i had chats with three separate indie musicians last night, two of whom are full-time and have no safety net underneath them (a.k.a. no dayjob). one of these musicians was jason dolan, a talented songwriter i recently worked with on a cd artwork project. all three musicians touched on the immense challenge of getting people out to their shows. of course, i know this firsthand in that i once ran a music festival in 2007 at jammin’ java and managed a recording artist for a year. there’s also the very small detail that i am an indie musician myself – on the side (and i only surface every couple of years). any way, i suggested the risky (yet also sensible) concept of less being more. read on for what i offered specifically.

if you’re free to roam the country and perform, then this won’t apply as much to you. you have multiple markets. if you’re a local musician, then you should consider playing only 1-3 shows a month. i know what you’re thinking…how can i make any money doing this? well, stick with me here. you would only perform at the best places. you would spend more time promoting the shows (because less time is anchored in rehearsals and performances, and more would be on the line). are you starting to see what i’m offering here?

playing too often waters down the potency of your schedule and invites people to get lazy. they already have wii and loved ones (maybe even kids) at home. they have jobs that are beating them down, leaving them in no shape to come see you perform all that often. when you gig too much in your backyard, people get comfortable with the idea that you don’t need them to show up. you’re a busy musician and won’t miss their patronage. they begin to build a habit of not showing up, and creep closer and closer to never coming to any of your shows in the month.

when you perform less, each show has the potential for being a special occasion. make sure you pick only the best venues, insist on people coming out through more serious promotions and constantly remind people that you’ll only be playing once or twice in their area. one last thing – you have to be honest with your peeps and let them know how important it is to you that they show up. remind them what you have invested in your music and that venues are counting on people showing up or they won’t book you again. if you say none of this, then you risk people not caring because they don’t understand the reality of your world.

remember that many people continue to believe that being in the music business is at least somewhat glamorous. they completely miss just how much of an emotional grind and mindcrush it can be to perform live music on a regular basis.