A Rock Band's Guide to Common Music Industry Terminology

Over the years, it seems the same discrepancies about what's what in the music industry still constantly arise, so I thought it best to lay them all out in one slightly humorous, handy-to-reference guide. The following is a list of useful terms and definitions for the up-and-coming rocker.

Tour - A string of cities within different geographic region of the country. Therefore, playing at four different venues, all within 30 miles of each other over the course of two weekends is NOT a tour.

Load-In Time - The time a band should arrive and begin hauling their gear into the venue. Soberly. I said load-in time, not loaded time.

Manager (definition one) - A person whose job it is to guide and shape your career and use their network of contacts to give you opportunities you couldn't get on your own. If this involves any variation of the saying, "Well, I know this guy who has Pro Tools and could probably record you guys for free in his basement," then you do not have a real manager.

Manager (definition two) - If anyone in the band is dating him/her then you probably don't have a real manager.

Fan Base - People who consistently support a band through its various efforts, maturations, sales peaks and valleys simply because they love your music. Praying that the local senior class that loves your band flunks their final year of high school so that you don't lose 95% percent of your audience when they go off to college is not an example of a strong fan base.

Radio Campaign - When an individual or company is hired to promote a song to the decision-makers at particular radio stations, in order to try and convince them to play your song, which results in increased demand and (hopefully) sales. A radio campaign is not getting one spin a month by the area rock station that plays local artists once a week between midnight and 1:00 a.m. and neither is it getting four spins on two local college stations.

Draw (definition one) - The number of people a band can reasonably anticipate their performance will bring to a particular event or venue. This does not include counting people two and three times in your final audience tally and justifying that it was because you had beer goggles and then multiplying your total by an arbitrary number, say, I don't know 50, in order to "boost" your appeal to venues that you are trying to book shows with. Remember, you will have to explain why only ten people showed up when you "normally draw around 500 or so."

Draw (definition two) When everyone's favorites local band invites you to open for them at their CD release party and 500 people show up, do not claim that is your draw. That is not your draw, that is their draw.

Units Sold - This is the total number of CDs or downloads that a band has sold. Giving away 200 to friends and family and then another 300 for use as promotional copies does not denote "sold."

Getting Press - This refers to bands that secure reviews, write-ups and other types of media coverage. Being listed in the "Upcoming Events" section of your local paper is not getting press and neither is being featured in the advertisement for the venue you're playing at next week.

No Unsolicited Material - This means a company or individual will not take materials from sources that (s)he doesn't have an already established relationship with. So don't send your latest demo. And a band t-shirt. And a sticker. And a desperate, pleading note about how you know they said they wouldn't take unsolicited material but how you hoped they'd take exception just this once because your band is really good and all you need is someone to listen etc., etc.

Merchandise - Products that a band sells to fans in order to promote their name and image and make money. Printing off labels with your band name on them on your home printer does not mean you have merch.

Confirming a Gig - This is when you affirm that you will in fact be playing a club on a certain date, or opening for a band. Taking two weeks to get back to the band or club that contacted you to tell them that you decided to book another show that night and have been leaving them high and dry for the last 14 days is exactly the opposite of confirming a gig. Using this approach is not recommended for maintaining long-lasting business relationships.

Sleep - This is an unknown entity to most touring bands. Rumor has it that sleep provides a needed respite from life on the road...or so I've heard.

