As The World Tunes

Band On The Run

by Steve Bussey
GeoSynchronous Records

In order for a band to get hugely popular and successful, it must have a huge "buzz" going on. A buzz in this case is not a drug or alcoholic stupor, but people, press, record stores, and radio stations talking about them. This requires a large and highly paid promotions staff and consultants who are constantly on the phone talking up the band and their latest product (CD). But before this happens, there is a smaller buzz going on at what is referred to as the "street" level, which means the local area where the band performs. In fact, a good street buzz is one of the things that record labels look for before signing a band to a record contract. If your budget is a little short of the 50 grand needed to hire the promotions people, then try this technique. You can do it yourself, with costs as low as your time and some gas money.

Want a street level buzz? Then take your band to the streets, literally! Strip the band down to the bare instruments needed to perform. Ideally this would be acoustic guitars, bongos, and if you need it, a cheap portable keyboard with built in speakers. Let the singer use a megaphone! The less equipment, the easier it is to move quickly, and you may have to move quick to keep from being arrested! Then show up any where that there are a lot of people, especially people who might like your style of music.

There are unlimited places to play, just show up, perform, and leave before anyone complains! Downtown street corners at lunch hour, the middle of the mall, outside of movie theaters, outside of a concert hall before or after a concert. Go to the beach, public parks, piers, hotel lobbies, political rallies, fairs, festivals, outside of a convention hall. Show up and play at a public appearance of your favorite radio personality, you know, the DJ promotion of a car sale or grand opening of a furniture store. They will love it, and you may even get your name on the radio.

Play at open mic nights. Most bars will not mind if you sit at your table and play, but do not try to use the stage without permission, and do not play while another band is playing. Show up at your friends gig and ask to play during their breaks.

Be sure to have someone available with a stack of your CD's to sell, and a handful of free flyers promoting your next gig or mail orders for your CD. They can also keep an eye open for potential trouble with the property owners. Most of the time the owner or manager will appreciate the free entertainment, but if they ask you to leave, thank them politely and leave. It should take little time to go down the street to another location and do it again.

Of course, this is free "street" entertainment, you will not get paid. But you can set out a tip jar, sell CD1s, and promote your next gig. And if you work it right, in a hour or two, you can perform before several thousand people. Isn't that worth it?

About the author: Steve Bussey is a singer/songwriter/guitarist and is currently the owner and general manager of GeoSynchronous Records (http://www.pan.com/geosync, Listening Line 800 235 9193, ask for a free catalog), an indie label handling artists such as Les Dudek, Mike Pachelli, Bong Water Taffy, and Big Red & The Bus. Prior to this, Steve earned Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Electrical Engineering and Acoustics from Georgia Tech, designed sound equipment and guitar amps for Fender, and supervised design of communication systems for the Space Shuttle at Kennedy Space Center.