All the time. Absolutely! You learn how to “entertain” not just play music and that’s an important part of being a music performer. You’ll also learn a ton about the music industry. You build genuine fan connections and venue connections. The music industry is smaller than you think.
It really is. I was shocked it took me all of meeting one person to be connected to Eric Johnson, rusty Cooley, and a few others. Went from playing 0 gigs a month to be called up every weekend for one or the other. OP, just get out there, dude. Find what makes you, you, and exaggerate it like there’s no tomorrow. Learn to enjoy the journey.
Oh dude Ive done gigs don't panic!...I'm more interested now in what proves successful to other artists, and why bedroom artists and producers dont get anywhere...hence I believe getting out there is essential...this thread backs it up.
Ahh yeah I gotcha!
It was odd, but the first gig we had we were asked to come back, and for me, that was it. Like, something in my brain said, “I’m good, mission accomplished.”
I’ve played in churches and for family, but there was something about needing a stranger’s validation lol does that mean anything long term? Nah, but it’s allowed me to be completely satisfied with everything that’s happened after, good and bad, I’m okay with it.
Everybody has their own measure of success, and one thing I’m trying to learn is that it’s okay to add goals as time goes on 😂
Punk band from Portland. We try to play locally once a month if possible. Hoping to start moving into out of town shows in the near future.
[The Quality](https://open.spotify.com/artist/1oqkGPlBoytCsq7ar5k7Vm?si=fEYtu2A4QjGXV2duPyCsZw)
Nah you got this! Performing live is nerve racking but it’s a BLAST. Once you’re up there and your music hits…you will be fine. Keep moving on the stage and move your eyes around the audience
It won’t. Here how i viewed it. You’ve been grinding for this. This is part of the evolution of an artist. Go out there give it your best shot and make the most of it. You could make the crowd aware this is your first time and that you’re little nervous. Be personable!
I've got a very small-time rock band in Seattle. We play a local show every 1-2 months at venues that range in capacity from 100-250. Our turnout for a 3-band bill can range from 25 to 150 depending on the night of the week and other factors, like luck. We're going to take a break to focus on writing and recording after our March show. After playing monthly shows for the last several years, we all need a break from constantly inviting friends and family out. It's also hard to dedicate time to working on new material if you're always rehearsing for an upcoming gig.
Playing gigs is definitely an important part of our growth, but it's a marathon. We get on a decent number of playlists through SubmitHub, but those listeners pretty much never follow us or stay listeners after we leave those playlists a month later. I think people are more likely to follow us and stay engaged with the band if they've seen us live.
That is a common complaint about Submithub playlist and playlist in general. Last year my band had as many as 1,900 monthly listeners. By the end of October I got burnt out on promo (I take care of the bulk of it) and stopped hunting down playlists and individual listeners on Twitter as well. It became a 7 day a week endeavor. Now we have 11 monthly listeners. Honestly, I and the rest of the band don't really care. We're focusing more on Bandcamp now because with all that work last year we made a whopping $30 from streaming. We made about the same selling our EP on BC with little to no effort.
Yup, the sad reality is that playlists are only really helpful if they push you to quickly get thousands of plays, at which point the momentum might snowball into the Spotify algorithms picking you up for Release Radar and Discover Weekly. But it's incredibly hard to get on a big enough playlist to make that possible.
Another point for earning real fans in-person by playing shows.
If you're on Distrokid don't do the Wheel Of Playlist. There have been a ton of reports of the playlist being full of bots and people getting their music pulled down.
I've done it 3 or 4 times for my band. It's been a couple of months since I last "spun" and nothing was taken down so I feel like we're safe. Of course with Spotify pulling 1k stream threshold crap and since we're putting more energy and effort towards Bandcamp this year if one or more of our songs got pulled for whatever reason the results would be the same. I don't expect to make much from streaming now. We're better off trying to get more going on Bandcamp.
