Wicked D's Network

A little over a week ago I was inspired enough by Derek Sivers’ blog, ‘Not happy with existing venues? Make a new one‘, to write of my own experiences regarding the subject. I highly recommend you read it as well. You may also want to read Part 1 of my story, ‘Pay To Play Is NOT A Necessary Evil aka Create Your Own Gig!‘.  Part 1 spoke of one particular gig that really paid off.  In part 2, I will show you how we expanded the ‘Create Your Own Gig’ principle into a successful (money making) formula.

Again, when you live in a city (Houston) boasting a land mass nearly that of Los Angeles & Chicago combined, with no centrally located music scene, it’s just not cost effective to play for exposure or worse, pay to play! So, my band, Wicked Rage, came up with our own game plan. Using the same basic principle as our mega-gig, discussed in part 1, we took over local clubs. One venue at a time.

I’m not talking the big named clubs, we had already made our rounds in the Houston club circuit, playing to other musicians and their girlfriends. We weren’t looking for an opening slot for a big named act either. Really no point in that. Very few of the hundreds or even thousands in attendance will ever remember you, much less buy your merch, or spread the word. We were going to take baby steps. 30 – 40 paying customers would beat the hell out of hundreds who not only wouldn’t pay, but probably wouldn’t remember us in the morning.

Our plan was to approach a local bar/pub/icehouse with the idea of a ‘Metal Night’. This would be a small venue that may not normally play host to original bands or may not have bands at all. We would convince the owner to let us do a trial run on any given night of the week. The first night would be a freebie. All we asked is that we be allowed to sell merchandise. Should it turn out to be a profitable night for the bar owner, we would then negotiate a return fee.

Note: We didn’t just play Heavy Metal music, we put on a performance! Not only onstage, but off stage as well. Fast Willie, a guitarist from Ted Nugent’s School of Hard Rocks would be on top of tables, running across the bar, or sometimes out the front door to round up potential drive-by customers. I was known for running through the venue shaking hands, slapping high fives, or toting a pitcher of beer, refilling glasses along the way. Drawing names off the mailing list for free merch was also part of our routine. We were there for the fans and we wanted them to know it!

This worked so well for ‘Bud’s Icehouse’ (and it’s patrons) in South Houston, that the owner, ‘Bud’, allowed us to set up permanently! He had a small stage constructed and told us we were welcome to use his bar as a jam room any time we wanted. We also made Bud’s a regular monthly stop, splitting the bar and selling merch. The regulars were also more than happy to get out and promote Wicked Rage.

With one bar down, we moved to the South East side to a little pub called O’Brian’s. Rumor had it that Matt (owner) didn’t like anything heavier than classic rock, so we took a different approach. A couple of the barmaids were fans of ours as well as a number of his patrons, but the kicker was the newly added DJ booth. I had Gretchen, my favorite waitress, slip the DJ one of the Wicked Rage demos. He announced that the vocalist (me) of the next song was in the house, then played the track. The bar erupted (most in there knew me personally) and Matt took notice. He asked the DJ to spin another tune off my CD, then approached me personally to ask if that was really my music. After a lengthy discussion, Wicked Rage had a gig! Not only that, we packed O’Brian’s so tight that he begged us back, again & again.

Quickly noticing a pattern, we began to create a spiral effect, adding a different bar almost weekly. With Bud’s as the center of the spiral, we slowly spread out farther & farther away from our home base of South Houston. Eventually hitting clubs on the Southwest, West, and Northwest sides, some 50+ miles away, maintaining an amazing crowd draw, due to word of mouth and great references from previous club owners. Not to mention, thanks to my new DJ friend from O’Brian’s, who also worked for a jukebox vendor. That’s right, the Wicked Rage CD made it onto several jukeboxes throughout the Houston area! Networking

The funny thing about our system was that many of the “well known’ bands from a particular area couldn’t bring as many people as we brought when we played their home base! Unfortunately, instead of adapting our principles, networking with us, and interacting with our fans, they would make it clear we would not be on the same bill again. WTF?!?!? Professional jealousy? As a working musician who wants to make money in this business, I suggest learning from those who have a formula for success, not shun them.

The key ingredients to making this work (in my humble opinion) are non-stop networking, sincere fan interaction, a strong desire to succeed (coupled with an unquenchable thirst for knowledge), and creative visualization!

Make sure you greet and/or respond to everyone you come in contact with. Get to know club owners, agents, DJs, barkeeps, and waitresses personally. Saying “thank you” is a wicked kicker! Get your fans involved. Give them some freebies, mention some of them by name, reward them for making you what you are. You’ve gotta really want it and be willing to work for it. Learn from those who are doing it successfully. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Knowledge of the biz and what really works is a must.

Last, but not least, see it happening to you and believe it. Your are not only creating your own gig, you are creating your own destiny!