Entrepreneurship: Making The Most of The Holiday Season
6 Tips: How to Book Better Holiday Gigs
By Emily Kulinowski
The holiday season is in full swing, and so is the demand for holiday music. Getting gigs this holiday season can be intimidating- especially if you’re new to the industry. Knowing where to perform, what to perform, and creative ways to market yourself can be key elements to a successful performance.
Gigging During The Holidays
The holidays can be a busy time for musicians. Between playing seasonal gigs, wrapping up end-of-year projects, and preparing for the new year, it’s important to have tools at our disposal to be successful.
The Den Collective partners with Resource Maxim Adams, a music producer, audio engineer, and artist to provide entrepreneurship resources to those who want to learn more. I interviewed Maxim to get his professional take on how musicians can book better holiday gigs this season; keep reading to learn more about our conversation!
1.E: How can musicians market their music and brand during the holiday season?
M: “Marketing your brand during the holiday season is a great way to get some traction to slingshot you into New Year's Eve. I think targeting your music or creative outlet to align with the holiday's themes can always be a great move when it comes to marketing your newest projects.
Personally, I like to adjust my music taste and style depending on the weather. When It starts to get colder outside I notice that I like to listen/create more comforting, softer types of sounds. Could be an interesting idea when curating your own sounds during different times of the year.
Also, I think Tik Tok is a great platform to get your music and content out to so many new people. Unlike Instagram (which I mainly do a lot of my promotion on), I think Tik Tok targets users that exist further outside of your inner circle of followers which makes it perfect to reach a whole new clientele during the holidays.”
2.E: How do you negotiate holiday parties and overtime?
M: “Negotiating your gig salary can always be intimidating at first, but I think the most important thing you can do is to understand the worth of what you bring to the gig.
No matter what area of production you're a part of, in order to do a good job you need to feel comfortable with your salary. This means even turning down certain opportunities where you feel like you are being taken advantage of for the amount of time and work you are putting into it.
If you already have a good working relationship with the person paying you and you have shown consistency/stability in your service, more times than not they would be more interested in keeping you on board rather than have to look for a new person to fill your place.
When negotiating, try to explain what you're actually providing in your service to use as evidence to support your salary raise. A lot of the time your employer doesn't know about all of the smaller details and costs it takes to provide the high level of work you do.
Most importantly know your worth. I think hard work and hustling is a very important mindset, but just be careful in taking gigs that don't have reasonable pay because once you do it makes it harder to get out of that level of gigs.
Try and hold out for the opportunities that make you feel happy and seem worth your time. Those opportunities will more likely lead you to better ones simply because you are vibrant and feeling good about what you're working on. Working inside your element is what it's all about.”
3.E: What would you say bookers are looking for these days?
M: “Bookers these days are definitely looking for a huge social media presence and a ton of followers. Personally, I don't think it's the most important thing to look at, but there is a lot of hype these days built around your social media presence.
Try and stay consistent with releasing new art that you are super happy with. People tend to gravitate towards someone who's confident in their art and overall energy level. If you feel excited about your new song or content then the people around you will feel that and want to add to it.
Be kind and let opportunities come to you. A lot of the time you have to be in the right place at the right time which can be a result of luck, but can also be because you're putting yourself in enough places at enough times for one to finally be at the right moment.
With that luck, being prepared and calm about your artistic vision definitely will give you the readiness to take on more demanding opportunities with the confidence bookers wanna see. Be prepared with a grouped link to what you're creating and share it like a business card.”
“Always come with an open mind and try not to make it only about getting something in return.”
4.E: What does it take to book different tiers of performance venues? (difference between say a coffee shop, a club, or a huge arena)
M: “Booking different levels of shows can happen in a lot of different ways. My best advice is to get out there and make connections. Go to your friend's shows. Support your friend's art and meet-up events. Meet new people through your main contact.
Building your contact list will definitely be the most reliable way to start booking bigger shows. These days I usually won't go out to a show or a networking opportunity unless I know at least one person on the inside of the event.
Having that inside contact at the event will help you meet and get in contact with the right people. This is because it focuses your time and opportunities so you don't end up just having to guess who is the best person to start a conversation with.
Always come with an open mind and try not to make it only about getting something in return. Networking should be a mutual conversation of light interests and the excitement of possibly meeting up again later to really get to know someone better. That's if the vibes are right and feeling good.
Grabbing their Instagram is great- but obtaining their email is even better. Try and ask them questions about what they are doing and what they've been up to. Let them wonder about what you do and let them lean into you. Your main goal is building relationships, not just opportunities!”
5.E: How can musicians make the most of virtual performances if they can’t or aren’t ready to perform in person yet?
M: “Virtual performances are definitely the way of the future. I would definitely do some research on one of the "IK IRIGS" and invest in one immediately.
Having your picture looking good is only half the battle. Having the sound feeling full and precise definitely adds another dimension when people are listening on headphones or even through their phone/laptop speakers. The "IK IRIGS" are able to take the mix from your console/mixer and send that clean mixed feed directly to your live streams on your phone.
Also, remember that live streaming should be fun and can be a great way to practice your stage presence without the nervousness of being in front of a physical audience. Use these virtual concerts as a way to test out your unreleased music or to get to know your audience on a better level.
Knowing who your audience is can be really important information to have when trying to focus your promotional tools to be as effective as possible.”
6.Trending & Classic Music You Need to Know to Have The Best Set
It’s the holiday season, and there are so many holiday songs to choose from it can be hard to know where to start. From the classics to new releases, you need to know what songs are popular and what your audiences will want to hear.
Your audiences might have different tastes, so be mindful of what each audience is hoping to hear when you perform. Holiday music can help bring joy to the people listening so you want to make them as happy as you can.
According to Glamour Magazine and Parade, here are some of the most popular classics and new releases this holiday season:
Songs To Have The Best Set This Season- The Den Collective
Booking Holiday Performances
These tools for success will help you book better gigs this holiday season, as well as gigs year-round. Knowing how to market your music & brand, negotiating pay and overtime, what bookers are looking for, how to book different tiers of venues, making the most of virtual performances, and the current trends in music will help you make the most of the holiday season.
We’d like to thank our Resource Maxim Adams for taking the time to answer these interview questions. To learn more about Maxim, you can find him on Instagram @maximadamsss. Other resources can be found here.
Understanding the holiday gig economy and the tools you have around you is important when making a living as a performing artist. Myself and The Den Collective are here to support and help in any way we can!