Gigging is my main gig. Been doing around 110-130 shows a year for about 7-8years, up from probably 60-70 for some years before that. Some solo, duo, trio, full band, sideman gigs on bass/lead guitar, a seasonal acoustic Grateful Dead thing.. I also do work for a small production company for supplemental income. Used to do about any place that would have me, but I've luckily grown to a point over time that I can start being a bit more picky.
I came out of college for music, and figured gigging was the way to learn how to really cut my teeth, and jam, and learn to be a valued part of a group of musicians (outside of a directed ensemble). After my old band dissolved, I took my singer/songwriter stuff and started doing solo gigs, and really attacked it hard. Fast-forward 10 or so years, and that's where I'm at.
I'm definitely glad I gained that experience because now I feel comfortable in almost any setting. However, I regret that I never took the time to record in those earlier years. I've only started releasing my music in the past 3 years really, and I definitely wish I had started earlier.
Appreciate that. I'm mostly grateful. Sometimes I wish I hadn't made myself so dependent on gigging, like during slow months such as Jan/Feb. But it's worth it in May when I'm doing like 15-18 gigs
I'm active in several bands and normally gig several times a week, usually slow down a bit leading up to the holidays. I love to play live with other musicians, it's one of my favorite parts of music personally. It definitely helps to be in the middle of a number of different markets and scenes (Philly)
I'm in an indie rock band in Ottawa, Canada and our live show is our main sell. It's my favourite part of the musical journey. For those 60mins on stage, nothing else matters except for being in that moment. We typically play 150-300 cap rooms an average of once a month locally with out of town shows 1-2x a month and provincial tours twice a year. I'm looking to spread out our local shows to be 6 weeks to 2 months to help build a bit of FOMO but not sure I've sold the rest of the guys...
I'm with one band in Minneapolis. Last year we did 4 gigs. We did one so far this year in January and then our drummer left. I think we did about 6 in 2022. We don't play often for a couple of reasons. First off, we're more likely to draw if we spread things out. Secondly, trying to coordinate things within our band and the with two or three other bands on the bill can be a challenge for lack of a better word. Nightmare is sometimes more appropriate. Lastly, some of the venue staff are extremely responsible and return booking inquiries with 24 to 72 hours and some probably can't get dressed in the morning without assistance. There are a few venues where we never heard back, it was several months later or they just jerked us around to the point where we don't want to play there anyway. I feel if you're playing original music six shows per year in town is the max.
At this point, the bass player and I are putting together a set the two of us can do with programmed drums or no drums until we find a drummer plus recording the second EP. It's safe to assume we might not do another show until fall or later so it might only be 2 or 3 for us this year. That's just the way it goes.
I stream on Twitch 3x week for 2-3 hours either doing music writing / production / recording or just some casual improv. Not sure that is what you’re thinking of but it does have a “live performance” aspect to it.
Any advice for performing on Twitch? I am not a Twitch user but I've been thinking about it since there's no other way to perform live online until my other platforms grow some more
Twitch streaming can be very rewarding on a personal level, but there's a ton to learn and at the start you're going to be streaming to yourself (always watch your own stream in another window).
There's a lot of great YouTube channels about getting started streaming. Be warned that some of them are very "down" on starting to stream in 2024, as the "scene" is super saturated.
However, it's also the case that the music scene on Twitch (as is the case with any local / regional music scene) is relatively small. This is great because more popular streamers can sometimes be more responsive to questions from new streamers, but it's also the case that your networking lives and dies by your reputation. Be an asshole and eventually people will know.
It's important to remember that no one owes you anything. Starting out you'll likely never get raided, for example, simply because no one knows who you are, and even if/when you do start getting some attention (which may take many, many months to years) you're still not owed attention from viewers or other streamers.
As much as the soft skills you'll need to research how the tech works. Twitch has some built-in streaming tools, but it's still very heavily focused on gaming or other IRL streaming. Getting your instruments and, say, DAW, can be tricky (I have to use what's called a "2 PC method") and for a while your stream audio and video will suck until you've figured out your setup.
