When people hear your band is playing tonight, what do they think they will be in for if they go to the gig? What do they expect to see, hear, feel? Who do they think they will be rubbing shoulders with in the audience?

What ever comes up in their mind is your 'brand'.

Ever thought of your band as having a brand? Just like 'Watties baked beans!'

Successful groups have a brand – their name represents something to their customers. As soon as you hear the words 'The Rolling Stones' you know exactly what to expect! You may like 'The Rolling Stones', you may hate them, you might not have any feelings about them. The important thing to realise is that as soon as you hear the brand name 'The Rolling Stones' and they are playing at the local RSA you know what you are going to be in for if you go there before you go. 

This idea is really important for your customers. It means they know exactly what they are going to get before they spend their money and time turn to out to your gig.

How do you use this to help you get more work? Well when people buy something, anything, they always buy the lowest risk choice. Even if it costs more! Imagine you are organising an office Christmas party. Everyone will be there including your boss. You have to hire a band to play for the evening. Every one is looking forward to the Christmas party. Everyone knows you are the one choosing the band for the night. What is foremost in your mind as you go out to choose a band? A successful party! Above all you want people saying to you 'That was really good', 'You did a good job organising that'. You're biggest fear is you get a band that no one likes! Then every one will blame you for ruining the party. That choice is high risk!

How do we help the person choose a band for their party? First of all we concentrate on decreasing their risk. Tell them exactly what you do. Give them a consistent set of signals clearly indicating what they will get if they book your band. Everything must be consistent in their eyes (otherwise they won't trust you!). This consistent set of signals is your brand. Once you have it right and it is working for you. Reinforce it don't keep reinventing it. This consistency makes it easy for the person to understand what you have on offer. They know what sort of performance they want. Your job is not to convince them your band is what they want regardless of what they had in mind. It is to find people who want your kind of performance!
 

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The Get Paid section of the site is a guide to how you can make a living from your music. This is an index of the pages in the Get Paid section.
Want to be a professional musician? Be professional!

Who are your customers?

What do your customers want?

What is your bands brand?

How many potential customers do you have?

Promotion.

Find a role model.

Recommended Books

So, what is your kind of performance? Define it really tightly then set off to establish your brand name as standing for that. It is in your interest that people know what they are going to get and get what they are expecting. Your bands name, what you wear, how you communicate with your audience, what you smell like, how you entertain, how you arrive and leave, are all part of this and are as important as what you play.

If everything is consistent, you make it easy for people to understand what they are buying when they book you. Make it easy for them and you will get more work. Your brand is your identity. If you are going to be successful you need a strong brand. Then people can identify with you (if they choose to).