Jake Smith is a TuneCore Customer Support Representative and editor of the weekly newsletter.
You can read Part I of this article on the TuneCore blog.
Part II: Planning your release party
Record release parties can be awesome for a number of reasons.
- They’re “buzz” worthy: If you’re trying to spread the word that you have a new album coming out, then a targeted event and date can lead to a lot of chatter all at once about your music. Chatter is good. (Especially when it comes from the press – invite all of your local music writers to get early reviews!)
- The crowds are bigger: In general you’ll find fans and friends feel more of an obligation to attend a record release than they do other performances. It’s a special day for you and they won’t want to miss it.
- It’s a party!: There’s a certain excitement in the air at record release events that regular performances might lack. It’s like a birthday, except with your CD instead of a baby.
If you’re getting ready to release your own CD, think back on some of the record release shows you’ve attended yourself (if you’ve never been to one, just think back on shows you’ve enjoyed, or look one up online and catch one this weekend). What, if anything, made those events memorable for you? Was it the venue, was it the lighting, was it something crazy the bass player did, etc.? How would you have done it better if you were in the same position? You’ll want to keep your answers in mind as you plan your own record release.
The Venue
One of the first things you’ll need to do is find a venue. What space is best suited for your music: a bar, a coffee shop, a living room or a back yard? How will you perform? Acoustic or full band, will you invite other extra instrumentalists (eg. guest vocalist, a string quartet), or will you just play the CD and treat it like a “listening party”?
After you’ve decided all of this, you can then make a list of exactly what you’ll need for the show. What do you already have on that list and what don’t you have that you’ll need to borrow or ensure your venue provides?
Make absolutely sure you know the following about any venue:
- What is in the venue’s “back line” – Some places will provide certain parts of a drum set, like kick and toms, while requiring you bring your own kick pedal, snare, cymbals and hardware. Some places will provide amp cabinets but will ask that you bring your own amp heads. Some places provide a few microphones but that may not be enough for you. Many venues have a great PA system, while other places will expect you to provide your own. If you come short of necessities between yourself and the venue, make sure you buy, rent, or borrow with enough time before the record release date.
- When do you need to arrive? How much time do you need for set up, and how long can you play for?
- How does the door work? How will you get paid? Is it a 50/50 split, do you have to recoup a certain amount at the door and then you take all earnings after?
- Are there age limits? If the majority of your fans are still in high school, it probably won’t do much good booking your show as a 21+ club.
- Is there an area you can use to set up a table and sell merch and CDs?
The Promotion
Some people are born promoters, while for others promotion can be excruciating. That being said, your record release is no time to start skimping in this department. In addition to posting the date and time on your myspace, website, twitter, etc., get your fans writing about you as well. When you reach out to bloggers asking them to review your CD, promote your release party through them and offer some kind of incentive for them to show (free tickets, free swag, free beer and so on). Print out flyers to post in music friendly places.
Try and think of some “hooks” to make your release more exciting. Maybe entry is free, or tickets are half price with pre-order or your ticket gets you a free copy of the CD and the cover charge includes open bar. Or another great idea… if 60 or more people attend, you and your band will play completely naked! (…or… maybe not). Playing is on the safer side you can always have some special guest who’s known to draw crowds. Which brings me to…
The Lineup
Depending on the venue, you may be able to exert varying amounts of control over the evening. If you’re in your own back yard, you can pretty much do whatever you feel like until a neighbor calls the cops. If you’re at the local coffee shop, there might already be tightly booked evening of artists before and after your performance.
If possible, you may want to see if you can get at the very least one act to specifically open for you. This is good for a few reasons.
- Other artists bring their own fans to the show, and by opening for you they are giving your group a stamp of approval (likewise, choose a band you like and your fans may be into as well).
- Having a group serve as your opener makes you the “headline” of the bill which is good for press and audience perception.
- If the act or acts opening for you are good, the audience will be pumped up and ready to go for when you come on stage.
The Performance
Far and away the most important thing is the performance itself and the music you are sharing. I don’t want to go into too much detail about this as I think we all have our own unique stage personas. That being said, here are a few “take or leave” pearls of wisdom from my own experiences:
- Practice, practice, practice. Do not go on stage and wing it (unless musical improv is part of your hook). Know your set list inside and out. Even if you and your band have played a song a thousand times but just for just this show you’re going to extend the intro, don’t just try it once during sound check and assume you’re good to go. Memorize the song order until it haunts your dreams. First impressions are lasting impressions and you do not want new potential fans witnessing a sloppy performance.
- Have someone tape the show. Good to study on your own later, good content to post online.
- Spend time on but don’t obsess over the little things – discuss outfits and “bling” with the rest of your group but don’t let it take away too much time from rehearsal.
- Brush your teeth and bathe regularly – not just for your show, but now and for the rest of your life.
The more prepared you are, the more focused you’ll be on the performance itself and the more fun you’ll have. Enjoy it and so will your audience!
Do any of you have record releases coming up or have you played any recently? Let us know about your experience.
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