[SLICE] How to get an opening slot

photo credit: Randolph Infinger

Every young band or artist wants to grab a great slot opening for a bigger band. It’s perfect - you get exposure to a bunch of potential new fans, there isn’t a ton of risk involved, and you can probably play in a bunch of venues or cities that you wouldn't be able to play in yet since you’re still a growing project. It’s a fabulous plan! It’s not an easy plan, though.

Actually landing that opening slot is a tough sell. Multiple artists are vying for the same spot and you need to check off a whole bunch of items to even be considered.

Here’s your cheat sheet of what you need and what you need to be able to do:

1. Have tour history. Even if it’s not in every market, some basis of touring is very helpful. If you’ve opened for another band, include that as well. If you have never played shows before, do that first. I won’t even entertain an artist that says the tour will be their first real shows.

2. Be able to put on a great show. Self explanatory.

3. Have shit going on. Having new music released during or right before the tour is key.

4. Show your promo muscle. Will you have a publicist during the tour? Include that in your pitch. For the love of God, be active on your socials so it looks like you’ll be active if you’re asked to go on tour.

5. Flex your press. Send 1-2 links of the very best press you’ve gotten.

6. Make sure the music matches. Your music should line up with what the headliner plays (without being a direct duplication). Don’t pitch for a slot just because it’s a big band. It has to make sense sonically.

7. As with anything in the music industry, having a team behind you helps

Now, who do you reach out to?

Do you have any sort of in with the band? In most cases, the artist/band has a ton of say in who they bring on the road. If not, start with management. Agents generally work best with other agents.

Finally.

Keep your pitch SHORT. Do not write a book about how you love whatever band is touring and how you’d just DIE to open for them. Be professional and get to the point - a little tour history, some links to music & press, and 1-2 sentences on why you’d be the best fit. For example: “I plan on releasing 2 new singles leading up to the tour and will have my publicist on board for the entire run.”

Best of luck out there! Happy pitching!

[SLICE] Finding your Angle in the Music Industry

Find your angle… then sell the shit out of it.

Having a career in music - especially a DIY one - means that at least some portion of your job is to be a salesperson. I know, MAJOR CRINGE, at the word “sales” but it’s true. At the end of the day you have created a product. You need an audience for that product and to sell it through to them. Most of the time when we talk about a “product” we are talking about something tangible that you can taste, see, feel, or hear. In this instance, I’m going to talk about the very IDEA of what you are as the product. In the music industry, the story is often as important as the song. Last week at AmericanaFest, David Macias (head of Thirty Tigers) said that if you’re around him for 5 minutes you’ve likely heard him use the word “narrative.” We need to sell through the idea of what the music is and who the artist is for a lot of people to care. But once the audience knows the story, they REALLY care.

So, what’s your angle?

This is the part that’s personal. I can’t tell you what to use, but here are some thought starters:

1. Your past. Mining your past is not always fun and it can feel very exposing. But it’s yours. No one can tell your story like you can. Just be mindful of others you may be exposing as well if you choose to go this route. Example: Jay-Z’s early work was all about his upbringing in the projects and his days as a drug dealer.

2. A major event. Maybe there is something that stands out as a major turning point in your life. Example: Jason Isbell got sober and for a while it was the driving narrative to his songs and his career (and I assume daily life).

3. A thing that makes you unique. The narrative you sell doesn’t HAVE to play out in your songs. Perhaps you know how to drive a formula one race car. I can’t imagine anyone would relate to that in song form, but it’s a great story to tell. Maybe you’ve existed solely on McDonald’s chicken nuggets for 5 years -- that could be a thing!

4. Your current life. What’s happening RIGHT NOW that feels relevant? Maybe you just had a baby (hey Ronnnnn). Maybe you’ve been living out of an RV. Maybe you’ve moved 10 times in the past 10 years. MAYBE you’ve lived in the exact same house your entire life and you’ve never crossed state lines. Even mundane things are interesting if you frame it the right way. Ultimately, people want to read something interesting, but they also want to find themselves in the story. We’re all just looking for our tribe.

What do I do with this?

Include it in your bio on your website and in the press release. Maybe it finds its way into a song if it’s natural and makes sense.

The PR factor

A good journalist wants to tell a story. A bad journalist just wants to copy and paste the press release. By sharing more of your story you will inherently be up for more thoughtful press pieces, but either way, if it’s in the press release it’s likely find its way into the piece.

I know…

I know a lot of people want to disagree with me on this factor. “IT SHOULD BE ABOUT THE SONGS, MAN! (lady)” -- and it should. It is! Nothing matters without a good song. But there are lots of good songs. Having one more piece of the puzzle to get people interested never hurt anyone.  

