente los editores) ya que, legalmente hablando, estos videos son una forma de distribución que requiere una licencia de sincronización. Sin embargo, este problema está siendo resuelto paulatinamente. YouTube permite que los editores reclamen su material protegido por derechos de autor y que cobren los videos. En otras palabras, un editor podría hacer dinero gracias a los anuncios de tu video de la canción versionada. Actualmente no hay manera de saber cuáles editores han firmado acuerdos con YouTube y tus videos aún pueden correr el riesgo de ser bajados. Procede con cautela, y para una lectura más profunda sobre este tema, echa un vistazo a “Música, Derechos de Autor y YouTube” por Suzanne Lainson.

Grabar Canciones Versionadas

Interpretar canciones versionadas es una magnífica forma de alcanzar algunos nuevos fans; grabarlas es la manera de llegar a cientos o miles de nuevos fans. De la misma manera en que tocar una canción versionada durante tu actuación puedes atraer la atención de nuevos fans, el poner una canción versionada en tu álbum o EP podría animar a la gente a buscar más de tu música.

Un enfoque inteligente para decidir qué canciones versionadas conviene elegir para poner en tu álbum es escoger una canción un tanto oscura de alguien que haya sido una de tus mayores influencias. Aunque la mayoría de la gente no pueda reconocer de inmediato la canción, quienes son fanáticos hasta la médula del artista original estarán más interesados en conocer tu versión. Después de todo, si son fans de la música que te inspiró a ti, probablemente lleguen a ser fans de tu música original. Para más ideas sobre cómo elegir qué canciones versionadas te conviene grabar, ver “Cash Para Versionadas” por Alex Holz.

¿Cómo Puedo Lanzar Canciones Versionadas en Forma Legal?

Compartir una grabación de audio en cualquier forma, remunerada o no, constituye distribución. La distribución puede ser en forma de descarga, transmisión (streaming) de cualquier sitio web, incluyendo el tuyo, o de cualquier producto físico como un CD o vinilo. Al distribuir una grabación de una canción que alguien más escribió, ya sea para uso comercial (poniéndolo a la venta) o para uso promocional (dándolo de forma gratuita), se requiere que obtengas una licencia obligatoria y que pagues regalías.

Con el fin de compartir tus grabaciones de canciones versionadas, debes obtener una licencia.

Muchos artistas independientes están cansados de poner canciones versionadas en su álbum debido a las molestias derivadas de tener que obtener una licencia obligatoria. Yo estaba entre este grupo de personas hasta que descubrí cómo usar un sistema de servicio de licencias online, tales como RightsFlow de Limelight. Yo obtuve las licencias para cuatro canciones versionadas de uno de mis discos, para distribución física y digital.

A través de Limelight o Harry Fox, las regalías son de prepago. También hay una tarifa fija por canción, independientemente del número de licencias que compres. Es necesario hacer algunos cálculos para estimar el número de licencias que conviene pagar por adelantado, lo que se suma al costo inicial de tu lanzamiento, pero esta es una forma muy conveniente de obtener una licencia obligatoria. Si quieres grabar y lanzar una canción versionada, te recomiendo usar alguno de estos servicios. Si tienes alguna duda, consulta por adelantado a un abogado de música.

Si deseas evitar completamente el pago de regalías, puedes buscar canciones populares en el dominio público. En términos generales, estas son canciones que fueron escritas antes de 1923. La mayoría de los cánticos espirituales e himnos tradicionales entran en esta categoría. Para probar que una canción está en el dominio público, tendrás que presentar la hoja de música que muestra los derechos de autor. Con la gran cantidad de recursos online que hay esto es bastante fácil. Te doy otra advertencia: los arreglos originales de música de dominio público pueden tener derechos reservados. Antes de grabar una canción de dominio público, asegúrate de que no estás utilizando un arreglo con derechos reservados.

