So You're Playing A Festival

I have a lot of friends that play festivals this time of year. Some of them play with major touring acts and others are on the lower rungs of touring, so they're only too happy for the chance to get in front of a lot of people.

One of the things I've noticed is that acts that are playing a festival in the support positions usually don't adequately take advantage of the situation though, and an article on the CD Baby DIY Musician blog goes into some detail on this.

While you can read the original post, I've excerpted a few points that caught my eye and included my own explanations.

• Provide a good publicity photo. It's hard to believe that many acts don't have a great photo for situations like this. You can read some other posts on photos on this blog about it, but the big thing is that you can't expect that you friend with an iPhone or a cheap DLSR camera is going to get the same results as a pro. Spend the money for a great photo; it's worth it, especially when it comes to the free publicity that you'll get from a festival.

• Provide a strong bio. Bios for artists and bands can be tough if they have no history. One thing that many artists do is focus on either the stars they've opened for, are friends with, have worked with, or know. While it might be okay to use this info in passing, the bio is supposed to be about you. These things may be a validation in your mind, but not to someone who's reading it. Find what's unique about yourself or your music as the focal point.

• Focus on how great you are live. Everyone knows that recordings are polished and may not be a true indication of how well you perform. That's why it's important to focus on how great you are live in a bio. After all, that's what the festival is all about.

• Actively promote your appearance. Playing a festival is a noteworthy achievement and is worth promoting, both to help you with other bookings, and to get your fans to the festival. It's always great to play in front of friendly faces, and your fans enthusiasm can be contagious. My friends in SNEW go as far as to take out targeted television ads to announce that they're playing a festival.

Playing a festival is a very cool thing. Make the most of it, by taking a little time to prepare beforehand.

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