How to Make the Most of Festival Season as a Music Professional
The summer, which is now fast approaching this year, is the season of music. With festivals taking place all over the world, the hottest talent and most promising new acts will be taking to the stage and making history for their audiences. As a professional in the music business, you will want to be capitalizing on this time, making sure that you are out in the field finding the next Led Zeppelin, Missy Elliot, or One Direction.
This guide is going to walk you through some of the essential information that you are going to need in order to be successful this year. Below, you will find out how to spot a great act and what your next move should be to begin breaking new ground in this exciting industry.
How to find the best new acts
One of the most sought-after skills in your profession is being able to watch a new band perform and see the potential for the future. Anyone can look at a band that is already signed and see they are good but being able to nurture a band is a whole different ball game.
You need to know what makes a great band before you start seeing acts. The key thing perhaps even more so than talent is ambition. You don’t want to put all your time and resources into a band that doesn’t see their future in music. If you back people who will put the work in to become better musicians, you will be more likely be on to a winner.
Take time researching the best new acts, listening to samples, and seeking feedback from others. This can help you to develop a sense of who to follow in the music world, safe in the knowledge you have backed the right person.
Network as a professional
If you want to promote and find the best new bands out there on the festival circuit, then you need to know how to network with the people that matter. To make this work, you are going to need to travel around, often with a busy schedule, to meet the high up executives and producers that can help your bands get to the next level.
Getting a jet charter to Van Nuys is the perfect way to get to and from these meetings and will help to communicate a sense of professionalism to those you’re meeting with. The increased freedom and flexibility that will be available to you by flying privately will increase your chances of landing successful deals, as you will not be limited to a restricted schedule or dependant on others.
Keeping a professional head at all times will help you to ensure that you evoke the appropriate persona to everybody you work with.
Make your meetings productive
Learning how to conduct an effective business meeting will aid you in getting the acts you represent noticed by the right people. Often in the music business, you need to be able to pitch an idea of a band, rather than a fully formed group of musicians.
Knowing how to address a room with confidence will help youstand good stead when it comes to the all important meetings. Consider practicing with friends or family, and have aims for the meeting so that there is a net result, and something to be gained from it.
You will also need to be able to talk confidently about what makes you excited about the band you are representing, why audiences are responding well to them, and what their unique selling point is. USP is key; there are hundreds of bands out there, so what is it about yours that makes them stand out from the rest? It is a fiercely competitive industry so you will need to go in with the best possible case, and a true belief in who you are representing. It will become apparent very quickly if you don’t believe in them! If you are confident that you are able to do this, you will instantly increase your chances of getting the important people in the business backing your team and making them the next big thing.