Los beneficios de lanzar canciones versionadas sobrepasan las dificultades de tener que dar seguimiento a las ventas y pagar las regalías, especialmente con servicios como los de Limelight, los cuales agilizan el proceso para los músicos independientes. Las canciones versionadas que he publicado han generado más ventas de mi música original, ya sea por medio de descargas individuales o porque llevan a las personas a comprar mi disco completo, como descarga o en CD. Actualmente estoy trabajando en un álbum de versionadas con un amigo (y sin importar cuándo lea usted este artículo, esta afirmación probablemente es cierta). Esta es una manera simple y fácil en la que un músico puede obtener un ingreso.

Cómo Hacer que las Canciones Versionadas Funcionen para Ti

Te dejo un consejo para el lanzamiento de canciones versionadas: ¡Obtén bien tus metadatos! La mayor ventaja de lanzar canciones versionadas online es que la gente te encontrará en los resultados de búsqueda. Asegúrate de que has optimizado tus palabras clave; además es una buena idea experimentar con unas cuantas búsquedas y ver qué sale en varios sitios. Entiende cómo busca la gente las canciones (por lo general por el artista original, el álbum y el título). Asegúrate de que escribes todo correctamente.

¡Buena suerte!

With one fluid motion he pulled off his shirt and threw it down behind him. This act in and of itself impressed me, because it was a snug fitting, button up (plaid) T-shirt, and all but the top button were fastened.

“You wanna fight?!” he demanded, fists quaking eager to remove my teeth.

Why he thought being bare-chested would lead to anything more than pointy nipples was beyond me. It was the end of October and damn cold.

As the adrenaline coursed through my system I had several thoughts:

1. He was bigger than me.

2. He was drunk.

3. He was much angrier than I was.

No, I don’t want to fight.

“You wanna fight?!” The half-naked drunk screamed at my friend.

“Nobody wants to fight. We heard a woman screaming and wanted to make sure everything was okay.”

“That’s my F*cking girlfriend, and this is my F*cking country, so F*ck Off!”

There was about 10 of us and 10 of them (not including the screaming girlfriend). This would not end well.

Ahhh, the joys of being awake at 4am.

——

Photo by Martin Labbe

The band had been rehearsing for the Cork Jazz Festival for the past 6 weeks. The SHAPE band would play six gigs in total. Three for the Nato Jazz Orchestra (the flagship band of this organization) and one each for the Jazz Combo (run by yours truly) the Rock Band, and the Piano Trio.

It was our 1st major jazz festival in over a year and everybody wanted to make a good showing. The bands were running like well-oiled machines. Squeezing in extra rehearsals where they could find time. Hand picking songs that we hoped would go over with an Irish audience. I threw a U2 cover into my set. Everybody worked up their 70 minute sets and got ready to rock.

And rock we did.

The crowd loved every show. The smaller groups were an excellent contrast to the big band jazz of the Nato Jazz Orchestra. People followed the band from gig to gig. By the last couple shows, it was standing room only. Just getting to the bar took 20 minutes. I fulfilled one of my personal goals of playing original music at a major European Jazz-fest.

And when we weren’t playing, we were cruising around Cork. Ireland deserves its title “Emerald Isle” I have never seen a greener place. It looks like a postcard. Against my better judgement I kissed (no tongue) the Blarney Stone at Blarney Castle. Saw some great musicians playing around town. Cork is a refuge for live music. That city has a stage in every bar!

And the people were warm and friendly. Always willing to share a story and a pint. And as long as they didn’t use too much slang we could understand each other just fine. Wonderful, wonderful folks.

Myself and the other members of the band expected to drink much Guinness, but instead fell in love with Murphy’s Irish Stout. A delicious beer brewed in Cork. Not to mention eating like kings. All of our meals were provided by the hotel, and they were spectacular.

So, you may be wondering what’s the point of this blog? Maybe I’m just sharing a story of a cool gig over a couple of pints with some friends. This is true, But it’s also true that I wouldn’t have had this story to share if I hadn’t enlisted in the Army band.

Oh, I imagine I could have found a belligerent, half-naked drunk or two without too much trouble. But an all-expenses-paid (and still getting a regular paycheck on top of that!) trip to Ireland, may have been harder to come by.

And what of the fateful night in question? That took such a sour turn following a great gig, bar hopping, fish and chips out of butcher paper and the long walk back to our hotel?

