Tips to Draw the Crowd: How Local Artists Can Beat the Struggle
Make the most of your local scene as a musician, grow your fanbase, and, maybe most importantly, get involved with your artistic community.
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The COMPASS: Boise, ID
By Robert Lanterman Boise is my home. I’ve lived here almost my whole life and am immensely proud of it. While smaller than most cities’, the music community and scene here certainly have had their ups and downs, perhaps more than most. But they’ve survived, no doubt, due to the sheer persistence of those here who…
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The COMPASS: Vancouver, BC
By Sarah Davachi Vancouver is Canada’s West Coast conglomerate, a unique mix of every convention you encounter as you cross the border and traverse south: rainy Pacific North West weather, insanely high rental prices, palm trees interspersed with Douglas firs, loads of concrete, and a fair amount of mid-century modernist masterpieces. Having grown up in Calgary,…
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6 Ways to Gently Nudge Fans About Buying Tickets to an Upcoming Show
+ Pursue your next social media marketing goal with a Soundfly Mentor like Marta! Soundfly offers four-week mentorship sessions with a pro, customized to you. Get in touch to learn more. Concerts are one of the primary ways you’re going to make money as a musician, so while it can be exhausting to promote all of your shows…
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How to Take a Good Show and Make It Great
You and your band have been playing out for a year or so, and you’ve started to get great responses from your audiences. Now, it’s time to take your show to the next level and maybe even start playing nationally! Get ready for that next step by transforming your live show, and go from being a…
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You Want to Book Better Shows? Just DIY It and Stay True to Your Artistic Identity
Booking a sold-out, or at least near-capacity, show is a major milestone for any band. Doing that every time with every show is how you know you’re on the fast track to success. Yet, when I asked bands their number-one struggle, overwhelmingly the response was this very thing. I find that a lot of the time, bands…
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6 Ways to Make Sure You’re Leaving Nothing on the (Merch) Table
Here we all are in the future, and what do you know — the music industry hasn’t collapsed! Sure, CDs aren’t selling the way they used to in stores. Neither is digital music, thanks to the explosion of streaming services. But those of us living the nose-to-the-grindstone, unglamorous life of the touring musician know a secret: people…
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The Most Important Things to Watch Out for When Booking Your Next Tour
Don’t hit the road without taking these tour tips to heart! Ensure you’re thinking the entire outing through before even booking your first gig.
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How to Be the Band Nobody Wants to Play with — Ever Again (in 10 Easy Steps)
My band, the Gnarly Shredderz, is one of the greatest bands of all time. We’re so awesome, in fact, that bands on the same bill as us never ask my group to play another show with them because they know they just can’t keep up. We just end up embarrassing them with our insanely interesting…
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When You’re a Piano in a Forte World
By Liam Singer Live rock music and noisy bars go together like beer and… more beer! The sounds of a drum kit, electric guitar, and amplified vocals are all designed to cut through the noise of clinking glasses and drunken conversations. These are not “dinner party” instruments. Audiences in these spaces don’t always like hearing…
