Events
Getting your name out there as an artist is one of the most critical steps to take in your music career. Having gigs where you can play your music to an audience is one of the ways to get to be one of the household names. When it comes to playing at gigs, there are tons of places to choose from which range from open mic nights to festivals. Where then, should you set your sights to grow your career?
Open mic nights
Though many might view such events to be of little importance to their careers, they could not be more wrong. The obvious disadvantages of going down this route are that you do not get a dime out of it, you can never be sure whether the audience will respond to your type of music and you are not even sure of the number of people that will turn up to hear you perform. It seems like a lot of risks so why then should you bother to do it?
Open-mindedness
While it is evident that people have varying tastes when it comes to music, this should not dishearten you. Many of the people who attend such events are very open when it comes to the kind of music to which they will listen. While not everyone will like your style, there will be eager people amongst the crowd. Some of them may be musicians who are there to perform and can be supportive as they know how it feels to be in your position.
You also get to test your new material to see how people respond to it to give you a few pointers on areas on which you need to work.
Trial run
If you have not performed in front of people before, an open mic session is an excellent place to start. Working on stage fright helps you gain confidence that will enable you to perform in front of thousands of people in the future. Playing a new song at an upcoming event is also quite risky as if it does not woo the audience, you will have wasted an opportunity.
Test out your song on an open mic audience, and their response will be a sign on whether to go ahead with the song on your big opening night or not.
Performance issues
Performing can be quite nerve-wracking and to remove the nervousness out of the way from the beginning is a great way to get better at it. You can also try out some dance moves and gimmicks on the floor and gauge their effect on the audience.
Overall, open mic nights are friendly environments which you can use to work on your performance, thus propelling your career. You never know. An agent could single you out and start paying for performances!
Events and festivals
Once you are past the stage where you fill with jitters on hitting the stage, you can move on to other lucrative means of performance. By signing up for performance gigs on festivals and events, you get to perform in front of large audiences. Sure, you get to be among the first people to play before the main acts come to the stage but that is quite normal for new entrants into the music industry. Before you become a big hit, you have to go through such moments. However, performing in events and festivals early on in your career is not all bad.
Large audiences
It is not every day that you get to sing in front of a sizeable eager audience. When performing in an event, you get to play in front of thousands of people. Even better, it is usually in the first hours, before they get tired. Taking hold of this opportunity and making the best out of it can make your career into something big.
Invest heavily in your performances and do not skimp on the quality of performance that you give. Do not use theatrics that distracts people from your performance. Engage with the audience and provide the best performance that you can. These measures will ensure that you get invited to other such events in the future and who knows? Somebody else could end up curtain raising for you!
Hyped up
With open mic nights, you are never sure whether you will have an audience. Even when you do have an audience, you are uncertain about the reception that they will give you. People head to events and festivals to have fun such that by the time you hit the stage, they are eager to hear what you have to play. The only thing that can bring them down is if you perform poorly. Keep this in mind and exploit their great attitudes.
Money
On top of all the other benefits that stem from performance on such occasions, you get to make some money out of it. Though it may not be much at the beginning, it is enough to keep you going till you find footing in the industry.