How to make the most income from playing covers music.
Tips for covers musicians to make more income.
This is a blog for covers musicians on how to earn more from playing covers.
I live in Sydney NSW, Australia and make a 6 figure income from playing covers.
I do Solo, Duo and band work.
I could do as much of those 3 formats (solo-duo-band) as I wanted.
I choose to do 70% Solo, 20% Duo and 10% band work.
The truth about making a living from music.
You can make $100k a year plus – I do it and many others have also done the same.
It’s not easy – you need to be smart with business, sales, promotion and marketing.
To make the most income form covers music, you need to be adequately talented but not the best in town by any means – just good enough.
The better you are ( talent wise ) the less business skills you’ll need to a point.
But even the best talent in town misses out on many opportunities and income due to poor business skills.
I know this as I’m a full time musician AND a booking agent so I deal with many many other artists and with many venues so I understand both sides of the covers industry – the art ( talent side) and the business side.
The Business of Music – Making a living from music
Specifically the business of covers music is basically the same fundamental principles of any business.
You sell or pitch your product or goods or services to potential customers.
You actually close deals ( make agreements to perform)
You deliver a quality product that results in a further reach or demand for your services.
Let’s start with the first point – which is really promotion.
As an agent I see many great acts, or at least acts that are good enough or adequately talented enough to earn money from performing.
But I also see a step missing with many musicians.
I see this very often.
Many of us forget that there is an entire world outside of our own thoughts and ideas.
If you have an act – a solo show or a duo or a band ready to work, you may have many ideas of where to play to get paid work.
But they are all your own ideas.
If you don’t make yourself known to others then nothing much will happen.
This sounds so ridiculously simple – it is – but i see it as the most skipped step.
To make the most income form covers music …..Promote – make yourself known to others.
You cannot just make a demo clip and put it on YouTube and send it to 10 agents or venues 5-10 times.
Promotion is a continual sending out of material out over and over again to many many sources.
Think about this – how much promotion does McDonalds do?
They have TV ads EVERY day on every channel in every city in every country.
Why – because they want people to buy their food.
If you want to make a living from music, If you want people to book your Duo or Band, perhaps you should work out how to reach the most important people (that might book you) regularly.
If you’re not sending out promo stuff much at all , then you suddenly start too, you will notice a big difference.
However you’d be even smarter if you first figured out….
Exactly what to send out…
To whom…….
You could waste a lot of time sending ineffective promo to the wrong people.
If you’d like to know how to make $100k a year from playing covers music, then send me an email at
tim(at)crazyhorseentertainment.com.au.
Tim
Crazy Horse Entertainment