Tag Archives: indie band
Making Every Gig a Great Gig
© 2010 Vinny Ribas Have you ever played a 4-hr. gig that seemed to last 10 hrs? Have you ever been in a venue where you were completely ignored? Have you ever had the feeling that you really weren’t the right act for the room? Would it surprise you to know that even superstars have…
100 Valuable Tips For Indie Artists
10 Things That Keep A Musician From Being Hired For A Lot Of Gigs Unkempt (messy, dirty, etc.) Poor equipment or equipment that keeps breaking Bad attitude Foul mouth Putting down others Sloppy playing Not a team player Not willing to carry his or her own weight Inability to memorize songs and licks Unwillingness to…
Vital Indie Artist Lessons I’ve Learned the Hard Way
© 2015 Vinny Ribas There is no replacement for experience. But in sharing these true experiences, I am hoping that I can help you avoid making costly mistakes! I once messed the date up on a booking which left a very popular club without a band on a Saturday night. THE LESSON: Always double-check your…
Changing Directions Midstream
© 2010 Vinny Ribas It is not uncommon for an artist to decide somewhere midstream that he or she has somehow wound up pursuing a career path that is not true to the artist’s nature. The result might mean changing musical genres, moving from performer to a different role in the business, focusing more on…
10 Things You Need To Know About Social Networking
© 2010 Vinny Ribas Anything bad that you say or do online can and will be held against you. Be very careful what you say, who you knock etc. It may be legal, but it could come back to bite you when you’re applying for a job, trying to get a gig (you may have…
What’s The Big Deal (about you)?
© 2010 Vinny Ribas In order to gain regional, national and international exposure, you need to ‘create a buzz’. What that means is that you need to give fans, other artists and music industry personnel one or more reasons to talk about you. If you do this effectively, your notoriety will grow virally, resulting in…
The Big Fish Strategy
© 2010 Vinny Ribas We’ve all heard stories about the hometown queen/aspiring actress who moved to Hollywood to be a star, only to be lost in an endless sea of other wannabes. The reason they make this life change is because very few people can make a living as an actor or actress if they…
Steering Your Own Musical Destiny
© 2009 Vinny Ribas There are leaders, and there are followers. Leaders take the bull by the horns and they run with it. They create, innovate and find solutions. They are constantly generating new ideas and then acting on them. Followers, on the other hand, wait to ride the coattails of others. They see what…
Giving Music Away Smartly
© 2009 Vinny Ribas There is an ongoing debate regarding giving music away for free. Those who are against it argue that artists and songwriters should get paid for everything they create, and that giving music away keeps fans expecting more for free and prevents them from buying music. While I agree the public is…
20 Places To Promote Your Shows For Free
© 2009 Vinny Ribas Here are a number of places where you might be able to promote your shows for free. Keep in mind that these promotions only work if you keep them completely up to date. Keep in mind that there are tools like ArtistData.com that enable you to syndicate your events onto multiple…