[SLICE] Prioritizing in the Music Industry

These days everyone has a side hustle. Actually - everyone’s side hustle has a side hustle. It’s true - talk to any musician or industry person and they will tell you no less than 5 things they are working on. It’s insanity! It’s insanity, but it’s also the reality of trying to build a name and career for yourself. However, just because we’re all playing in this crazy music industry game doesn’t mean that we’re immune to life getting too big to take on. Recently, I know this all too well (hey! Blair here). I just had a baby 4 months ago and I’m trying to make it all work - family, business, hobbies, and side hustle(s). I’ve struggled to get it right, but I’m working on it.

What do you do when it all gets to be too much? Sometimes, you need to realize that certain things have to take a backseat for a bit.

As a reminder to myself and our rad readers, here’s how I’ve started to get back on track:

Ask - what pays me?

While I am ALL about exploring your creativity and thinking through every idea you have, when your time is diminished, you have to prioritize what puts food on the table and pays the rent. Once you’ve gotten to a better place, your additional pursuits can re-enter your life.

Ask - what is ONE thing I can do that will help achieve my long term goal?

Maybe you don't have time to fit in everything, but if there is one thing you can focus on to get you to the next level, then make time for that. If your artist project isn't to the point that it pays you (checking off spot number 1 above) then find something for spot #2 that will help get you there (assuming that's your goal). If you're pressed for time and it seems like all you can do to keep your head above water, maybe you can eek out ONE song a week. Or go to one show. This way you aren't completely abandoning your goals while you sort out life for a while.

Ask - what gives me joy?

Not to be hippy dippy here, but after your financial needs are met, what is the hustle that makes you happiest? Do that. There are so many things that I’ve taken on that seem fun at first and then honestly seem like a chore after I’ve gotten into it. If it’s not paying you and not making you happy, then why the the hell are you putting time and effort into it? Fire yourself from that job and take a mental break.

Ask - is there a point?

What’s the point of what you’re doing? If you can give ANY answer within the first 2 seconds of that question being asked, then keep it on your plate. However, if you honestly don’t know why you’re trying to keep up with something (or worse, it seems like you might be doing something for the sake of appearances), then drop it! It has no room in your precious 24 hour day.

Keep a list.

Grab a notebook (or your handy tiny computer that fits in your pocket) and keep a list of all of the ideas you want to come back to when you’re able to come up for air. Maybe when you come back to it you’ll realize some are genius…. And some not so much! That’s cool too - at least you didn’t spend a whole bunch of time hashing through a non-idea.

Give yourself a lot of grace.

When you have a ton going on, it’s easy to feel powerless to the workload in front of you. If you acknowledge that times are going to be tough for a few days/weeks/months then you can give yourself permission to shift gears for a while. Sometimes you cannot do “ALL THE THINGS!” and that’s ok. Go easy on yourself. 

If you’re a regular reader, you may have noticed that we’ve been a bit off and on with our posts these past few months. While I love writing this and getting feedback from everyone, it just had to take a backseat while I learned my new role (mom). Thanks for your understanding and sticking with us while we figure out how to get back to some version of our new normal! And thanks to Randolph for coming in with his perspective each month! You can check all of those out here.

[SLICE] Radio Promotion for indie labels and artists

Author: Randolph Infinger (@dolphin_finger)

[Editor's note: we're circling back around to the topic of radio. Read our last post on radio for indies HERE]

Radio is by far the most consumed source for music and it’s no secret that major labels have a huge stake in radio companies (ever hear of iheartradio in every city you visit?) But what can independent labels and musicians do to gain airplay? Luckily, there are other avenues independents can take to successfully promote their music.

Who do I submit to?

First of all: avoid iheartradio stations. It isn’t worth the time and effort as they are looking for major label music. I start with radio-locater.com to find a market’s full list of FM stations and look for  AAA (Adult Album Alternative), public radio, and college radio. AC (Adult Contemporary) is a toss-up as some can be useful while others are more geared towards pop music. When you find one you’d like to submit to, check out their contact or about page and find the music director’s info. If they don’t have a music director, try the programming director or simply reach out to the station’s general email asking who to contact for music submissions.

How do I pitch in my email?

If you’re independent you likely understand the hustle and creativity you have to put into everything. Radio is no different, so get creative and get moving! The first step to a successful pitch is knowing the different programs and shows they offer throughout the week. Most stations have a “playlist” feature that lists all of the songs played during a certain DJ’s time slot. If they have music similar to yours, make sure to mention you really enjoy the ______ program and think your music perform well on it. The added personalization can go a long way in showing you’re not just sending out a mass email with a million BCCs.   

