By Gamal Hennessy
The idea of the aspiring musician or dancer who comes to New York to make a name for themselves is a classic nightlife story. How many movies start off with this basic premise? How many real people have left their town or their country with their guitar on their back, dreaming of packing the Garden?
Of course the reality has little in common with the myth. The world class producer is not going to hear you humming to yourself on the subway and book you for the Knitting Factory. Musicians, DJs or any type of performer faces stiff competition to perform in the center of the universe. While most of being a working musician in New York is about perseverance, personality and luck, we have some tips to help you along.
Love What You Do
The most important thing about performing in New York is your love for performing. It is the only thing that will keep you going when you are out there hustling. In the business of art, you have to love your art because the business aspect sucks. This isn’t because nightlife operators are terrible abusive people (though some of them are). It is because the level of competition and the size of the city itself will magnify your obstacles.
The Elements of a Gig
I’m not a musician, but being a DJ is one of my hustles and a lot of my friends are musicians. People outside those communities aren’t aware of all the work that goes into the show before the show even starts. This list will give you an idea:
· You have to find the venues where you can play.
· You have to contact management, set up the gig, deal with the contract (often there is no contract)
· You have to promote the gig (social networks like myspace and facebook help, but I think the response rate is still only about 10-15%, so if you invite 40, you might get 4, if you invite 100 and you might get 10) because playing to an empty room isn’t fun.
· You have to deal with your equipment whether you are setting it up after the last band went on, breaking it down before the next band goes on, watching it so it doesn’t get stolen, or the inevitable situation when some part of your equipment of the venues equipment doesn’t work.
· If you’re a DJ you have to find some way to handle requests, which is universally annoying.
· If the gig does pay (and many don’t) you have to go through the motions of getting paid. People often don’t run up to you with fistfuls of money. If you have other people in your band or other DJ’s that play with you, you have to pay them. When its all over you might realize that the cost of the gig was more than you got paid for it.
All this takes energy and effort. And keep in mind that while you’re doing all of this you actually have to practice your music and find some way to eat and pay rent, because performing might not pay your bills. Playing a gig in New York is equal parts hustle and talent. Actually, hustle might be more important than talent.
The Power of Advertising
If all of this seems disheartening, it might help to look at your gig as an advertisement rather than a paycheck. Consider this; if you are trying to build an audience, or sell your music, get better paying gigs or get discovered what better way to let people know about you besides actually hearing you play? Your show is a sample of your art. It is a path to build a following. So when you start out, play for exposure, not for cash. Cash can come later. Just make sure you have a job so you can eat while you’re waiting for your big pay day.
The Magic of the Moment
There are many aspects of performing in New York that are stressful. Many venues don’t pay musicians or DJs to play. Most nightlife performers don’t get discovered. But in spite of all that, there is still something great about having a good show. Performing is a rush. You can’t eat applause and a full dance floor won’t pay your rent. The people that you make smile or come up to you and compliment your set won’t get you on TV or buy your CD, but money can’t create the feeling of connection, pride or euphoria that comes from a good set.
Have fun.
Gamal
The idea of the aspiring musician or dancer who comes to New York to make a name for themselves is a classic nightlife story. How many movies start off with this basic premise? How many real people have left their town or their country with their guitar on their back, dreaming of packing the Garden?
Of course the reality has little in common with the myth. The world class producer is not going to hear you humming to yourself on the subway and book you for the Knitting Factory. Musicians, DJs or any type of performer faces stiff competition to perform in the center of the universe. While most of being a working musician in New York is about perseverance, personality and luck, we have some tips to help you along.
Love What You Do
The most important thing about performing in New York is your love for performing. It is the only thing that will keep you going when you are out there hustling. In the business of art, you have to love your art because the business aspect sucks. This isn’t because nightlife operators are terrible abusive people (though some of them are). It is because the level of competition and the size of the city itself will magnify your obstacles.
The Elements of a Gig
I’m not a musician, but being a DJ is one of my hustles and a lot of my friends are musicians. People outside those communities aren’t aware of all the work that goes into the show before the show even starts. This list will give you an idea:
· You have to find the venues where you can play.
· You have to contact management, set up the gig, deal with the contract (often there is no contract)
· You have to promote the gig (social networks like myspace and facebook help, but I think the response rate is still only about 10-15%, so if you invite 40, you might get 4, if you invite 100 and you might get 10) because playing to an empty room isn’t fun.
· You have to deal with your equipment whether you are setting it up after the last band went on, breaking it down before the next band goes on, watching it so it doesn’t get stolen, or the inevitable situation when some part of your equipment of the venues equipment doesn’t work.
· If you’re a DJ you have to find some way to handle requests, which is universally annoying.
· If the gig does pay (and many don’t) you have to go through the motions of getting paid. People often don’t run up to you with fistfuls of money. If you have other people in your band or other DJ’s that play with you, you have to pay them. When its all over you might realize that the cost of the gig was more than you got paid for it.
All this takes energy and effort. And keep in mind that while you’re doing all of this you actually have to practice your music and find some way to eat and pay rent, because performing might not pay your bills. Playing a gig in New York is equal parts hustle and talent. Actually, hustle might be more important than talent.
The Power of Advertising
If all of this seems disheartening, it might help to look at your gig as an advertisement rather than a paycheck. Consider this; if you are trying to build an audience, or sell your music, get better paying gigs or get discovered what better way to let people know about you besides actually hearing you play? Your show is a sample of your art. It is a path to build a following. So when you start out, play for exposure, not for cash. Cash can come later. Just make sure you have a job so you can eat while you’re waiting for your big pay day.
The Magic of the Moment
There are many aspects of performing in New York that are stressful. Many venues don’t pay musicians or DJs to play. Most nightlife performers don’t get discovered. But in spite of all that, there is still something great about having a good show. Performing is a rush. You can’t eat applause and a full dance floor won’t pay your rent. The people that you make smile or come up to you and compliment your set won’t get you on TV or buy your CD, but money can’t create the feeling of connection, pride or euphoria that comes from a good set.
Have fun.
Gamal
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2 comments:
I completely agree. The problem with starting out, though, is where do you get those first gigs to get the momentum going? This is the piece of the 'hustle' I'm having trouble with. Most places won't book me because they haven't heard of me. I can't get exposure, though, because no one will let me play!
This may be counter intuitive, but I think the best way to get that initial push is to either play open mike/ turntable nights or request to play for free at venues you are interested in.
You might wind up playing on a sunday afternoon to a mostly empty room but things can get better from there. A demo will also help, but I don't know if that is better than putting yourself out there.
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