Being A Drummer In 2019: New Year’s Resolutions That Offer Hope

Posted on January 1, 2019 - 1:01 am by Caleb J. Murphy

I’m not going to tell you what to do. Every musician should create their own goals and career trajectory, especially because being a drummer in 2019 can look very different depending on the person.

But there are creative ways to go about reaching your goals. And if you’re looking for some New Year’s Resolutions ideas, this is the post for you.

Here are four things you can do in 2019 to boost your music career and give you hope for the future.

Join Or Form A Band

If you’re not already in a band, you need to be — especially if you’re a drummer.

I’m not saying drummers need a band to succeed, but the whole idea of drums is that they work best with other instruments. Plus, it’s just way more fun to play music with friends.

If you don’t have musician friends or you’ve just moved to a new city, you can look up a Facebook group specific to your area.

For example, go to the Facebook search bar and type in “Nashville musicians” and check out the groups that show up. Then post in that group that you’re looking for fellow musicians to start a band.

You could also meet people the old fashioned way — in-person. Check out local artists who are playing concerts in your area, stick around after the show, and introduce yourself. Make sure you have business cards so you can quickly exchange contact info and websites (VistaPrint offers cheap and good custom business card).

Create A Practice Schedule

You’ll never be in a band if you’re not good enough. Yeah, you could do all the right networking steps and connect with other artists, but if you’re drumming is not up to par, it will all be for naught. It will go nowhere.

That’s why it’s super important to have a practice schedule (you may already be doing this). Having a schedule keeps you accountable. It tells you to practice even when you may not feel like it.

Sticking to a practice schedule will make you a better drummer. And the better you are, the better chance you have of being a successful drummer and having a hopeful future.

Focus On Advertising Your Band

Once you join a band, that’s when things get fun. You can start practicing as a band, booking gigs, and getting your name out there.

The only problem is that last step — promoting yourself.

Many musicians cringe at the thought of advertising or promoting themselves or their band, but it’s necessary if you want to stay a band.

And one simple way you, as a drummer, can do that is to get a custom drum head with your band name and logo on it.

Find New Venues To Play

Once you’ve joined a band and practiced together, it’s time to get out there and start playing shows. You could play the venues that all the other bands in your genre are playing. But you can also get creative.

You can look into some more unexpected venues to play to tap untapped audiences, like people’s houses, certain restaurants, and local record stores. And as long as you figure out the right rates, you can make money as a musician this way.

If you commit to these resolutions for the new year and apply yourself, you may find yourself with more hope for your drumming career and a success-focused path.

– – – –

Caleb J. Murphy is a songwriter and producer based in Austin, TX. He’s also the founder of Musician With A Day Job, a blog that helps part-time musicians succeed.

Get Your Musician The Perfect Gift – Custom Drumheads & More

Posted on December 4, 2018 - 12:01 am by Shawn McNamara

Get Your Musician The Perfect Gift

VintageLogos is offering a coupon this holiday season — for a limited time, save 10% on all of our products.

To save 10%, use the promo code XMAS2018 at checkout. This is good until March 15, 2019, so you may want to act fast. It’s the perfect personalized gift for yourself or the musician in your life!

Don’t know what to order? Give a gift card. Your musician can design their own Custom Bass Drum Head, Speaker Grill Cloth and Bass Drum Shield Logos. Check out all of our custom products and band merch @ VintageLogos.com

VintageLogos wishes you and your family a Merry Christmas & Happy Holiday

How Much Should You Charge For Your Music?

Posted on November 19, 2018 - 3:52 pm by Caleb J. Murphy

how much money should you charge for your music?

When it comes to finances and figuring our rates, musicians usually have a lot of questions. One question is, how much should you charge for your music?

We’re going to tackle that question, providing a clear and practical way to figure out your rates as a musician.

How Musicians Make Money Nowadays

Music fans are just about over buying CDs as most people just stream music on Spotify or Apple Music, but the per-stream payout is pretty low. Unless you’re getting millions of plays, streaming is mainly to make sure your name and music are everywhere.

There is a decent-sized subculture centered around vinyl records, but, as of this writing, it’s not mainstream. Plus, pressing your music to vinyl is very expensive.

And even though there are plenty of ways to make money as a musician, like sync licensing and fan patronage, the main way most musicians make money is by playing shows. A lot of artists make a big chunk of their money from merch sales, which mostly happen at shows.

So that leads us to the question, “How much should I charge for my shows?”

Questions To Ask Yourself

Inevitably, that question of how much to charge for playing a gig leads to more questions.

What’s the venue? What type of gig is it? Is it a private or public event? Is it for a charity or nonprofit? Have any of your musician friends played this gig before? If so, what did they charge?

These are all good and necessary questions, but really the one you should start with is, “How much do I want to be making per year?” From there, you can break it all down and get a better picture of how much to charge for each show.

