Hello, fellow Sarasotans. It is my pleasure to introduce you to my new blog, which I have oh-so-fittingly dubbed “The Starvin’ Artist.” My goal for these posts is to give you an insider’s view into the trials and tribulations of a musician trying to start a music career on the Suncoast. I plan to provide you with some valuable tips on how best to market your music and get shows booked, and also what it’s like to play at our local establishments from an artist’s perspective. I’ll let you know who draws the best crowds and how receptive they are to the music, what venues have the best sound, what it’s like dealing with the booking agents and what you can expect to earn for a night’s work. I hope I can entertain and enlighten you on what it really means to be a starvin’ artist on the Suncoast.
First thing’s first. Any musician that wants to break into any music scene has to start by getting their name out there. And before you can do that you have to have a name. I will be writing this blog from a solo artist’s viewpoint, but most of the information should translate to full bands as well. A stage name or band name can be the most important decision a musician will ever make. Once you put all the legwork into marketing your name — website, MySpace page, press kit, promotional materials and, most importantly, public name recognition — you’re pretty much stuck with it. Unless you’re Jack White and you can come out with a new band every few months, you will probably be tied to that name for the entirety of your musical career.
For all those musicians who are hesitant to adopt a stage name, it may comfort you to know that the majority of the famous artists you have come to know and love are not actually going by the name their momma gave ‘em. Believe it or not, Bono is not his real name. It’s actually Paul David Hewson. But that doesn’t quite have the same rock star connotation to it. Your name is just as much a part of your image as your tattoos and black leather pants are. And one thing you will discover in the music industry is that image is very important. The name that someone reads on a flier or a sign when they walk past the front of a bar can be the difference between having that person in your audience or not. And once you choose a stage name you better love people calling you by it, because for all the folks who don’t know you personally, it’s your real name. [click to continue…]
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