Somehow we diffused the situation. Which still amazes me, since that guy REALLY wanted to fight. After a little while the police showed up, and saved that girl from what was shaping up to be some serious domestic violence. And all of us (the band) retired to our respective hotel rooms to settle our stomachs, reflect on the evening, and prepare to do it all again the next day.

It takes a bit of time to get your wedding band off the ground, but for me it was an obvious choice–starting up a professional gigging band, such as a wedding band, offers a better guarantee of regular income than you might have with your original music.

Why do most musicians start or join wedding bands? The money. Unlike an original band, you don’t have to worry about how many people are coming through the door or how well you promoted the show. Once a wedding band has established itself it can have gigs booked a year out, all with guaranteed money.

And the money is good! As a wedding band you can expect to charge anything from $1250 upwards per show. Even in times of economic downturn there are still a lot of people willing to spend big money making their special day a memorable experience.

To run your own wedding band, you need to think of it as a business enterprise that will need a little bit of time and money invested up front before it pays off. It is, however, a rewarding career choice both in terms of the money and the people you meet. Finishing a night’s work knowing that you’ve helped make someone’s big day an especially memorable experience is rewarding in itself.

This article aims to help you set up your own wedding band and give you advice on how to run it as a successful, rewarding business.

Step 1: Putting together the band.

Like any band it is important you have a group of people that you work well with together musically but what is hugely important in this field is having a group of professional minded people that can look and act the part and not jeopardise future bookings (see 5 Traits of a Professional Musician).

All of you will be representing the band on and off stage so having a group of people that look and act accordingly is key to your success. From my experience the two biggest pitfalls that wedding bands face are having someone that feels they are above manual work or having members that you would be worried about talking to wedding guests.

As well as being able to play well together it is worth considering how each member can contribute outside of their duties as a musician. Think about what everyone can bring to the table to cut down paying additional crew – is someone in the band quite business minded? Do you have a marketing wizard that could make your self-promotion stand out? Can someone act as a sound engineer? Do you have enough drivers/cars or someone with a van? Without these, the journey ahead will be a lot harder if not impossible.

You will be expected to be a self contained unit so can’t rely on crew that a venue might ordinarily provide. It will make all of your jobs a lot easier if everyone pitches in on unloading gear and setting up.

The best wedding band jobs I’ve had in are when everyone contributes in their own unique ways and gets along. Having a group of people you actually like spending time with is important and avoiding infighting can be the difference between this being a rewarding lifestyle career and another day at the office.

Step 2: What will you need?

Equipment

One of the biggest problems you will face on setting up a wedding band is having the capital to get all of the equipment you’ll need to go out and gig. One solution to this is going out and playing some bars as a cover band when you’ve got a set together and using some of this money to fund it. Not everyone has the money up-front to cover these costs and if you want to avoid using a credit card / loan this is a good solution that will mean you won’t have to worry about debt before you’ve even started.

As a basic set-up you will need professional quality instruments and gear, a PA system capable of handling large venues and enough lighting to make sure you’re well lit when a venue doesn’t have these facilities.

Often the places you play aren’t designed for bands or will be located far away from any music hardware stores so remember to bring a spare of everything you can and plenty of power extension cables and multi-sockets with a decent fuse on them in case there aren’t sufficient power supplies at the venue.

Think about your set up as a mobile stage that can be easily transportable and can set up in as minimal time as possible. In this line of work I have played venues from teepee’s to large scale halls and often you won’t know what to expect until you arrive so it really doesn’t hurt to be over prepared.

A lot of venues (especially at corporate events or though booking agents) will want to know that all of your electrical equipment has undergone all of the necessary safety checks and that you are covered for public liability insurance so it’s best to get this sorted as soon as possible to avoid losing bookings.

Dress

Depending on what sort of music you are playing and how you want to put yourselves across as a band this will differ in each wedding band but it is important to dress right for the gig. Just look smart and try to look like you all belong together.

You will be expected to look the part and it is your choice whether you choose to go for matching outfits or try to fit into a visual theme. It is important that you are dressed formally but set yourselves apart from wedding guests/waiting staff.

