Stop with the merchandising-masterclass nonsense.

If I had a nickel for every email or ad that has been pitched to me to turn my fans into “super” fans, I’d easily have a few dollars.

Some algorithm has me pegged for someone who might be interested in a “Master Class” on how to lure anyone and everyone into buying something with my name on it after I first bribe them with a free music download on the way to our creative journey together.

An email here with free advice, an email there with more of the same, all followed by a “hurry up, it’s about to expire” warning.

In the end, those “opportunities” cost money, and I just wanted to sing songs, not be a roadie at a merch booth. Don’t get me wrong, adding some items for sale when you perform is a smart idea, but placing all of the focus on marketing and selling items vs. becoming the best performer you can be and seeking out new places to share your talent is a slow rise to continuing to look forward to hating Monday mornings and relinquishing yourself into Loverboy’s “Workin’ for the Weekend” attitude.

How would I know?

For those that have friends that are musicians, it’s a known fact that most, if not all, have day jobs that help to supplement rent, food, heat, sanity, etc. I was no different.

I’ve been a musician for over 35 years. For many of those years, that was it- touring, pouring my heart out in song, and making a pretty decent living doing nothing but performing somewhere around 250 shows per year both in an acoustic duo and as a solo artist. The performance rates for each of those shows were anywhere from $150-$1500.

Sound like a lot? If you’re reading this, you most likely have a day job where, with weekends subtracted, you work just about the same amount of days in a year. We all put our time in.

I’ve also written my fair share of songs that you can hear wherever you listen to music.

I figured it out. Even though time has changed along with the live music scene in many areas, I still have it figured out. Some things stay the same. However, a few key things are necessary to keep the wheels on the bus going ‘round and ‘round — practice, practice, practice.

Just kidding.

Obviously, honing one’s craft is key, but the actual key was, and still is, to be persistent and consistent. Notice I didn’t say good? Although, it can’t hurt.

The goods

It’s great if you pick up a fan or three that wants to take home a CD or something from you because they enjoyed your show. If you’re budget conscious, the proceeds can cover fuel costs and a lonely drink after the show if you’ve managed to completely clear the room out before the pending wrap-up of your set.

Not once did I ever put my merchandising before my musicianship, and neither should you. Well, unless you want to hate yourself while you end up looking back to figure out why you spent the past few years catering to the latest social media follower-gaining craze and strategically soliciting stickers, CDs, and t-shirts rather than focusing on getting out there to actually play gigs.

To answer your question, no, I’m not bitter about my ability to sell absolutely zero copies of my first record to a full house on the night of its release as I discuss here in my podcast. A lesson learned. People will tip you, but sometimes they don’t want your crap when they can spend the same amount on another drink.

(Side note, I hate the word “gig,” not sure why, but I prefer “show.”)

A little backstory

Years ago, my acoustic duo partner came to me pretty excited about a book he’d just purchased. It was called, “How to Make a Living in This Business Called Music,” or something like that. I skimmed through it and listened to his take as he’d already dug right in and was ready to change our ways of doing business.

Did it contain some valuable information? Absolutely. Regardless of where I’m at, I’m always up for learning something new, especially if it helps me to be even a little better at what I do. However, it didn’t take me long to see the angle, and quite frankly, the white flag that the author waved in what I believed to be his first love, which seemed to be actually being a musician. Far be it for me to judge him or understand why. I’m certainly guilty of re-balancing priorities as life keeps coming at me. Still, it seemed clear that his new goal was to sell the ability to sell over the ability to perform.

I kept quiet for a few weeks as we played gig after gig while my partner kept referring to what the book said to do. It had everything from how to get a manager (I already managed us, pretty successfully), how to get a booking agent (we had one, a very good one), to what material to make sure your band t-shirts were made from. Did I mention that I’d previously worked at a top-notch garment printing company for a while before starting my own and selling it?

It was certainly a good book for the novice to get a little insight. I remember it eluding to, but never actually saying that managers won’t touch you unless you’re somewhat polished and that agents aren’t interested unless you’re ready to tour…with at least a small fan base and mailing list.

The bottom line was, we were already doing it, all of it, and this guy- the author, wasn’t.