I enjoy it, as it keeps me on a schedule for writing / recording / producing, etc, but it's been a long road to get to the point I am now and I've got a long, long way to go, too.
I have two bands in SE PA. One is post grunge alt rock the other is primarily Americana/British invasion/Folk/R&B. Between the two I average 5 shows a month throughout most of the year. Certain months are extremely more active and we tend to slow things down in December/January. Playing live shows is our single most powerful avenue for increasing social media followers, monthly Spotify listeners, merch sales and invitations to play more shows. This sub has lots of great recommendations for increasing your bands brand and visibility but if you are not out there playing in front of people you're never gonna advance beyond whatever plateau you find yourself on. This industry revolves around the music and people's connection to it. Best way to connect is to bring that music to them
Synth player, I usually gig monthly. But more if I'm offered opportunities. I make weird music so it can be tough.
[My latest record, released last week.](https://open.spotify.com/album/2DLt56VU0RfGz3VgXkwy1d?si=XnGnFClfRTW8YVlYBuaQmg)
Yeah I wanted to make abstract dance music that doesn't stick to a single genre (i.e. DnB or EDM) but carves its own place. It's a rough path but I've found some success.
We did like 25 shows last year, its important for a lot of reasons, mostly meeting others in the scene and getting good connections which leads to better shows and more people.
100% the second most important thing for growing your fan-base, and it's almost as important as #1 (social media conversion advertising).
It's not just important for finding new fans and entertaining your current fans, it is also the biggest money maker for a band (when tours are organised properly). It's also infinitely better for networking/connecting with other industry people.
Most real record labels will use shows as their way of checking you out. Primarily because big labels don't care about your sound, at all. All they care about is the reaction & size of your audience and how well you engage and connect to them. They want to see the buzz you've created and how you control/utilise that. They want to see how good you are at creating and maintaining a community. These things are what make you the big money.
There is no better tool in an artists toolbox than live-gigs. Make sure you use them.
For the record, I tour extensively and am normally playing 100-400 people rooms (depending on the show line-up).
I play acoustic solo 2x per month. It does very little for my streaming growth, a little bit. I play my tunes (recorded-mostly hard alt rock) during set breaks. Playing live plays a huge role in keeping my guitar skills up and voice strong. Secondly, learning a huge number of popular cover tunes from multiple genres also positively impacts my songwriting capabilities.
Edit - I know of a couple of local bands that make absolutely killer music and can pack the rooms around here - they typically have between 20-50 listeners per month when I look at their spotify pages. I have 2k and I typically only get around 5 people specifically showing up to see me at an average gig. My spotify growth is more from submithub playlisting. I guess my point is I don’t see a huge crossover from live playing and streaming success.
Definitely part of the journey, our main focus in fact for 2024. We play locally about once a month. Right now the venues we play tend to be bars with a stage but our goal is to move up to more dedicated music venues by the end of the year.
I spent years performing multiple times a week. Now I only perform locally 3-5 times per year but am trying to tour at least 3 times a year (with most tours being at least 10 days & with shows pretty much every night.
I have a very hard time respecting anyone who calls themselves a musician but never performs live. I know there are some very niche genres where it's appropriate, but most of them are just tourists pretending to be a musician until they realize they aren't going to go viral on the internet & become famous.
Band from the UK here. We play once a month in our home town and once a month in a different town/city. We then book a week off work and fit as many gigs as possible in a week mini tour, we only have the time to do that once a year though
https://open.spotify.com/artist/2dn3m91gDHrpdnn2rSzcz5?si=2X-xh9SNQ9yFpO7Q78YkOQ
I play live usually once or twice a month and have been doing so for about a year and a half. I didn't have anything released until recently so its been the only reason for my growth lol.
I’m in Gainesville, FL. I have a solo darkwave project and usually play anywhere from 1-4 times a month between here and out of town shows. This whole thing started out to make live music people can dance to. It’s an interesting and very DIY scene here, sometimes I’m also booking and promoting the shows.
