Musician Guide to Landing a Spot in the Festival Circuit
AUDIO HOW-TO
By: Allison Trionfetti
SEPTEMBER 22nD, 2017
AUDIO HOW-TO
With summer officially over, gone are the hot months with their Glastonburys and Bonnaroos.
But the heralding of fall doesn’t mean an end to festival season. In fact, fall is a great time for smaller, local fests celebrating autumn’s bounty and the crisp days preceding winter’s long hibernation.
The fall is also a prime time to apply to festivals that happen during the more typical spring and summer season, as many venues book out eight to nine months in advance. But what does it take to get booked at a festival?
Today we take a brief look at the factors that go into securing a performance slot—from raw materials to savvy research. Start here, and with luck you’ll find yourself on the big stage down the line in Somerset or Tennessee.
Your Heaven manufacturing team’s own, Tommy Conte, playing drums with the Ukiah Drag at SXSW back in 2015
Any musician knows: your sound counts.
With festivals, the live element, beyond the music, is at the forefront. As such, festival promoters are as interested in the atmosphere of your performance as they are the songs being played. That’s why it’s important to communicate who you are as a musician and who you are as a performer.
On the music end, having quality audio recordings—even just a couple—is key. Investing in high quality sound equipment, be it a fancy acoustic pickup or a unique mic system, can really set your sound apart from the competition. A lot of pickup systems, especially acoustic instrument pickups, produce sound that is artificial and processed. Capturing your authentic sound is the first step in communicating to festival bookers who you are as a musician.
On the performance end, consider the task of needing to captivate a large, outdoor crowd. Reinventing your style to cater towards some wild live act could come across as forced and disingenuous. But, considering ways to engage with the crowd leads to a more memorable performance and future festival opportunities. A musician’s stage presence hugely affects audience reception. Plus, there’s a good chance a pair of adoring eyes might belong to a scout for another gig.
“A musician’s stage presence hugely affect audience reception. Plus, there’s a good chance a pair of adoring eyes might belong to a scout for another festival gig.“
CREATING AN ELECTRONIC PRESS KIT: SIMPLE SPEAKS
So high quality audio recordings are a must. All the better to include video of what your live act is like. But what other raw materials and logistical minutiae does one need to consider when gathering together an electronic press kit for festival planners to sift through?
Festival bookers are looking for a short biography and discography that give them a sense of the musician or band and their influences. Adding to your audio sample, include photographs, and video that provide some indication of what their live sets are like plus a picture of your fan demographics.
A lot of blogs stress the importance of social media and any relevant press as additional peaks into the dynamic between performer and fanbase. But your Instagram brand or a nod from Last.fm is not going to replace or upstage (pardon our verb choice) the media files you send along.
Having a publicist and press strategy, or a booking agent for that matter, can be advantageous. But keep in mind the music and the musicians speak first and loudest.
Regarding the media files, remember that high production value is a useful investment. A single well-produced video can be used countless times over as sales and marketing material.
A quick note on format: along with the audio files, be sure to have your audio online via a website like Soundcloud or Bandcamp. This provides universal access to your sound and helps when the powers that be are sifting through 2000+ applications, each with a handful of songs to be heard.
Singer songwriter Devon Halliday busking at a local farmer’s market.
“Having a publicist and press strategy, or a booking agent for that matter, can be advantageous. But keep in mind the music and the musicians speak first and loudest.”
GO FORTH AND PROSPER
So you’ve got your carefully recorded audio and got the girl from the local university’s film department to make a killer video of your live act. You’ve got your discography uploaded to Soundcloud and finally figured out a bio that speaks to your music and your small but diehard fanbase.
But where the heck do you send it all out?
Finding a festival that is matched to your genre and vibe is crucial. In fact, as Marcato Musician CEO Darren Gallop notes, “It’s not uncommon to see as many as 1000 submissions for a small/medium-sized festival and upwards of 20,000 for larger international events.”
In both cases these submissions compete for anywhere from 20 to 400 performance slots. It may sound discouraging but 20% to 75% of these submissions are an instant ‘NO! NOT A CHANCE!’…because…the artists submitting them are not a style or genre that the festival even programs.”
A good way to leave a bad taste in a booker’s mouth is to send your sugar pop studded press kit to their black metal festival headquarters. Save everyone some time and eye rolls and do your research. Apply to festivals that complement your sound.
A great website which lists a slew of fests in a variety of styles and settings is Sonic Bids. And hey, the first two opportunities have application deadlines next week so grab some pumpkin seeds and some hot cider and get typing!
In the meantime build your live performance schedule as much as possible.
Talking with local farmer’s markets or restaurants and libraries about setting up busking gigs can be a great stepping stone to larger more official venues.
