Are You In Danger of Playing Too Much?

Are you in danger of playing too much in your chosen markets? We all want to gig more often, but have you really taken a look at how gigging too much in a given market might impact your ability to grow?

Some of the effects of overplaying your markets include:
1. Your audience dwindles
2. Your pay never increases
3. You can’t get prestigious gigs
4. You are covered in the media less often
5. Your CD or merchandise sales slump

You can do three important things to avoid this unappetizing scenario:

1. Keep track of your numbers
By tracking your sales, your audience counts and the size of the venues you are playing, you can see how much you are growing. You can determine, by these numbers, when it is time to stop playing once a week and start playing once a month to increase the demand rather than overexpose the act to the same audience.

2. Follow strategic goals to plot your growth in any given market
If you haven’t set some growth goals, then there is no time like now to do it. As an example: Play once a week for three months at the same venue, then move to once a month, then once every three months and work this plan for two years as you increase your demand if the numbers are telling you that you have a growing following.

3. Accept fewer invitations to play
Don’t play anywhere at any time, and be sure the shows you do play give you larger opportunities for audience and media exposure.

Look for private events and niche market events to round out your schedule to keep playing and open new audience segments in markets you already play.

Assess your current markets and evaluate the types of venues you currently play. Do they fit your career goals? If yes, then look for similar venues in nearby towns to expand your audience and build out regionally.

If the current venues are not ones you want to continue playing long-term, begin exploring smaller venues of the type you want to eventually play and make some contacts, attend conferences, and perhaps showcase to start accessing your desired venue type.

Make small, strategic steps to plan your growth, build new audiences and make sure the number of dates you play does more to help you rather than harm you. Avoid the danger of playing too much, by planning exactly how much you should play as you develop your markets.

Microphone image provided by Shutterstock.com.

Jeri Goldstein (AKA Dr. Gig) is president and founder of Performingbiz. Formerly an agent and manager, Jeri is a dedicated author and music business consultant providing resources, instruction, and consulting services to music artists to help them create a successful touring career. Her award-winning book, How To Be Your Own Booking Agent, The Musician’s & Performing Artist’s Guide To Successful Touring, is used by performers worldwide and by music business courses in the USA and Canada.

This post was excerpted from Jeri’s second book, The Tiny Guide To Huge Success 100 Biz Boosting Hot Tips to Ignite Your Performing Career. Echoes readers get a special $5 discount off the book by using the discount code WJ2JJ53Q in the space provided on the order form. Get your copy today!