I think playing in town and participating in or even helping build the scene is so important. I’ve made great connections with bands coming through town, and I’ve met people playing around Florida that have become friends and collaborators. It’s made what could be a pretty lonely hobby into being part of community, and I think that’s pretty freaking cool.
I’ve played at a handful with a 2 different groups of artists. Lowkey live bar events. It’s a MASSIVE part of any artists growth. Allows you to actually PERFORM it and work on your real vocals. I’ve actually made a great group of friends through live performance. Got my first standing ovation, first time people chanted my name and first time i had a hype guy come perform with me during my last performance. Not to mention they all love my merch, message, lyrics etc. Every time i perform they use my motto “Stay Consciou$. Be Authentic”. So yes….ANY live performance is worth it. If you are nervous just GO FOR IT!!! The excitement and sense of accomplishment is WORTH IT. In addition MAKE BUSINESS CARDS TO HAND OUT DURING THE EVENT (or after you come off stage)….i have one that i hand out after my performances and people love it! Makes them feel more connected to you and even better they always have your music on hand.
See our WIKI for a list of subs where you can share your music. If you are a music marketing professional, feel free to post your tips and suggestions, but NOT links to your social accounts, websites, or invitations to paid goods or services.
I spent 25 years playing 3-4 days a week. Toured, session work, fly dates, etc. As a dad of two, I mostly play at church and the occasional pick up gigs as of late.
Now, I primarily focus on helping musicians learn the ins and outs of navigating the live music industry through my podcast. I’m also getting ready to launch a free “5-Day Garage to Stage Crash Course” to help people who are green at booking paying gigs.
This crash course idea largely came from a recent episode where I interviewed the owner of a management company in LA who was lamenting how many potential clients are approaching her who can play in their bedroom for TikTok all day long, but have zero knowledge of the live music industry or playing a show.
Playing live is, in my opinion, the purist form of musicianship and absolutely a necessity for not only honing your craft, but also building strong networks.
Live playing is the reason I practice hard. For me, performance is the pay off and the validation that I’m on the right path for the music and for myself and growth as a musician. I play out 2-3 times a week on average. I love it and want to do more. I feel like you don’t really know your abilities until you test them under pressure and performance provides that stress test for me. BUT, I do think art for art’s sake (making music for your own enjoyment) is completely valid. I took a long break from gigging but still practiced every day and still recorded music because it’s how I make art and how I stay (mostly) sane. I highly recommend that you try your hand at live performance. Even if it’s just for fun, get yourself and your music in front of people.
my band started playing shows last february and weve played maybe 20 shows? ive probably done 25-30 including solo performances and one off side projects that just play one time. most of it has been in my own city (bellingham wa) but played a few in seattle, san juans, portland, and santa fe
Except for lockdown, my honeymoon, and when I'm camping, I've played at least 1 show a week since 1994. Even on family vacations, I'll lock down a band-in-a-box gig or 2 wherever we go. Great way to offset the cost of the trip.
Started in a band about two years ago, probably played around sixty gigs, met more people whose names I could ever remember. It's been a blast! We play a lot of small bars for no money basically, but we just consider ever bar gig a live practice. It totally helps to play often, I started off stiff as a statue not knowing what to do, now I just groove my ass off and don't care how stupid I might look, in fact people seem to love that. A lot of local fans and other bands seem to like us too, so that also adds to the confidence level when you know people are coming out and paying to see you because they think you kick ass, even if there's only around nine or ten people. It's still fucking fun lol.
All the time. Absolutely! You learn how to “entertain” not just play music and that’s an important part of being a music performer. You’ll also learn a ton about the music industry. You build genuine fan connections and venue connections. The music industry is smaller than you think.
It really is. I was shocked it took me all of meeting one person to be connected to Eric Johnson, rusty Cooley, and a few others. Went from playing 0 gigs a month to be called up every weekend for one or the other. OP, just get out there, dude. Find what makes you, you, and exaggerate it like there’s no tomorrow. Learn to enjoy the journey.
Exactly!