A lot of wedding bands opt for matching colour themes, but there is no rule of thumb. Check out what other bands are wearing and think about bands that stand out in your mind for how they look (Temptations, Bruno Mars etc…).

Picking a visual theme that works for your band can make all the difference, especially on agency sites where people are browsing a variety of groups.

Step 3: Coming up with a repertoire.

Choosing your repertoire will depend on what sort of band you want to be. There are a huge variety of bands that people book for weddings such as jazz trio’s, big bands, pop covers.. so it is up to you to decide whether to want to cover a niche market or try to cater for everyone.

Unless your wedding band is playing a specific genre and you feel that your set will meet the expectations of this you are going to want to try and cover all of the bases. Most wedding bands will have a style that they play in but try to keep everyone happy. There will be a broad age range so it helps to have a few from each popular genre – 60′s, 70′s, 80′s, disco,some light rock classics and try to throw in a few recent chart hits for the kids!

You will be booked largely on the basis of what type of music you play so be careful to monitor which songs go down well with crowds and consider learning songs that are popularly requested.

If you’re largely out of touch with pop music, try asking a younger friend/relative or keep an eye on the charts for songs you think your band could do a good job of.

What some bands do is offer the client a song request of their choice if booked far enough in advance. This can be really useful for first dances or for songs that hold a sentiment to the newly weds and can make quite an impact if played right and make it all the more memorable for the client.

When it comes to learning the songs it is rare that the band will follow charts so being able to improvise and have a good rapport with the rest of your band will make your lives a lot easier and cut down on practice time. Considering how many songs you’ll need to learn, especially in the first few months before you’ve got a set, you’ll probably want to spend as little time in practice room as possible.

Successful, well functioning wedding bands I have been in in the past have discussed songs together, picked a key that works best for the singer and then learnt the songs in our own time. Practice time can then be spent productively once everyone knows the songs and is largely time to try out putting songs into medleys or adding exciting motifs to the music to make the show memorable.

If you have a prominent musical director type in the band they might have their own ideas for arrangements and each band will play songs in a unique style to themselves as you are trying to make a wide spectrum of music sound good with one set-up.

Some bands choose to learn songs exactly as they are on record while others favour fitting them into medley’s with other songs or doing their own thing with them. How you decide to approach this will affect the product you’re trying to sell, as some bands rely on authentic and true-to-record versions as a unique selling point.

It is unlikely that you are going to be passionate about every song you play so it might help to try leaving your personal feelings towards music at the door. By the hundredth time you’ve played any song you will feel relatively indifferent to it but it is important from the audience perspective that it looks like you’re enjoying every moment like it’s your favourite song.

Step 4: Booking gigs.

First and foremost, when you’re up and running and ready to get gigs, you need to think about booking from the perspective of somebody planning a wedding.. typically the bride. While I often pick up weddings from playing bars and club nights, many brides-to-be don’t want to dedicate a lot of their time to watching different bands as they have a lot of other things to think about and entertainment might not be on the top of their list of priorities.

You might consider paying money for advertising in wedding magazines, websites or wedding planning phone app’s. Some of these will cost you so are worth waiting for later down the line when you have the dollar to fork out.

There are booking agents that you can audition for / apply for but from personal experience these are not to be relied upon for consistent work. They will also take a generous commission and you may find that it is better to think of these as a way to fill the occasional date rather than use them as a long term solution.

Wedding expo’s are another route to take although again, will depend on some money up front to be there. This can take a few different forms from playing occasional slots during the day to sitting at a table with a display talking to potential customers. This is where a full on charm offensive can be of utmost importance and often serves as a fantastic opportunity to network with other wedding related businesses who may choose to promote your wedding band through their own work (e.g.- recommending your band in bridal wear shops or putting a link to you on their website in return for the same).

This is a huge industry to itself though, and while it will cost you to be there it is a rare opportunity for a captive audience of wedding planners to take an interest so use each second you’re there to push yourself and chat with people. Even if you don’t get as many bookings as you’d hope for it will help you get into the mindset of your client and understand what people are looking for in a band.