Ok now what?

Now begins the hustle. In order to really get the music directors attention you MUST follow up consistently. Very rarely have I seen a introductory/first email get a response unless the music director already knows the artist. Follow up once a week (some people like to say 2) and continue to follow up until you reach about 4-5 emails. At that point it most likely is a no-go and you should move on. Keep the follow up simple: one sentence is more than enough and gets the point across that you are trying to reach them.

To wrap it all up:

Radio is weird. It’s a necessity and can be a burden for independents. The best way to approach radio is a numbers game; the more stations you submit to the more you’re likely to get airplay. It will take time, but the more you hustle the more you will ultimately gain.

[SLICE] Chiseling your way to a Career in Music

author: Ron Pope (@RonPopeMusic)

Sometimes we all need a good pep talk. 

This post is more aptly named - "If You Can’t Find A Sledgehammer, Use A Chisel" as that's essentially our business model as independents in the music industry.

Think about your favorite global pop star. When that artist drops a new record, everyone on the planet knows about it; it’s inescapable. The new single by such and such pop singer is on the radio constantly, you see him on TV talking to Ellen/Kimmel/Elmo, he’s on billboards, he’s on the cover of a magazine seductively holding a large guinea pig, every online publication worth its salt has a feature that talks about his childhood/eating habits/ceramic turtle collection. They’re everywhere!

As an independent artist, I’m sure you’ve come to realize, that kind of global major media saturation probably isn’t going to happen for you on your own.

I’m fifteen years into my recording career and we spend a tidy sum promoting my albums and work with a bunch of incredibly hard working, ultra-talented people but I’m certainly not everywhere when my records drop. The major players in the industry use the sledgehammer approach; it’s big, it’s heavy, and it makes a great big dent. Since you don’t have access to that, you can’t make a big hole all at once, you’ll need to pick away at it a little bit at a time. We call that the chisel approach.  

When you’re starting out, you probably don’t have a big time publicist or a powerful radio promoter in your corner. Start to get press by finding someone to write about you; maybe it’s a college newspaper near where you live. Look for a small, independent radio station in your area and reach out. It should be easier to build some kind of hometown love than it is to promote your music on a global scale right out of the gate. Book yourself some shows close to home and sell them out. Get your cousins and all their friends to come out; don’t be afraid to call in favors “Stevie, I bailed you out; come see my band or next time I’m leaving you there overnight!” If you can start a little buzz in your immediate vicinity, you can then attempt to gradually spread it outward from there. The same is true for promoting your music online; you’re probably not going to get write-ups from the biggest publications in the world right away, so look for smaller outlets that seem interested in the kind of music you’re creating. Start small and build from there. You’ll probably struggle to get added to Spotify playlists with three million subscribers, but perhaps there’s a smaller independent playlist that is excited about being a driver of discovery. Find people who are in the business of helping new artists and talk to them.

I know that all of this sounds incredibly daunting. The world is very large, but that’s why it’s best to start close to home. Focus on making a dent little by little, rather than allowing yourself to get despondent because you don’t have a sledgehammer to make a giant hole all at once. It may take you longer to do it on your own, but given time and effort, you can still make a big dent.

31/52: No excuses, just do it! How we got to "Work"

Today is a special day for the ABTS crew! Today is release day for Ron, so we've been crazy this week getting ready for the big launch. Since we started this album about 18 months ago and have been planning out our marketing and promo timeline for about a year, this is a very welcome day! 

When Ron first mentioned that he was already in writing mode for a new record approximately ONE month after we had released "Ron Pope & The Nighthawks" I was pretty reluctant to move forward. I thought maybe we should pump the brakes and ride out the new record for a while. Collect our thoughts. Then he played me the first song he wrote and it was perfect. It was better than anything he had ever written to date. It hit me: no excuses, let's f*cking do this. There might not be a perfect time for creativity to strike. Maybe it's not ideal timing to be promoting an album AND constructing a new album's timeline, but who cares. If it feels right and isn't forced, then DO IT. We have one shot and one career, so we put the wheels in motion. The resulting record is "Work" and I could not be more proud of it. 

This isn't a place where we'll be doing much music promotion, but considering Ron writes the blog with me, I thought it might make sense to let you guys listen to what we've been working on on the music side of things:  http://smarturl.it/workronpope

Thanks for sticking with us!

- Blair & Ron