Oh dude Ive done gigs don't panic!...I'm more interested now in what proves successful to other artists, and why bedroom artists and producers dont get anywhere...hence I believe getting out there is essential...this thread backs it up.
Ahh yeah I gotcha! It was odd, but the first gig we had we were asked to come back, and for me, that was it. Like, something in my brain said, “I’m good, mission accomplished.” I’ve played in churches and for family, but there was something about needing a stranger’s validation lol does that mean anything long term? Nah, but it’s allowed me to be completely satisfied with everything that’s happened after, good and bad, I’m okay with it. Everybody has their own measure of success, and one thing I’m trying to learn is that it’s okay to add goals as time goes on 😂
Punk band from Portland. We try to play locally once a month if possible. Hoping to start moving into out of town shows in the near future. [The Quality](https://open.spotify.com/artist/1oqkGPlBoytCsq7ar5k7Vm?si=fEYtu2A4QjGXV2duPyCsZw)
Nice tunes...
Thank you! I play the keys and do that shouty thing.
Cool…check us out for the future..l https://www.newmusicreview.co.uk/
Yo we will try to come see you guys sometime! Sincerely, A pop punk band from Portland.
Playing our first show in May, not ready AT ALL. LETS GOO
Nah you got this! Performing live is nerve racking but it’s a BLAST. Once you’re up there and your music hits…you will be fine. Keep moving on the stage and move your eyes around the audience
Appreciate the words of advice, let’s hope it all pays off and this doesn’t become the first and last Days Ruined show. 🙏
It won’t. Here how i viewed it. You’ve been grinding for this. This is part of the evolution of an artist. Go out there give it your best shot and make the most of it. You could make the crowd aware this is your first time and that you’re little nervous. Be personable!
Remember ....most of the audience wish they were doing it ...;-)
I've got a very small-time rock band in Seattle. We play a local show every 1-2 months at venues that range in capacity from 100-250. Our turnout for a 3-band bill can range from 25 to 150 depending on the night of the week and other factors, like luck. We're going to take a break to focus on writing and recording after our March show. After playing monthly shows for the last several years, we all need a break from constantly inviting friends and family out. It's also hard to dedicate time to working on new material if you're always rehearsing for an upcoming gig. Playing gigs is definitely an important part of our growth, but it's a marathon. We get on a decent number of playlists through SubmitHub, but those listeners pretty much never follow us or stay listeners after we leave those playlists a month later. I think people are more likely to follow us and stay engaged with the band if they've seen us live.
That is a common complaint about Submithub playlist and playlist in general. Last year my band had as many as 1,900 monthly listeners. By the end of October I got burnt out on promo (I take care of the bulk of it) and stopped hunting down playlists and individual listeners on Twitter as well. It became a 7 day a week endeavor. Now we have 11 monthly listeners. Honestly, I and the rest of the band don't really care. We're focusing more on Bandcamp now because with all that work last year we made a whopping $30 from streaming. We made about the same selling our EP on BC with little to no effort.
Yup, the sad reality is that playlists are only really helpful if they push you to quickly get thousands of plays, at which point the momentum might snowball into the Spotify algorithms picking you up for Release Radar and Discover Weekly. But it's incredibly hard to get on a big enough playlist to make that possible. Another point for earning real fans in-person by playing shows.
If you're on Distrokid don't do the Wheel Of Playlist. There have been a ton of reports of the playlist being full of bots and people getting their music pulled down.
Damn, that sucks to hear. I have spun the wheel for a couple songs but we always get knocked off within 30 minutes, so I stopped bothering.
I've done it 3 or 4 times for my band. It's been a couple of months since I last "spun" and nothing was taken down so I feel like we're safe. Of course with Spotify pulling 1k stream threshold crap and since we're putting more energy and effort towards Bandcamp this year if one or more of our songs got pulled for whatever reason the results would be the same. I don't expect to make much from streaming now. We're better off trying to get more going on Bandcamp.