Having a strong online presence is important as many people will do the majority of their wedding planning online. So get yourself a website made, don’t overwhelm the viewer with information just tell them what package you offer, what sort of music you play and try to provide some pictures/audio clips of you playing, any other media is an added bonus.

Equally, social networking sites and free ad sites can be a useful tool for directing people towards your band. There are plenty of sites out there that will advertise on your behalf for little to no money so try and be creative when you’re writing the description for your band to make you stand out.

You should try and get a testimonial from each gig you play and put these on your website and it is useful for clients to see whether paying customers feel that they got their moneys worth.

Generally, wedding bands are booked far in advance of the day itself so when you start out you shouldn’t expect to be playing any high paying gigs for a while. It is important to manage your diary effectively and plan up to 2 years in advance but putting in the time will pay off in the future. Use this time to play more immediate gigs, it will help strengthen you as a band and make sure you’re well practiced in a live scenario before you’re asking for serious money.

Step 5: Managing the business.

While there are obvious benefits to playing music that people already know and love and a decent wage at the end of a night, it’s important to remember that like any other business you are going to need to give it a lot of attention to keep bookings coming in.

Be prepared

When you have some gigs booked, there are a few things to think about and plan ahead to make sure the day goes smoothly. Think about how long will it take to get to the gig and when you are going to be able to set up and sound check. You might be left with a tight schedule to do this if guests are arriving early or the venue is being used earlier in the day so don’t turn up a few hours before you’re due to go on and expect that people can work around you.

It’s worth taking into consideration that there are also additional things to budget for like new gear, food costs and transport costs.. all of these things mount up so try and keep some money in the bank if you can and always try to keep some money free in case of emergency. If an expensive piece of equipment breaks down you will need to be able to cover hiring gear if you aren’t otherwise able to borrow any.

When you are negotiating a price with the client it is best to have a clear price structure in mind beforehand; often people will try to get away with charging as much as possible and the client will smell the BS a mile away.. look at how much other people are charging for what you’re offering and try to give a fair price for what you offer.

Offering a range of packages to suit the clients needs

As well as the wedding band itself, you might want to consider offering a range of different packages in different price ranges; these can include:

• Offering a DJ service in addition to a band – often the client will want to book the evening’s entertainment in one package rather than pay for a band and a DJ separately so if this is something you can provide then it’s seriously worth considering. Even if it’s just a laptop with a good range of music some people will be more than happy with this, just be honest about what you’re offering up front.
• Incentives for booking early – this will help to encourage clients not to hold off until the last minute and secure you bookings for the future.
• An acoustic set for reception/meal – this can be a really nice extra touch if you want to provide some light dining music before your main set and can make you a talking point before the evening begins

Setting aside a marketing budget and using it wisely

To be more efficient with your marketing budget it’s best to keep track in the first year of how you’re getting each booking which will help you determine what is the most effective way that works for you. You can analyse this in your second year and help you plan a more focussed strategy with minimum waste.

One way to do this is by keeping a spreadsheet so that you have a clear record of what’s working for you and what you could spend less on in the future. It’s all about figuring out what works for you best but once you have a more refined strategy you will find it this a lot easier.

Conclusion

Playing in a wedding band is all about delivering a great experience for the client. It is natural for a lot of wedding band musicians to feel like they are selling their soul a bit by playing cheesy pop covers but you are aiming to provide an evenings entertainment that will cater for as many people in the room as possible.

Keeping your ego in check is important as well, as nobody wants to hear a rip-roaring guitar solo and the focus is going to be very much on the bride and groom. It’s not to say that you can’t stand out or offer something truly memorable but bear there are limits (http://youtu.be/KaZdQtwkQfg) so do what you are paid to do.

Word travels fast in this businesses and it is often the case that when someone is getting married, they will have friends doing the same before too long. Making a good impression at one gig can lead to further bookings so it is important, even if you’re just playing a bar, to look like you’re having the time of your life. Reputation is everything.

Finally, I’d say that the most important tool you can have in playing in a wedding band is a good attitude. Try to approach the band from a customer perspective and find creative ways to showcase what you do. Being a solid, exciting band that people will remember is important but you will find that the relationships you build by being a professional and reliable character will go a long way to ensuring your success.