One day after another novel idea from the book regarding the next best musical career move, I jokingly said to him, “Do you want to know how to make a living in this business called music? Write a book called ‘How to Make a Living in This Business Called Music.’”

This was my first real taste of being solicited by someone to purchase something of theirs with them as the authority to show me how to be successful in the all-encompassing music merchandising world. The trouble was, from what I recall, the focus was on how to sell sh*t. In his defense, he did mention the t-shirt thing, so the focus was on quality sh*t. Maybe the writer wanted the reader to recoup the $39.95 cost of the book in some way.

The trick to gigs and more gigs

Let’s go with the assumption that you’ve learned 30 or so cover songs.

There’s no harm in tossing in a couple of your own originals in your set, but well-known popular songs will be what will get you in the door and help to keep you there until you become ridiculously famous and your songs become the covers for others. Patience is a virtue.

Let’s also assume that there is someplace within a 30-minute drive of your current residence where people gather together. The obvious place is the local pub. Sure, it’s an option. Just a heads-up that if you walk into the local pub and they know you, it’s almost a guarantee that they’ll give you a shot and let you put out a tip jar in lieu of paying you for the evening’s entertainment. If you have mad negotiating skills, you can probably get them to also agree to a couple of draft beers.

A little hint here, even if the drinks are free? ALWAYS tip the bartender at the end of the night and mention them by name during your set. Don’t just say the standard, “Tip your blah, blah, blah…” Introduce yourself to the bartender and waitstaff when you arrive (accordingly). If they don’t offer it, ask for their name and REMEMBER it. When the place is packed and jamming out to your jams, in between songs a couple of times throughout the night, take a minute to have everyone give it up for [insert bartender, server(s), and kitchen staff here], and then remind them to empty their pockets for them.

Oh, you noticed that I mentioned the kitchen staff? Perfect. Let me share another secret here, the kitchen staff are the last to get drinks. If everyone else in the crowd had to leave because they had to work early the next day, those in the kitchen are just about to wrap up their shift. In a small corner bar or restaurant, rest assured that they heard you, even over the radio in their workspace helping to keep them going through their nightly routine. 90% of the time, they’ll take off their apron, push through the double doors, and assume their well-earned seat at the bar while the bartender slides them their regular drink often without a word.

What happens next, is one of the keys to you not only possibly returning to the venue, but can potentially flip this tip-paying gig into a guaranteed base pay plus tips AND get you into another pub or two in town, or even the next town over.

If the staff has enjoyed what you’ve been playing all night, they’ll most likely hit you up with a request somewhere in the vicinity of what you’ve been playing, but possibly something completely out in left field. If that happens, PLAY THE SONG.

If you don’t know the song but are like the other 90% of the current singer/songwriters out there that depend on your iPad to back you up for your failure to actually memorize your setlist for whatever reason, do a quick Google search, find the song and play it. (90% is arbitrary, I have no idea what the real number is. No judgment here, well, actually, yes, I’m judging- put some time into this for fuck’s sake.) If you just don’t know the song and have no means to cheat, ask them for another, if they request something that you already played, play it again, Sam. If they don’t ask for a song, offer.

Give. Them. Something.

I cannot tell you the appreciation that I’ve seen from some of the hardest workers in the food service business when you recognize them and do something for them. On nights when you’re playing and the place is empty for whatever reason, they will become your fans, simply because you are there for them. Also, it’s a family. Those that work in the restaurant and bar sector all hang out and talk to each other, and they spread the word. If you aren’t reading between the lines, this means that they will spread the word about you. One local pub gig can easily turn into weekly shows at three or four different venues simply because of these actions.

All the world’s a stage

Let’s quickly talk about some other venue options. Don’t like the bar scene?

I remember watching a Melissa Etheridge interview years ago where she was talking about playing in bars early in her career. She said something like, “People watch TV, play pool, throw darts, and they occasionally pay attention to me,” and I felt that.

Here are some other ideas. Surprisingly, I’m not even going to recommend coffee shops. I mean, it can’t hurt (I shrug).

Think about this, a guy walks into a bar, and yes I know, a dozen jokes come to mind (forgive the gender bias here, just going along with the joke theme). However, that guy has between $20-$100 cash in his pocket and a credit card, oh, and a phone…with cash apps installed. Another guy walks into a coffee shop to grab a coffee to go. Who’s planning on sticking around and spending more money before they even knew you were all set up and ready to play? I’ll spell it out, follow the money.