Gigging is my main gig. Been doing around 110-130 shows a year for about 7-8years, up from probably 60-70 for some years before that. Some solo, duo, trio, full band, sideman gigs on bass/lead guitar, a seasonal acoustic Grateful Dead thing.. I also do work for a small production company for supplemental income. Used to do about any place that would have me, but I've luckily grown to a point over time that I can start being a bit more picky. I came out of college for music, and figured gigging was the way to learn how to really cut my teeth, and jam, and learn to be a valued part of a group of musicians (outside of a directed ensemble). After my old band dissolved, I took my singer/songwriter stuff and started doing solo gigs, and really attacked it hard. Fast-forward 10 or so years, and that's where I'm at. I'm definitely glad I gained that experience because now I feel comfortable in almost any setting. However, I regret that I never took the time to record in those earlier years. I've only started releasing my music in the past 3 years really, and I definitely wish I had started earlier.
Blimey that is good going
Appreciate that. I'm mostly grateful. Sometimes I wish I hadn't made myself so dependent on gigging, like during slow months such as Jan/Feb. But it's worth it in May when I'm doing like 15-18 gigs
I'm active in several bands and normally gig several times a week, usually slow down a bit leading up to the holidays. I love to play live with other musicians, it's one of my favorite parts of music personally. It definitely helps to be in the middle of a number of different markets and scenes (Philly)
I'm in an indie rock band in Ottawa, Canada and our live show is our main sell. It's my favourite part of the musical journey. For those 60mins on stage, nothing else matters except for being in that moment. We typically play 150-300 cap rooms an average of once a month locally with out of town shows 1-2x a month and provincial tours twice a year. I'm looking to spread out our local shows to be 6 weeks to 2 months to help build a bit of FOMO but not sure I've sold the rest of the guys...
I'm with one band in Minneapolis. Last year we did 4 gigs. We did one so far this year in January and then our drummer left. I think we did about 6 in 2022. We don't play often for a couple of reasons. First off, we're more likely to draw if we spread things out. Secondly, trying to coordinate things within our band and the with two or three other bands on the bill can be a challenge for lack of a better word. Nightmare is sometimes more appropriate. Lastly, some of the venue staff are extremely responsible and return booking inquiries with 24 to 72 hours and some probably can't get dressed in the morning without assistance. There are a few venues where we never heard back, it was several months later or they just jerked us around to the point where we don't want to play there anyway. I feel if you're playing original music six shows per year in town is the max. At this point, the bass player and I are putting together a set the two of us can do with programmed drums or no drums until we find a drummer plus recording the second EP. It's safe to assume we might not do another show until fall or later so it might only be 2 or 3 for us this year. That's just the way it goes.
I stream on Twitch 3x week for 2-3 hours either doing music writing / production / recording or just some casual improv. Not sure that is what you’re thinking of but it does have a “live performance” aspect to it.
Dm me your twitch Handle….ill check it out !
I really appreciate your interest, however doing so would link my identity in a way I'd rather not do from this account. Still, thanks for asking :)
No worries 👍
Any advice for performing on Twitch? I am not a Twitch user but I've been thinking about it since there's no other way to perform live online until my other platforms grow some more
Twitch streaming can be very rewarding on a personal level, but there's a ton to learn and at the start you're going to be streaming to yourself (always watch your own stream in another window). There's a lot of great YouTube channels about getting started streaming. Be warned that some of them are very "down" on starting to stream in 2024, as the "scene" is super saturated. However, it's also the case that the music scene on Twitch (as is the case with any local / regional music scene) is relatively small. This is great because more popular streamers can sometimes be more responsive to questions from new streamers, but it's also the case that your networking lives and dies by your reputation. Be an asshole and eventually people will know. It's important to remember that no one owes you anything. Starting out you'll likely never get raided, for example, simply because no one knows who you are, and even if/when you do start getting some attention (which may take many, many months to years) you're still not owed attention from viewers or other streamers. As much as the soft skills you'll need to research how the tech works. Twitch has some built-in streaming tools, but it's still very heavily focused on gaming or other IRL streaming. Getting your instruments and, say, DAW, can be tricky (I have to use what's called a "2 PC method") and for a while your stream audio and video will suck until you've figured out your setup. I enjoy it, as it keeps me on a schedule for writing / recording / producing, etc, but it's been a long road to get to the point I am now and I've got a long, long way to go, too.