And smile, always smile. It’s their special day.

All musicians are invited and encouraged to RSVP at the Facebook invite here:

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=247547198633729

Bring your musicians friends, meet new musicians friends and have a beer. MusicianWages co-founders Cameron Mizell and Dave Hahn will be in attendance, as well as special guest Steve Sensenig, Resident Music Director of the Barter Theater in Abingdon, VA.

We hope to see you there!

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To me, these are all examples of musicians who make money selling or playing music that accompanies some other activity or product:

• The composer who writes music for film
• The band that lands a placement in a TV ad
• The composer who partners with a playwright and writes a musical
• The cocktail pianist who plays while customers eat dinner

It seems clear to me that the best strategy to making money with music is to try to bundle that music with another product and to sell that product – not the music.

The problem is that I’m not somebody who knows much about making anything other than music. I don’t make movies, TV ads or fancy dinners. What can I do?

Build an App

In July I read an article that said that App Store sales had actually eclipsed iTunes sales, even though iTunes had a 4 year head start. Consumers seem reluctant to buy music – especially with so many free or nearly-free services that will provide them with the music. But apps are selling.

So I decided to build an app. I went in to more detail on the idea about a month ago in the article Why You Should Build An App.

I think there were some people who misinterpreted my idea when I wrote that article, though, so I want to clarify.

I’m not suggesting that musicians should create apps about their band, or music, or songs, or whatever. We have to acknowledge the realities of the time we live in, and again, consumers seem to be reluctant to pay for music. So you have to offer them something else. I’m not suggesting we should make music apps – I’m suggesting that we should make apps.

At the end of the article I told you I’d update you on my progress: my first app is now available.

My App

The app I built is called WinterSpark.

The idea is very simple – it’s a modernized, sup’d up, mobile Yule Log. It shows a cool fireplace video and plays my Christmas album in the background. WinterSpark is available for iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch and AirPlay compatible devices (like AppleTV).

With a tap, snazzy controls fly in and out that include rewind/play/forward, details about the recording and historical information about each song. If the user is interested in more historical info about the song, a provided link takes the user to the Wikipedia entry for the song.

The emphasis, though, is on the fire. The user can turn off the music if they’d like. No problem. When I talk about the app, I pitch it as a fireplace app – not a music app.

I had a designer friend of mine help me with the details of the app function. I don’t know a thing about coding for Apple devices, so I went to Elance.com – a great website where you can find iPhone developers – and posted the project. I received 5 bids and I chose the best combination of lowest price and best quality.

The project took 2 weeks to code, revise and complete. They created two versions, a $0.99 version and a free, banner-ad-supported Lite version. Once submitted to the App Store it took 6 business days for both versions to be accepted and have the app available for sale.

From the time I thought up the app to the time it was ready in the App Store was exactly 4 weeks.

How much did it cost? I’ll say this – less than an order of digipaks from DiscMakers.

What Now?

In the first 6 days, WinterSpark and it’s Lite version have been downloaded 436 times. Not bad, but it’s already clear to me that an app won’t sell itself. Without a concerted marketing strategy behind the app, it’ll never be noticed in the App Store. So that’s the next step that I’m working on now.

It’s early in the process, so it’s hard to know how things will go this holiday season. More info to follow.

What’s this about a MusicianWages app?

Yes, the rumors are true – Cameron and I are in the process of developing an app for MusicianWages.com readers. It’s not a content app – meaning, it’s not a mobile version of our site. It’s a helpful app for working freelancers that we are very, very excited about. It will be ready for testing at the end of this month.

We’re really looking forward to telling you about it!

I recently shared some of my thoughts with David Rose of KnowTheMusicBiz.com. We decided to take our discussion online and each write our opinions of the service. For my part, I’ve been exploring how a service like Spotify can help me as a musician, but can’t ignore the potential detriment this convenient, inexpensive music service can have on my career and the careers of future generations of musicians.