So let’s break it down.

How To Figure Out Your Rates

If you’re looking to make (or continue making) music your career, you’ll need to know what your rates are. Maybe you already have rates. But maybe you can adjust your rates (and make more money).

Here’s a step-by-step guide for figuring out your rates (thanks in large part to performer Chris Holder):

What do you want your gross annual income to be?
Add about 30% for music expenses
Add enough to cover any insurances you want
Add enough for sick/vacation days
Add the amount you want to contribute to your retirement account for the year
Add another 5% to be invested back into your music
Add about 20% to set aside for taxes
Divide whatever number you end up with by the number of days you plan to work this year (remember that you’ll have some office days where you don’t directly earn anything)

And there you have it. After step #8, you should know the amount of money you need to make each week and each day. So if you play two shows a week, those two shows will need to make enough money for the week (assuming your only income is from gigs).

Finding The Right Venues

The next step is to figure out what kind of venues you want to perform in. And that leads us to more questions.

In what context do you thrive onstage? What types of venues do the most people show up to? Who can afford to pay you your rates?

These questions lead to answers and answers lead to solutions and solutions lead to you making money as a musician.

– – – –

Caleb J. Murphy is a songwriter and producer based in Austin, TX. He’s also the founder of Musician With A Day Job, a blog that helps part-time musicians succeed.

Here’s Why Drummers Are Crucial To A Band’s Success

Posted on November 9, 2018 - 11:10 am by Caleb J. Murphy

Drummers are the butt of way too many jokes. The truth is, they hold a band together.

People say drummers are not real musicians, or they’re not as intelligent as the other band members. Well, nothing could be further from the truth.

John Coltrane’s drummer, Elvin Jones, says drummers need to know the song just as well as the bassist or pianist, showing how the drum set is a musical instrument.

“After knowing this kind of musical information one can then begin to construct and orchestrate a musical drum part that has some substance along with a musical shape to it,” he said.

Here are three big reasons why drummers are crucial to your band’s success.

If the drummer goes down, the whole band goes down

Even if the bassist misses a note, the song still moves along. If the lead singer forgets a lyric, the band keeps playing. If the guitarist loses his spot, he can easily wait for a beat or two and jump back in.

But drummers? They have to be perfect, or else the whole band gets screwed up.

If you’ve ever played with a sub-par drummer, you know what I’m talking about. When the rhythm section misses a beat or two, the whole song starts to teeter on the rails like a runaway train. It’s near impossible to right the vehicle.

To use another metaphor, the drummer determines whether a song stays afloat and moving or if it sinks to the ocean floor.

So if you have a solid drummer who can keep the band above water and cruising, thank her or him. Every day.

Drummers are crucial — it’s scientific

Drummers matter — science says so.

Researchers in Stockholm showed that there’s a link between rhythm-keepers and problem-solving. And drummers typically have more white matter in their brains, and that can help them solve problems, plan, and manage time. Plus, they’re usually just all-around complex and thoughtful people.

In other words, drummers are smart – maybe smarter than the other band members.

So maybe your drummer has thoughts about what show you should play next and why that might be good for the band. Maybe your drummer should be in charge of rehearsal sessions time is managed better.

Maybe it’s time to acknowledge and welcome the fact that drummers are crucial to a band. Just look at the science.

Drummers are a huge part of the band’s brand

When you’re performing live, the drummer’s energy can either fuel the rest of the band or suck the energy right out of the whole room. This is not a good look – for them or for the rest of the group.

The way a group looks onstage – their image, excitement, demeanor – can make or break how their music resonates with people. Another way to say this is their “brand.”

One thing that can help a band’s brand is having their name prominently displayed in a design that matches said brand.

And, you guessed it, we can help with that. We offer custom bass drum heads that can help bands look their best.

And if the drummer looks (and feels) their best, that’s good news for everyone involved.

5 Unexpected Places To Play Shows

Posted on October 30, 2018 - 12:01 am by Caleb J. Murphy

As a performer, it’s important to keep things interesting. It could be changing how you look onstage, how you interact with the audience, or just changing your stage plot. But one way you can keep your fans engaged with your live performances is to change the venue. And there are plenty of new places to play shows that you may not have thought of.

So with that in mind, here are five unexpected venues where you can start playing concerts.

A House

House concerts are really catching on. More and more musicians realize they’re a great way to connect with their fans. It’s intimate. You can talk with every person there. You may not even need to deal with a sound system.

There are a couple ways to book a house concert: contact your friends or fans in different cities, or use a service like Concerts In Your Home or Sonicbids to book house shows.

There are a couple of things to consider before booking house concerts:

Consider the neighbors – don’t be too loud
Be cautious about giving out the address
Remember this “venue” is someone’s home

But if you do it right, a house concert can be super fun and super interactive.

Restaurants

Music and food may be the two best things in the world. No exaggeration there. So why not combine the two?

