I HAVE A VISION to grow the music scene in Berkshire by creating an ecosystem where artists, venues, and audiences all benefit.
Firstly, a huge thank you for joining us so far. Because we have proven the concept, there are now venues and events coming to us to source new talent, which means y’all get paid!
THE MELBOURNE EFFECT
This will all happen by what I’m calling the Melbourne Effect. While traveling in Melbourne in 2017–2018, I noticed that every bar and venue needed live music to attract audiences.
All the most popular bars started putting live music in their venues as entertainment, and therefore, all other bars had to compete for custom. This meant higher demand for artists, which led to more punters, which meant more revenue for venues!
HOW WE MAKE THIS HAPPEN
At the moment we have separate musical communities in Reading, Wokingham, Maidenhead, Windsor, Newbury and other areas. By connecting these networks, we can encourage circulation which means fresh experiences and exposure to wider audiences.
THE PROBLEM – At this time, there’s a lot of live music on, but these events are advertised on many different social media pages, forums and websites, which is very difficult for audiences to find the right event for them.
They have to search through a lot of content which is exhausting and time consuming.
THE SOLUTION – one centralised calendar, showcasing a selection of live music events. With this website a user can go to site, search the time/date/location/genre and see a list of suitable events to choose from.
THE PLATFORM BENEFITS EVERYONE
Artists
- Networking is how most musicians get work. We believe that this happens best in person, at open mic and songwriters nights, so you can meet people and organically connect, rather than meeting people online.
- The newsletter provides weekly advice on how to upskill into performing for a fee
- We can also recommend local retailers (e.g recording studios) and promote discounts
Audiences
- Audiences benefit by having one central location to find information on both artists and venues.
- This allows them to search genres, times and locations spontaneously and therefore make the right decision easily.
Venues
- Most venues advertise through their own social media and websites. Our website offers more affordable advertising to wider audiences who are actively looking for events in Berkshire.
- They also have access to the artist network and can reach out independently to arrange events.
WHAT WE NEED FROM YOU
In order to gain these opportunities we need to have sign-ups for venues and retailers to tap into to connect with. The newsletter can then provide discounts and future gig opportunities to artists.
The website traffic also encourages venues to list their events on the website, which in turn attracts audiences.
To help you get paid work as a professional, I recommend you review these previous articles:
- Your Route To Success
- Marketing: Back To Basics
- Networking Is Your Best Friend
- Navigating Negotiation
- Get Yourself Organised
The more you follow these tips the more appealing you are to venues and audiences, which means more shows!
SUMMARY
We aim to close the gap between venues, artists and audiences to make it easier to promote growth and circulation in the Berkshire music scene.
By simply providing all the information in one place, we can remove the friction of finding music and therefore increase activity.
The more sign-ups we get the more opportunities will arise, so let’s grow together!
Thank you to all for your support so far, it is a privilege to be part of such an awesome community!