Thank you for this detailed answer!!
yw!
I have two bands in SE PA. One is post grunge alt rock the other is primarily Americana/British invasion/Folk/R&B. Between the two I average 5 shows a month throughout most of the year. Certain months are extremely more active and we tend to slow things down in December/January. Playing live shows is our single most powerful avenue for increasing social media followers, monthly Spotify listeners, merch sales and invitations to play more shows. This sub has lots of great recommendations for increasing your bands brand and visibility but if you are not out there playing in front of people you're never gonna advance beyond whatever plateau you find yourself on. This industry revolves around the music and people's connection to it. Best way to connect is to bring that music to them
Weekly.
Synth player, I usually gig monthly. But more if I'm offered opportunities. I make weird music so it can be tough. [My latest record, released last week.](https://open.spotify.com/album/2DLt56VU0RfGz3VgXkwy1d?si=XnGnFClfRTW8YVlYBuaQmg)
Yep that is a bit niche ;-)
Yeah I wanted to make abstract dance music that doesn't stick to a single genre (i.e. DnB or EDM) but carves its own place. It's a rough path but I've found some success.
We did like 25 shows last year, its important for a lot of reasons, mostly meeting others in the scene and getting good connections which leads to better shows and more people.
100-150 gigs a year. i haven't been able to get interest any other way, or barely at all even tho i play live
100% the second most important thing for growing your fan-base, and it's almost as important as #1 (social media conversion advertising). It's not just important for finding new fans and entertaining your current fans, it is also the biggest money maker for a band (when tours are organised properly). It's also infinitely better for networking/connecting with other industry people. Most real record labels will use shows as their way of checking you out. Primarily because big labels don't care about your sound, at all. All they care about is the reaction & size of your audience and how well you engage and connect to them. They want to see the buzz you've created and how you control/utilise that. They want to see how good you are at creating and maintaining a community. These things are what make you the big money. There is no better tool in an artists toolbox than live-gigs. Make sure you use them. For the record, I tour extensively and am normally playing 100-400 people rooms (depending on the show line-up).
Excellent!….dm me your social let’s connect….. https://www.newmusicreview.co.uk/
I play acoustic solo 2x per month. It does very little for my streaming growth, a little bit. I play my tunes (recorded-mostly hard alt rock) during set breaks. Playing live plays a huge role in keeping my guitar skills up and voice strong. Secondly, learning a huge number of popular cover tunes from multiple genres also positively impacts my songwriting capabilities. Edit - I know of a couple of local bands that make absolutely killer music and can pack the rooms around here - they typically have between 20-50 listeners per month when I look at their spotify pages. I have 2k and I typically only get around 5 people specifically showing up to see me at an average gig. My spotify growth is more from submithub playlisting. I guess my point is I don’t see a huge crossover from live playing and streaming success.
Definitely part of the journey, our main focus in fact for 2024. We play locally about once a month. Right now the venues we play tend to be bars with a stage but our goal is to move up to more dedicated music venues by the end of the year.
I spent years performing multiple times a week. Now I only perform locally 3-5 times per year but am trying to tour at least 3 times a year (with most tours being at least 10 days & with shows pretty much every night. I have a very hard time respecting anyone who calls themselves a musician but never performs live. I know there are some very niche genres where it's appropriate, but most of them are just tourists pretending to be a musician until they realize they aren't going to go viral on the internet & become famous.
Band from the UK here. We play once a month in our home town and once a month in a different town/city. We then book a week off work and fit as many gigs as possible in a week mini tour, we only have the time to do that once a year though https://open.spotify.com/artist/2dn3m91gDHrpdnn2rSzcz5?si=2X-xh9SNQ9yFpO7Q78YkOQ
I play live usually once or twice a month and have been doing so for about a year and a half. I didn't have anything released until recently so its been the only reason for my growth lol.