Concert Promoter Learn a Rock Music Career - Spotlight on Concert Promotions

Concert promoters can easily be thought of as major event planners. Every detail of the concert has to go off without a hitch and that responsibility lies solely with the promoter. Concert promotion is a demanding career that requires serious attention to detail. In order to be an effective and successful concert promoter, a high level of organization is necessary. Losing track of important contact names, dates, telephone numbers or venue information could prove disastrous.
The world of concert promotions is full of contracts, legal agreements, insurance policies and riders. In order to make the best business decisions, a concert promoter has to have a working knowledge of all of these legal documents. Not understanding parts of a contract or rider can lead to confusion and difficulties down the road.
Concert promoters can make a huge amount of money, and then, they can lose money as well. Most people don't realize that quite often, concert promoters actually use their own money to fund a concert event. All of the event expenses are his or her responsibility up front. Once the tickets have been sold, the band gets their cut and the bills get paid. It's only then that the promoter gets what's left. For this reason, it's of the utmost importance to get as many paying customers in the door as possible.
Some of the major costs involved with concert promotion are the venue rental and event insurance. The promoter contacts the venue and works out a cost for the duration of the event. Some venues will require up-front payment while others may require a down payment with the remainder due at the end of the concert. Insurance is absolutely necessary and helps to protect the venue owners, concert promoter and band from possible litigation.
In addition, the concert promoter bears the cost of all advertising promotions and other marketing costs. Promoters these days have a variety of choices for marketing. They can use the internet, radio, TV and even flyers to get the word out about their event. Marketing, when done properly, usually takes up a fairly substantial portion of the concert promoters budget.
A successful concert promoter understands how to advertise to get the most people to buy tickets for the show. They've got to have a good sense of the band that they're promoting as well as their fans. Whether a concert attracts a huge audience or a small one depends on how well the event was promoted, plain and simple. Concert promoters really have one objective; to make sure that enough tickets sell to make a profit. Ideally, all the tickets will sell for every night or day the event will run, but that's not guaranteed.
The location, size and even layout of a venue has to be taken into consideration by the concert promoter. In order to put on a great rock concert, everything has to be just right. Everything must be considered, from band dressing rooms to the house sound system and lighting. Pleasing the band is only part of the story though. The audience has to be taken care of as well, both inside and outside the venue. Things like security, parking and even restroom facilities all fall under the concert promoters watchful eye.
At some concerts, the concert promoter will have to pitch in and help in other ways. Concert promoters are usually responsible for making sure things are ready for the band. This might include setting up the stage, doing sound-checks and lighting adjustments. Quite often it also means they'll have to decorate the venue to suit the concert.
At smaller events, the concert promoter is often responsible for collecting tickets or working the merchandise table. At certain types of events, they may even have the task of checking ID's at the door the day of the event. Promoters are often also responsible for helping to break down the stage used by the band. Clean-up after the concert may also be the promoters job, depending on the negotiated contract.
Being a concert promoter can be exciting, rewarding and risky, but it's worth it. Concert promoters have great jobs because they work directly with the musicians. Besides that and the fact that the income can be excellent, remember, they've got some of the best seats in the house at every show.

The Intensification Of Rock Music Industry

When we talk about rock music, it is a term that has history and a history that is filled with several ups and downs. Whether it is The Beatles, ACDC, Pearl Jam or Nirvana, they rocked the music charts in the late 70's to early 90's. The music freaks especially the rock and rollers, continued the fan circle to uplift the gloom of their beloved artists. The artists also loved their freaks and they made them banged on their concerts with their rock and roll outs of guitars, drums, and keyboards with sloppy piano covers and piano bench covers. People found all the entertainment in one single podium and they always waited for a new arrival of their favorite stars.

Talking about Nirvana, a rock band from the late 80's, they thrashed the music charts by their first debut album "Bleach". It gave a unique sound to the listeners but still very dominating to own the rock charts. Later on as time passed by, some other artists picked up the Hype and rock music industry was dancing up in the skies. This is the tone which hit many ears and delighted many hearts with its sole thud. Different bands from different regions came across the board which also propagated the listeners' populace.

Among some other rockers, Pearl Jam was also one of the hot favorites in 1990's. There debut album "Ten McCready" ruled the people ears and they came up with a big boom in rock industry. This grew the industry with a more different sound and people were addicted on listening rock music. The rock genre got included and more popular in those times.

The growl of the Leppards can never be forgettable as Def Leppard was the mid-rockers of late 80's. They gave wings to the soft rock genre and also raised the influence of soft listeners to come into a combination of some alternative touch. The band came up with a unique line up and they introduced new genres to the rock music like Alt metal.

When on one side the rock bands hyped the rock music they also sat a trend in the cloth fashion industry. When the fans saw the artists playing in their casual sloppy dresses, they became freak of adapting the same fashion in their normal life. Torn jeans with leather jackets, big buckles and long boats became common in the cloth wear. The trend became popular as the die-hard fans were mad to wear the same trend set clothes.

All That Remains, Katatonia, Cold and Papa Roach are some of today's formation. Some of them formed in the 90's, but remained underground and practiced their music for about 10 to 15 years. Today we can see their music flowing in all the multiple genres of Alt metal, Thrash metal, Rap core and Death metal. Today a rock listener is well aware of different rock genres, this have boomed the presence of rock industry. The influence tells that in the future the rock music is going to be more dominating than ever.

Stewart Wrighter has purchased several piano covers online at a discount for his church. He also ordered several piano bench covers online at a discount for his church.