 If you've played more than a dozen concerts in your life, you've probably wondered at times why you even bothered showing up to some of these shows. Even when you play in front of more people than you expected, it could feel like a waste of time when not as many people show up at that show. But I'm here to tell you that the reason you usually feel bad about your shows and feel as if it was a waste is you are doing all the wrong things at the show to make it so more people show up next time and you're not making the connections with people that get you better shows and build your fan base. So this video I'm going to tell you what you should be doing while at a show to grow your fan base. Hi, I'm Jesse Cannon, a music marketing nerd who's teaching musicians how to grow their fan base from 0 to 10,000 fans and this is Muse Formation. Okay, so in the last episode of our series on live shows, we talked about how to get on shows and obviously if that's your problem, I hope you watch that video since this video isn't going to be much help if you can't even get on shows. So if so, click that link on the screen now or in the description below. But if you're playing some good shows and at times others are duds and you're putting your all into having an amazing live show and yet you're now playing to no one, this is the right video for you. In fact, if you've just been playing to the other bands on the bill and there's significant others, everything I'm about to tell you is still totally relevant. So what I think is the biggest issue most musicians have is when they enter the building to play a show, they don't even understand what the objective is. It goes without saying you should play the best show you could possibly play and that you should be practicing and honing in your live show and show up to the show in the right mindset to put on a great show even if it's for only 10 people. But for so many musicians, they think that's all that goes into it. But really, you're not thinking about how the game of live shows and growing your fan base really works. So let's get your head screwed on straight. The most important thing you can do at a show is to bond with the other musicians, especially if you've followed my advice from the last video in the series and are playing with musicians who you found in your research and are part of your community. Now you may be thinking, Jesse, what in the goddamn hell are you talking about? The fans are the most important thing in the world. Sorry, that's not true. The musicians you are playing with are the people who will offer you the biggest chance to get more fans. They are the ones who, if they invite you on another bill as they grow, will help you grow. If they are on or get on a big management company in the future and think you're cool and a good musician, they will tell the important people they work with in the music business about you, which can open doors and grow your fan base. I tell you this because I've seen it countless times, where what really is the break for a musician is the friendship they made with another similar musician. And when they get lifted up, they bring along the musicians they like. In fact, successful musicians introduce their friends all the time to who they work with and they take you on tour because they like you and want to be around you and want to support you. The fact is you can often get numerous chances to win over the fans in your local area as you keep playing to them. But the musician that you got put on a bill with that's on the rise, you may never be in the same room with them again and have a chance to make a good impression. So making sure you make that good impression is crucial and where you should be concentrating your attention. But not only do you have to be good, you need to bond with them. I know a lot of people call this networking, but trust me, I've been in the music business for longer than many of you watching have been alive and I've never networked a goddamn day in my life. What I do instead is I walk up to people and have a genuine conversation with them. I ask them about the guitar pedal they're using. If I know they worked with a producer or a musician I like, I ask them about the experience. If they have a book with them I'm curious about, I ask them about it and see where the conversation goes. The point being, all you need to do is turn to your fellow musicians at this show and ask them where they're from, what's it like? Are there any cool places to play? Record stores? Other cool bands from that area that you should know about? Hell, you could even offer up that you know a sick YouTube channel they should watch if they're trying to promote their music. This is how those career building friendships develop is the start of a conversation and even if it doesn't go very far and result in you being BFFs, it can be a seed for the future. I can't tell you how many times I've just had a quick chat with someone and five years later my name comes up in a conversation about who to work with and the person says, he was nice, I chatted with them and that's enough to open the door. Then once that door is open, I may really vibe with that musician they sent my way and start a lifetime relationship that gets me tons of gigs. This has happened to me numerous times and is a game that can often take years to fully pay off but ask any successful musician and they will tell you one night hanging with someone can years later turn into a big opportunity if things go right. The key here really is as long as you're nice and don't punish anyone with being annoying, you're gonna make a good enough impression that they hear about you or hear a good song or someone else is telling them that you're really good. Even years later, that small good impression that really wasn't much of anything can give you a much better chance of getting an opportunity like a tour or a big show and put you ahead of the other people that are considering for it. And I'll say this, I know there's a lot of insecurity around this. I know a lot of you live in fear of some other musician being an asshole to you but that stems from you seeing this dynamic wrong. If you're nice to someone and they're an asshole to you you should be embarrassed for them since they don't get it and you do. Why would you be embarrassed when this person is clearly fucking up and being mean to someone who could one day open or close doors for them? And trust me, if they are an asshole in this day and age it's really unlikely they're gonna get far since the days of assholes getting doors open for them are ending really fast in the music business these days. Let's also remember you need to watch the other bands sets and be visible so that they see you watching them. I like to think that this has time to meditate on what they do right and wrong and take it as much as you can and think of how it relates to your music. And yes, watching the other bands is often far more important than chatting with the fans after the show. Since you could do that between acts and shouldn't be distracting fans of the show from watching the other acts. So obviously now it must be that we need to talk to the fans. But actually the next most important people that you need to build a relationship with are the venue staff. This is because the staff at a venue are tomorrow's A&R managers and booking agents as well as people you need to keep a relationship with to keep playing this venue and building