DO’S
Soundcheck
Do a sound-check whenever possible. No one wants to sit there and listen to you dial in sound, it makes you look unprofessional.
Be on time.
For both your sound-check and your performance. When you’re a rock star you can be late on stage, when you’re building your fan base you can’t afford to do anything to piss off the crowd or the club. There’s too many bands competing for the same gigs and fans.
Go for the Babes
Do try to attract good looking young girls and guys (babes) that will hang out in front of the stage. They will be a magnate for the clubgoers trolling the clubs and be very impact full in building a consistent draw. Your band will be known for a good looking following. That’s why a lot of single people go to clubs.
Hug Fans
Do acknowledge the fans with a friendly hug or pat on the back. Tell them it means a lot to you that they came. If you do this they will bring friends next time because you make them feel special, and they will want their friends to see that you dig them.
The Merchandising Table
Let the steady girlfriends or wives participate. Have them run your merchandising table if they look hot, are friendly and can make change. Sell T-Shirts cheaply so they’re out there working for you. Give away stickers. Fans love stickers.
If your significant other tends to be jealous, leave them home. Remember you will only sell your music if you seem to be accessible. Remind your significant other that your job is to entertain, there is some fantasy involved there. Let it be.
DON’TS
Don’t act out the fan’s fantasy.
When you date your fans you will decrease your draw. As long as they have the fantasy of riding off into the sunset with you they will be at EVERY gig. When you do a one night stand, and the fan knows it’s over, or worse yet they find out you’re human and have rotten breath in the morning, they will not come to see the band anymore. They need the fantasy, need to have you on a pedestal to relieve their 9 to 5 life.
Worse yet is the fan who, after a one night stand, will become a psychotic nightmare, pursuing you. If you start regularly dating a fan, then they may no longer feel like bringing their Babe friends with them to your gigs out of jealousy. Once again you will loose potential draw.
No Girlfriends Or Spouses In The Front.
The most common mistake bands make is allowing girlfriends and spouses to hang all over them at the gig. NO singing the sexy ballad to your girlfriend in the front row. That turns off all the other girls (or guys) who are in fantasy about you. If your mate isn’t comfortable being discreet in the club, have him or her stay in the dressing room. Most smart girlfriends stay in the rear of the club so they can keep an eye on things, but the fans don’t know they’re there. They understand that it’s not cool to hang on you during the gig.
Don’t allow a surly girlfriend anywhere near the merchandising table. She’ll kill off your draw.
Music Is A Job
You must NEVER FORGET YOU’RE AT WORK. If you worked at the phone company would you allow your mate to come in and hang all over you when you work? Of course not. It’s even worse when it happens at a gig. Potential fans that think you’re cute will be put off and go away. If they don’t see anyone hanging all over you they fantasize about you and will come to every gig with their friends. Always greet them with excitement and give them a big hug. Remember though the minute you follow through on their fantasy and they find out you are not going to sweep them away, they will be gone.
You must explain to wives and girlfriends that you are at work, it is your JOB to attract fans. That’s what fills up the bars and accounts for the bar tally. The better you attract the fans the more draw you will have and the more you will be paid. Girlfriends that cannot handle a musician’s job usually become Ex Girlfriends, or the musician becomes an Ex Musician. A or B check one. At the end of the day your job is really to sell liquor. Sell the bar out of beer and you can name your price!
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