Music Biz is like the A/C Biz (Don’t complain; decline)
Booking gigs can be a frustrating experience.
One post has been circling the musical corners of the Internet for a few years: “Why Music Venues Are Totally Lost: An Open Letter from a Professional Musician” – read here
Today, a post from Grassyroots about the same theme caught my attention: “Dear Person Asking Me to Play Your Gig” – read here
These posts make a lot of sense. Musicians have understandable pet-peeves.
However, here’s something these posts aren’t saying: look for red flags, stick to your standards, and decline the gig.
* * * Music Business; the A/C Business * * *
When approached by a potential client, you need to ask direct questions and look for red flags, and you should decline the gig when seeing warning signs, hints of unprofessionalism, or things that aren’t a good fit for where you are in your career.
My brother-in-law Corey helps manage a successful A/C business. We were sharing stories about the challenges of running one’s own business, and discovered how the music business is very similar when it comes to talking to clients.
A/C work can be stressful. Someone’s air-conditioner is broken. It’s a 100 degree day in Texas. That person wants their cooler fixed, now!
But there is a waiting list. There are challenges to diagnosing problems. There are folks who don’t want to pay for quality repairs. And some are looking for the lowest price point, yet expect the highest results.
Corey told me, “I listen for red flags when I’m talking to potential clients on the phone, and I might say something that will dissuade them from hiring us, before I even have to decline the work.
I have to protect my repair workers’ time, and a demanding client who wants to pay less to nothing is going to hurt the business.”
* * * Questions to Ask * * *
As a musician, we need to do the same thing. Ask questions:
- How much does the gig pay?
- What does the venue expect?
- What do you expect from the venue?
- What promotion will the venue offer?
- How much times goes into this gig?
- How will this gig affect other gigs in the calendar?
If you are a professional, you don’t need to spend your time complaining about unprofessional businesses; you decline the work. You move on. You save your time and best work for your respectful clients.
PS: If you aren’t getting enough work, and feel the urge to take on unprofessional clients to get by, you need to brainstorm changes, ASAP. It happens for all of us, but as Seth Godin says, “don’t race to the bottom.”
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