So contact your local restaurants to see if they’d host you as a solo act or you with your band.

Not only does it bring folks to the restaurant (good for the owners) but it can also get you in front of customers who may have never heard your name (good for you).

Your Local Record Store

This is a tradition with record stores. These establishments often host local artists, especially if their music is sold at the record store.

You can contact your local record store to talk about playing a show at their shop. This brings your fans out to the record shop, shows off the store’s taste in music, and gets your music in the ears of customers.

A Nonprofit

Is there a charitable organization or nonprofit you care about? Hit them up to see if you can do a fundraising event for them. You can find a neutral location, but it may be easier for you to hold the concert at their place of business – like a community garden, art gallery, or in front of their office.

This can be a great way to both support a cause you care about and play at a new and unique venue.

A Haunted House

In light of Halloween, we thought it would be fun to suggest playing a show at a haunted house. Now, your music has to fit the vibe, so if you’re a rock band, shoegazer, or death metal, this is perfect for you.

You can contact the people who run any popup haunted houses that are around for Halloween and see if you can play in or around the house. If you have a local haunted house that’s there year-round, that’s even better.

Need More Ideas?

Do you want some more ideas for creative places to play? Well, we put together a list of the different types of gigs you can play that many musicians don’t think of (they also pay well).

Also, if you’re looking to enhance your stage persona, feel free to check out the products we offer, which include custom bass drum heads, amp grill cloths, and more!

Clever Ways To Make More Money With Your Music

Posted on September 26, 2018 - 12:01 am by

As a professional musician, you know how difficult it can be to make money from your live shows. Many venues are stingy with what they’ll pay artists. And if ticket sales are light, you might not make anything at all! So what can you do to make more money doing music?

Well, what if we told you that there are other ways you can earn money performing your music live? That there are alternative types of gigs out there which can easily supplement your main shows?

Today we’ll take a look at clever ways to make more money with your music.

4 Different Types Of Gigs That Pay Good Money

#1: Corporate events and private parties

The first type of gig on this list is the most lucrative: corporate events and private parties. No party is complete without music, and what’s better than exclusive, live music?! A live band brings a whole new dynamic to the atmosphere, setting the tone for the entire event or party.

More often than not, businesses and party hosts have deep pockets and are willing to pay you a premium to perform. This is completely fair, as you are, in essence, offering them a premium service.

A particular advantage of gigs like this (along with most of the others on this list) is that you don’t have to worry about promotion. There is a built-in audience, so you can just show up and play! In fact, performing at an event or party can increase your exposure since many new people will hear your music that might not hear it otherwise.

Corporate event and private party gigs can be hard to find sometimes. But with diligent networking, the opportunities definitely present themselves. You can also try using websites and services like GigMasters, which many bands have had success with.

#2: Weddings

Like the first type of gig on this list, weddings are also very lucrative and there is always demand for live music. Wedding gigs can be broken down into two different types: music for the ceremony and music for the reception.

Of course, only certain types of bands will be able to play for a wedding ceremony. (You won’t find any work here if you’re a heavy metal band – at least not at a traditional wedding!) However, wedding receptions offer possibilities for a lot of different types of music, especially if its good music for dancing.

Weddings are like event and party gigs in that you can find them through networking, advertising, and online booking services.

#3: Concert series and festivals

Almost every band dreams of performing at a big festival, but what many don’t realize is that there are smaller, local festivals and concert series that are much easier to get into. Many communities host summer concert series and are always looking for good entertainment to fill their schedule.

Similarly, many public events like charity races or barbecues want live music and are willing to hire a good band to perform.

These gigs are great because you usually get paid a flat fee regardless of attendance and the organizers take care of most of the promotion. You also get a lot of exposure to a crowd that might not otherwise be familiar with your music.

To find these gigs, just do some online searching for concert series or local events in your area. Once you identify one that might be a good fit for your band, contact the coordinator and see if they’d be willing to hire you to perform. Even if they’re already booked up, chances are they’d be willing to consider you for the next time around.

#4: House concerts

Finally, we look at a more niche type of alternative gig: house concerts. These gigs are great because they bring your music directly into the homes of your fans and give you a chance to share it in a very intimate space.

House concerts have many advantages. First off, they eliminate the middle-man of a venue, so usually, all earnings from tickets sales or tips go directly to you as the artist.

Second, most house concerts hosts provide touring bands with a free place to stay, as well as dinner before they perform.

If you already have established connections with your fans through email or social media, you can easily reach out to them to see if any would be willing to host a house concert. You can also search online for people who regularly host house concerts. Then contact them to see if they would be interested in hosting your band.

Conclusion

All-in-all, we hope you gained a little new insight into the possibilities for alternative gigs for your band. With this knowledge and a little bit of dedication, you will be able to make more money with your music in no time at all!

Older posts

Newer posts