your fan base. So many musicians treat clubs like a place where a maid is gonna clean up after them. Being respectful and friendly is so much of the game of being the person these people who hold many opportunities call when they can help someone out. I'll tell you straight up, when I was a booking agent the club staff would often ask me not to have a band back because of how disrespectful they were. They trashed the place, fucked with the toilet, stole something, whatever it was. I would sometimes have to comply to make sure the staff felt respected. But if you bond with the venue staff, doors can open up. You know those type of shows where the show is going to be sold out anyway with a national act and they need a local opener. And that gig could really build up your fan base and put you in the backstage with a national act. They are who holds the key to you getting that gig. So being a good guest in their house as well as being cordial to them and yet again not punishing them instead thinking of what you can add to them is the key. Here's an example, when I was a teenager I was a sound man and this band told me a joke I would then tell every sound man when I would play a venue. And if the sound man hadn't heard it for the rest of their lives, they'd think of me as the person who told it and kind of hold me in a high regard. It goes like this, what's the difference between a sound man and a toilet? A toilet gets crapped on by one asshole at a time. Every sound man would think of me when they tell that joke and if I saw them they'd always smile and be glad to see me because I made them laugh and think of a joke that really tells their plight all the time. Let's also remember, giving the venue staff a shirt is some of the best marketing you can do. When they wear your staff while they dress the stage or are talking to your favorite musicians as they play the venue they work at, it can go miles in marketing and endearing you as an important person in your music scene. Plus the venue staff are usually broke slobs and will wear anything. But truly be in the mindset that if you have something interesting to tell the venue staff, a fun joke, a story or something that will help build a bond with them, put it on them, let them know. Don't punish them with questions they've answered 50 times or CDs and vinyl they may not want. That is unless they ask. And think of what you can do to entertain or give value to them. A thing to keep in mind here is that they have interactions with musicians every day so as long as yours isn't bad, be one. Speaking of value, if this video is giving you value please like, subscribe and get notified as this is what we talk about here and you don't wanna miss a video. Okay, so we're finally connecting with the audience. Since yes, you obviously want them to come back but I focus on the musicians and the venue. Since even if you bond the show and don't build a relationship with any of the audience the venue staff and other musicians can give you other opportunities. So let's start with what you can be doing before you play. I actually think this is the best time to do the bonds with musicians and staff before the crowd even arrives. I encourage every musician I know to show up super on time for sound check since that's when you can be getting the musicians and staff bonding done. But the best time to bond with the audience is after you play. Since they are high on your music and any shyness they may have is probably put a bit more at ease since there's such a weird high live music gives off that gives you just a bit less inhibition. But the fan bonding time truly is in between sets where you can hit the merch booth and show fans they can approach you and a lot of them will feel they need to spend money too which is always helpful. But during the fan bonding time the key is to just be nice and let them guide the conversation. If they say something you're curious about or say have on some clothes you like be sure to compliment it and keep the conversation going. But a key to remember is unlike the venue staff who will do this all the time you need to remember when talking to a fan you're talking to someone who has already formed an emotional connection to you through your song so this will be important to them and remember that even the small brush offs can feel amplified for them. So being extra nice is crucial. Explaining them that you have to go and telling them that you value the interaction is crucial. And while some people can get nervous about cutting off an interaction too fast leaving them wanting more is often what gets them coming back to shows. But as long as we're discussing how you keep your shows growing we have to remember one of the biggest keys. Now obviously the other musicians can put you on their shows and the venue can invite you back but the key here is to keep fans coming back so those venues and musicians are happy when they put you on a bill. The first way you need to do that is by getting fans emails. Now I know some of you are giving me the what in the hell look right now and reaching for the remote but I don't care what you say since this is data driven and my experience of decades doing this that getting someone's email is the best way to keep them notified about your music. Particularly getting their email and their zip code so that you can email them whenever you were in their area. If they don't write down their zip code put down the zip code of the venue that you got it at. Since they have been willing to come there once and make sure put that into your email software and do a zip code targeted email every time you play there since that is the number one way to keep people coming out to shows. Now I know no one believes this when they first hear it but everyone experienced in this will tell you email is more important than anything else to packing shows. It doesn't matter what genre of music you play and if it feels weird asking for their email just to tell them how much you liked hanging out or that they really don't wanna miss the next show cause it's gonna be crazy. Meeting fans by the merch booth offers this as the best opportunity but carrying around a mailing list clipboard after you play may seem corny and outdated but my God, if that gets eight more people on it and some of those people bring out more people to a show that's how you're building a fan base these days. But some of the key to keeping fans coming back at the show is the narrative. Whether it's from the stage or in your one-on-one interactions emphasize you're growing, this is a journey and you're grateful that they were a part of the ride and hope you can keep growing together since human psychology really is that people who are out at shows are trying to experience things and link and build with people to form new relationships. So play into that psychology and get them to understand that this time is an investment into a future that you're building together. All right, if you enjoyed this video please like, subscribe and get notified when I drop videos as we're gonna keep talking about things like this here on this channel. As well, right now on the screen is a playlist on how you can grow your live shows and some next level information on playing live. As always on this channel we discuss how to go from zero to 10,000 fans and there's a playlist on that on the screen now as well as how to blow up on Spotify. Click one of them and keep learning. Thanks for watching.