Churches can also be surprisingly good places for an intimate show. Maybe a big crowd, maybe not. However, There’s one guarantee, it’s a completely captive audience, and captive audiences can produce fans that will spread that word about you. Local town halls can offer the same thing. Find out who’s in charge, book an early evening show, charge by donation and play your heart out! I know what you’re thinking about who’s in charge at the church, however, it’s usually not the pastor or God himself in this case, most churches have a designated person or group that handles events.

Have a friend who likes to throw parties? Make them an offer to play the outdoor barbecue for a few hundred bucks. One of three things will happen; they’ll say no, they’ll say yes, or they’ll counter and you can settle on a price that you’re both comfortable with. If it goes over well, they’ll probably have you do it again. The family and friends that came for the musical feast might also be interested in having you play.

House concerts offer another great option. Although, it can be tricky if you’re just starting out, though pretty lucrative.

Time to close the curtain

Now, let’s wrap this up.

Notice that I barely mentioned getting side-tracked from the fact that you love singing, playing, or whatever your talent happens to be and didn’t tell you to up-sell to everyone who may have stumbled onto your website?

What I did talk about, was how you can make money performing. I even gave some pointers on how to enhance those gigs and potentially spin them off into more shows. I lightly touched on rehearsing being a thing that should be focused on, as well as people and places that you already know that will pay you for your talent.

Some things to remember- “Exposure gigs” suck. Have you seen the meme where the restaurant owner asks the musician to play but can’t pay them? Instead, they offer the chance to play in front of their clientele which can lead to “exposure.” The musician turns it around and asks the restaurant owner if they’ll cater a private party. They can’t pay them, but they’ll gain exposure to their family and friends.

Touche`.

Exposure doesn’t pay the rent and you can’t eat it, it doesn’t taste good. On the contrary, the whole deal leaves a bad taste in someone’s mouth, usually yours. Those that offer it to you as a form of payment are well aware that they are benefiting from your talent for free. They are not someone that you should agree to do business with.

The only reason that counters this, is if they’re okay with the tip-jar angle and you keeping whatever’s put in it. If this is the case, don’t just put the tip jar out. Share your Venmo, PayPal, and whatever other usernames allow people to take money from their bank account and kindly give it to you, allowing you to place it into yours.

I’m a bit of a hypocrite here, I don’t really take tips. Sure, I’ve had plenty of people find a place around the stage to place money showing their appreciation, and I very much appreciate it right back.

For those that seek out a digital option to show their love, the tip amounts can be ten-fold. Not sure if you’ve heard, but apparently there’s a coin shortage and cash is hard to come by these days …or something.

When initially booking shows, the key is to be open to negotiating. Never sell yourself short. Read that again.

Know your worth

Let’s do some quick math.

You play a few starter gigs for tip money and/or small money, say $50-$75 per night and do that for a month or so. As long as you’ve paid attention and have been diligent in seeking out a few more venues and opportunities, word has spread and people have possibly heard that you’re available for hire. Let’s call this the paying-your-dues phase.

If you grind it out just a little, you are easily averaging $100/night for a few hours of work and can potentially do this 4–5 nights per week. You should decide if you’re willing to commit to regular weekly shows at a local venue for a little less money in exchange for the option of recurring work.

Think of the pros and cons.

With a base pay plus possible tips, this can easily bring in $500/week. If you’re savvy and sink your teeth in, you get an agent, mix the shows they get for you with your self-bookings, and $1000+/week is extremely realistic- all for playing music.

Two things; First, it is work, even if you love it- and you should get paid for it, second, $100/night starting out can either sound like too little for your trouble or much more than you’ve ever made performing. It doesn’t matter how much you feel you should be paid in some cases. People and venues have a budget. In those cases, you are worth what they are able or willing to pay you. It’s up to you to know your worth and to decide if the pay is worth the performance.

Understand that you may have to start with a lesser amount to get in the door. We all do it. If you deliver, you’ll find your demand.

Just perform.

My other gig: https://www.seanmccarthy.com/