How Spotify Helps Me as a Musician

As a freelance guitarist, huge part of my job is to learn songs and be familiar with as much music as possible. Spotify is a useful tool to this effect. When I need to learn cover songs for a gig, I can usually find it on Spotify. When I’m booked for a recording session and the producer tells me he needs a guitar sound ala David Lindley circa his mid-’70s work with Warren Zevon, I can find those recordings and familiarize myself with that particular guitar tone. In many ways, Spotify makes my homework a little easier.

Spotify also helps me nurture my own artistic development. When I want to explore a particular song, artist, or genre, I try to be as thorough as possible.

For example, I’ve been working on my slide guitar chops. In my opinion, there are few better than Ry Cooder, so I’ve been listening to a lot of his music on Spotify. His version of Blind Willie Johnson’s “Dark Was The Night, Cold Was The Ground” especially piqued my interest, so I followed that tangent and explored more music by Blind Willie Jefferson as well as every version of “Dark Was The Night” I could find. There are 15 versions by different artists on Spotify. Needless to say, I now have an intimate understanding of that song.

This type of exploring is incredibly important for anybody that wants to be a professional musician. Whatever instrument or type of music you play, you’ll play better if you understand its roots. That’s how you develop your musicality and personal voice.

How Spotify Doesn’t Help Me as a Musician

While Spotify makes it easier to listen to more music, it’s little more than a convenience. All the musicians I mention above, the musicians worthy of study, achieved their level of artistry and skill without the internet. That point bears repeating:

You don’t need the internet to become a great musician.

I’m not trying to sound like a dusty old timer telling “back in the day” stories; I use the internet as much as anybody. It’s a great way to find tools and resources that can point you in the right direction, but that’s only where the work begins. When I really think about my development as a musician so far, the lessons that took the most effort to learn have paid the greatest dividends.

Music is a communal, social activity. To be a better musician, to really learn about the craft, we must engage with other musicians.

One of my fondest memories of freshman year of college was getting together to listen to music with new friends. After class we’d have one of those “Oh, have you ever really listened to McCoy Tyner’s playing on Coltrane Live at Birdland?” conversations and make plans to bring a few CDs over to somebody’s dorm room. If we were lucky, somebody would score us some beer. We’d sit there listening in silence, and then geek out about what we heard and try to figure it out together.

We all went to great lengths to acquire and share music that was important to us, that we felt should be important to our friends, and because we had to borrow each other’s CDs, that listening time was valuable.

When virtually all the music you want to hear is freely available, how do you really know what’s important to hear? What’s the motivation to use each other as a resource for sharing music and our ideas about music?

Spotify is a helpful tool for working musicians, but it’s not a replacement for music discovery in the truest sense.

How Spotify Affects My Bottom Line

My music, like that of many independent artists, is available on Spotify via my digital distribution agreement with CD Baby. Every time somebody listens to one of my tracks, I make a little less than half a penny. Sometimes much less.

Scrolling through the 1,000+ rows of Spotify payments in my account, I found one instance from July 2010, a year before Spotify launched in the US, where one of my original songs was streamed 305 times. Total earnings for 305 streams? Twelve cents ($0.12), or $0.0004 per stream. In more recent reports, some streams have paid up to an entire penny!

Sarcasm aside, I’m happy to see my tune garner so many listens on one report in a country where I’ve never performed. However, at some point it would be nice to leverage that exposure into some sort of income.

Overall, revenue from Spotify has been less than a drop in the bucket of my recorded music earnings, which are still an important part of my monthly income.

If you’d like to see a comparison of revenue from recorded music, check out this recent “Release Day Economics” post by Uniform Motion. Their numbers very similar to the margins I see for my own releases, and those of countless independent musicians.

Unleveling the Playing Field

Leveling the playing field. That phrase has been used time and time again to describe the shift in the music industry over the past decade, especially since independent musicians were able to distribute their music on iTunes in 2004. No longer did the little guys have to compete for physical shelf space or bulk pricing. If you could get people to buy your music online, retailers would pay you just as much as they’d pay U2 or Jay-Z.

With streaming services like Spotify, payouts with this many zeros to the right of the decimal point only add up when you deal in bulk. This is advantageous to record labels with large catalogs.

