10 replies to this topic

[transonic]

Mondegreen just started seriously using Sonicbids and it seems like a good way to get booked for festivals around the country and in Canada. We were just offered a free 6-month membership to Onlinegigs because we submitted an entry in the International Songwriting Competition. Wonder if it would be worth the money to join Gigmasters and try to go for high-level contract gigs at casinos and larger venues.

Anybody else have any thoughts? Here's a rundown on these three sites.

1. Onlinegigs.com - Here's the deal: you pay about $20 per month to access onlinegigs.com's database of venues, colleges, bars, etc., which includes information about who to contact, how much shows pay, etc. If you can truthfully update any information for a venue, the website cuts $1 off of your monthly charge, so by updating a lot of information, your subscription would minimal or even free. This leads to a fairly complete database that users constantly try to keep updated.

2. Gigmasters - There's a hefty $99-for-3-months membership of Gigmasters. They negotiate high-paying contracts with casinos, hotels, etc., and bands could possibly make quite a bit of money from a short membership with Gigmasters. Once these venues know you and you put on a good show, they could end up hiring a band back several times. If you build those relationships, then you could drop your Gigmasters subscription.

3. SonicBids - The perpetual contests sponsored by Sonic Bids may strike some as seeming a bit like a scam, but really they're not the important draw of the website. The best part is the electronic press kit that Sonic Bids lets you create. It's become the standard in the music industry for EPKs, and a lot of venues and potential employers browse around on Sonic Bids looking for a band that meets their requirements. I think it's certainly worth taking the time to set up an EPK on this website.

[unluckycharm]

I've thought about sonicbids, but haven't signed up.

[bunnyeyes]

RV signed up at sonicbids and got a few nibbles off of there and some nice online airplay. It's free to do the online press kit so it can't hurt and you only pay for gigs you apply to.

[psykosteve]

Sonic Bids is like anything else it still is about the content on the page. When some one looks at the page do you have high profile tour dates, is there good press, are the songs good, are there professional photos, is there a story?

At the end of the day you still have to stand out, still have to be remarkable.

[bob]

i only have experience with sonicbids, but not as a band, as 'the press' and i would say it's a huge waste of time. a nice myspace page with relevant information and a physical tasteful (non-wasteful) press pack are far more important and if a band can't figure out who to get that stuff to, than hiring an actual person, not a user-unfriendly website chock full of millions of shlocky bands just like yours, would be the way to go. and if that person wants to waste their time, then at least its not such a time-loss.

[psykosteve]

Here is one local band that does this stuff great. I am amazed more bands don't do it more like them.

Go look at :
http://kinchpress.com/

And Here (This one is a link to all the real press on them):
http://www.kinchband.../klog/press.php

[Tony]

Here is one local band that does this stuff great. I am amazed more bands don't do it more like them.

Go look at :
http://kinchpress.com/

And Here (This one is a link to all the real press on them):
http://www.kinchband.../klog/press.php

that's pretty slick.

the question i'd have is how in the hell do they get that much press? do they have a publicist or something? i mean, i know they're good and all, but that press page is HUGE.

[Tortheviking]

Oh god just be a good band and meet people and be supportive of other bands/promoters/venues/touring bands and you will be supported in return. Save your money for christ's sake.

That's my two centz anyway.

[psykosteve]

Here is one local band that does this stuff great. I am amazed more bands don't do it more like them.

Go look at :
http://kinchpress.com/

And Here (This one is a link to all the real press on them):
http://www.kinchband.../klog/press.php

that's pretty slick.

the question i'd have is how in the hell do they get that much press? do they have a publicist or something? i mean, i know they're good and all, but that press page is HUGE.

They have got almost all that press themselves. I think the main way to get press is to be worth writing about. They tour a tone. I would guess they played 100 shows on the road this year including tours with Dear And The Headlights and Local H.

The second part is by having pages like those. When that press page went live there were three lame links on it. But it builds on itself. Now when they send that link to people like blogs the blogs are as impressed and are then more likely to pay attention. I think a lot of it is doing the little things right.

[psykosteve]

Oh god just be a good band and meet people and be supportive of other bands/promoters/venues/touring bands and you will be supported in return. Save your money for christ's sake.

That's my two centz anyway.

I don't think it is that easy. I want to see bands that are proactive and work their ass off. Fugazi did not make it because they were good, they made it because they were good AND they worked their ass off.

I also can not respect artists who are unwilling to invest in their own art. If you don't think your art is worth spending money on why should anyone else?

[fatguyaz]

Oh god just be a good band and meet people and be supportive of other bands/promoters/venues/touring bands and you will be supported in return. Save your money for christ's sake.

That's my two centz anyway.

Fugazi did not make it because they were good, they made it because they were good AND they worked their ass off. AND one of the members happened to be the singer for one of the most influential punk band in the world. That helps a bit.

fixed