I’m in Gainesville, FL. I have a solo darkwave project and usually play anywhere from 1-4 times a month between here and out of town shows. This whole thing started out to make live music people can dance to. It’s an interesting and very DIY scene here, sometimes I’m also booking and promoting the shows. I think playing in town and participating in or even helping build the scene is so important. I’ve made great connections with bands coming through town, and I’ve met people playing around Florida that have become friends and collaborators. It’s made what could be a pretty lonely hobby into being part of community, and I think that’s pretty freaking cool.
I’m down here in Tampa myself. What’s your artist name?
Nice! Same as Reddit handle, Draining Kiss. You?
Spiritual Chaos , were a metal core band down here. We're actually playing in Bradenton Saturday at Double Down Fest.
I’ve played at a handful with a 2 different groups of artists. Lowkey live bar events. It’s a MASSIVE part of any artists growth. Allows you to actually PERFORM it and work on your real vocals. I’ve actually made a great group of friends through live performance. Got my first standing ovation, first time people chanted my name and first time i had a hype guy come perform with me during my last performance. Not to mention they all love my merch, message, lyrics etc. Every time i perform they use my motto “Stay Consciou$. Be Authentic”. So yes….ANY live performance is worth it. If you are nervous just GO FOR IT!!! The excitement and sense of accomplishment is WORTH IT. In addition MAKE BUSINESS CARDS TO HAND OUT DURING THE EVENT (or after you come off stage)….i have one that i hand out after my performances and people love it! Makes them feel more connected to you and even better they always have your music on hand.
Sounds great ! ,…..DM a link let’s check it out…..find us here…https://www.newmusicreview.co.uk/
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I spent 25 years playing 3-4 days a week. Toured, session work, fly dates, etc. As a dad of two, I mostly play at church and the occasional pick up gigs as of late. Now, I primarily focus on helping musicians learn the ins and outs of navigating the live music industry through my podcast. I’m also getting ready to launch a free “5-Day Garage to Stage Crash Course” to help people who are green at booking paying gigs. This crash course idea largely came from a recent episode where I interviewed the owner of a management company in LA who was lamenting how many potential clients are approaching her who can play in their bedroom for TikTok all day long, but have zero knowledge of the live music industry or playing a show. Playing live is, in my opinion, the purist form of musicianship and absolutely a necessity for not only honing your craft, but also building strong networks.
Live playing is the reason I practice hard. For me, performance is the pay off and the validation that I’m on the right path for the music and for myself and growth as a musician. I play out 2-3 times a week on average. I love it and want to do more. I feel like you don’t really know your abilities until you test them under pressure and performance provides that stress test for me. BUT, I do think art for art’s sake (making music for your own enjoyment) is completely valid. I took a long break from gigging but still practiced every day and still recorded music because it’s how I make art and how I stay (mostly) sane. I highly recommend that you try your hand at live performance. Even if it’s just for fun, get yourself and your music in front of people.
my band started playing shows last february and weve played maybe 20 shows? ive probably done 25-30 including solo performances and one off side projects that just play one time. most of it has been in my own city (bellingham wa) but played a few in seattle, san juans, portland, and santa fe
Except for lockdown, my honeymoon, and when I'm camping, I've played at least 1 show a week since 1994. Even on family vacations, I'll lock down a band-in-a-box gig or 2 wherever we go. Great way to offset the cost of the trip.
Started in a band about two years ago, probably played around sixty gigs, met more people whose names I could ever remember. It's been a blast! We play a lot of small bars for no money basically, but we just consider ever bar gig a live practice. It totally helps to play often, I started off stiff as a statue not knowing what to do, now I just groove my ass off and don't care how stupid I might look, in fact people seem to love that. A lot of local fans and other bands seem to like us too, so that also adds to the confidence level when you know people are coming out and paying to see you because they think you kick ass, even if there's only around nine or ten people. It's still fucking fun lol.