Major labels’ catalogs are so important to the success of Spotify that the labels required Spotify to make large up front payments, in excess of $100 million. Therefore if they never saw a dime from streams of their music, they still made money. If Spotify went out of business a week later, they still made money.

Additionally, the four major labels (Sony, UMG, Warner, EMI) and the independent label group Merlin have all been reported to have an 18% stake in the company, meaning they not only make money from the streaming of their music, but also from Spotify’s revenue. If Spotify stays in business and turns profits, that’s just more money for the major labels.

How much of that money actually makes it to the artists? While artist deals vary, the consensus so far is not much. Not that that’s a surprise, though. I can’t imagine Spotify’s ad revenue and $5 or $10 subscription fees generate that much to distribute. However, unlike iTunes where every artist knows that Apple keeps $0.29 per $0.99 download, we really have no idea how much Spotify keeps before paying the content owners.

Finally, major labels have been rumored to use their large catalogs as leverage to earn higher rates per stream. This moves the music industry in the opposite direction of the past decade, possibly to a much worse, unbalanced landscape.

For example, let’s say two songs are each streamed 100 times one day on Spotify. For all intents and purposes, they are of equal popularity. One of them is mine, and I make $1.00 for all those streams. The other song is by an artist on a major record label and they earn $2.00 for their streams. Where does the extra dollar come from? Is $0.50 skimmed off the top of my streams and given to labels with more favorable deals?

I can’t say for sure, but neither will Spotify who has yet to be clear about how they pay artists and labels. This isn’t fair to independent and niche artists, but it’s also unfair to fans who believe they are supporting their favorite artists by listening to their music.

For another artist’s perspective on how this unfair distribution is harmful to successful independent musicians, read cellist Zoe Keating’s post about Spotify on Hypebot.

Debunking the “It’s Better Than Nothing” Argument

It’s estimated that 95% of the music downloaded is done so illegally. In other words, the entire recorded music industry’s digital sales revenue comes from just one out of every twenty songs downloaded. A decade after Napster, to say file sharing and peer to peer networks has not had an impact on the music industry is to ignore the facts. Today, most people do not want to pay for music.

For those who want free music, Spotify is an alternative to illegal options, but you’ll be served ads and there will be limits to how much music you can play. For those willing to pay a $10 monthly subscription, you can listen to as much music as you’d like and even transfer it to your mobile device. It’s not quite like owning the music, but it’s close.

Meanwhile, the content owners are getting paid. Not much, but hey, it’s better than nothing, right?

No.

The term piracy is often misused in the free downloading debate. Music pirates make money off of other people’s content. The majority of people that share copyrighted content illegally typically have nothing to gain for themselves other than free music. Spotify makes money off other people’s content, and there hasn’t been much return for the content owners. I’m not saying Spotify is a form of music piracy, but it’s awfully close. If this is the wave of the future, we’re all in for some problems.

My concern, though, really has nothing to do with money. I’m well aware of the fact that selling music is not a viable way to support myself in the future. Should Spotify prove to be a successful business model, it will pretty much put a dam in that stream of revenue.

My concern is that once we collectively agree that all of our recorded music is worth less than $10/month, regardless of how little the artists are paid, we’ll start to believe that artists don’t deserve to earn a living wage for their work. This sentiment already exists, and it shows disrespect to our fellow human beings. If something is valued enough to consume in limitless amounts, then at some point we have to nurture its creation and support its creators.

Spotify Will Not Save The Music Industry

I admit that Spotify is trying to create a huge change in the music industry, and I believe that their mission to offer an inexpensive alternative to free is well intentioned, at least initially. The offer a service that truly gives fans access to a huge amount of music for free.

Unfortunately, to do that they had to partner too closely with companies inept at creating a sustainable music business in the current climate. They fail to give an acceptable explanation of how artists are supposed to be paid.

If Spotify has a sustainable, long term goal, why don’t they clue us in?

Also be sure to also read David Rose’s article on Spotify over at KnowTheMusicBiz.com. Have your own opinions? Please share them below!