Boston Calling 2015. (Photo by Mike Splain)
Picture it. A beautiful summer day, not a cloud in the sky, and you tuning your instrument backstage. You can hear the roar of the crowd as you try to focus on your task, every second bringing you closer to your debut at a festival you’ve been dying to play since the first moments you decided to pursue a career in music.
And then it’s time. You step onto the stage, and if you thought the rumble was loud before, it’s nearly deafening now, and it’s all for you.
But how did you get there?
I interviewed several festival key players – Jeff Klingman of Northside Festival (Brooklyn, NY), Jeremy Weiss of the LAUNCH Music Conference & Festival (Lancaster, PA), and Fred Hausman of the Eastlake Music Festival (Oakland, CA) – to find out what turns their ear, what makes them offer an artist a spot on the lineup, tips to make your submission stand out, the importance of the live show experience (because, guys, we really mean it – your live show can’t suck), and more.
While the answers vary, there are definite commonalities which run through the mind of nearly everyone I spoke with, especially in terms of what goes into choosing artists to perform, and how artists can get one step closer to national exposure. Not to mention how to attain the kind of blow-out success that most artists dream of.
As for what keeps them in the game year after year? They all gave one very similar answer: for the love of it. For the feeling of watching artists they love break out, and knowing they were able to give them a platform to do that. Check out their tips and advice below.
1. What are the top things you look for when selecting bands to play your festival?
Hausman: I look at your EPK, your website, and your social media presence. I use these to get a better sense of who you are as an artist from a fan’s point of view. I also want to see how you represent yourselves. I'm not necessarily looking for likes or follows, but the quality of content you are producing and your fan engagement. I also look at past performances to see what your live show is like and what types of venues you have been playing. I lastly look for how you fit with the rest of the lineup.
[5 Ways to Make Your Sonicbids EPK Stand Out From the Crowd]
Weiss: We look for dynamic, distinguishable sounds. We also consider passionate and/or unique live performances, so decent live video – and as much of it as possible – is super helpful.... Being honest, it has also mattered when a band has expressed interest in participating in the entire event, or at least some part of it, beyond their performance. Bands that consider LAUNCH a “gig” are missing so much of what LAUNCH is about, from good advice to networking with nearly a hundred music pros and thousands of musicians. The showcase is part of the entire opportunity.
Klingman: Songs! Nothing will get a festival programmer’s interest faster than hitting play on a new band and falling in love on first listen. Of course, which songs will have that effect on which people remains a bit of a strange, mysterious science experiment.
Second, an audience (or at least the potential for one). We’re trying to put together a festival that a lot of people can enjoy and not just to satisfy our own personal preferences. So, if it’s clear that there’s a segment of the community we serve who might be interested in seeing a band, that can be just as valid a reason to book them as the individual likes and dislikes of the festival’s programmers.
Third, a track record. As much as it’s a thrill to be at the absolute beginning with an obviously talented but otherwise unknown artist, there still needs to be a baseline level of comfort that a band will be able to show up on the night, plug in their instruments, and put on a professional show for our badge holders.
2. What do you wish every band knew about the festival submission process?
Klingman: We really do listen to each and every thing that’s submitted, but we usually have a pretty specific idea of what we’re looking for. Often, we turn to artist submissions to find bands who fit into openings in shows that we’ve already started putting together. If a band blows us away, we will definitely try to find a spot for them in the festival. But a solid band who slots easily into the vibe of a show we actively need to finish might end up getting an even quicker approval.
Weiss: I have to say, it amazes me just how many bands submit [applications with] broken links, or links that work, but provide no music or inaudible live recordings. Sometimes, these same bands attend LAUNCH, and it turns out they’re actually very good! I know most bands know this (or at least say they know this), which is why it’s so surprising and disappointing.
Getting the very best sample of music that an artist or band has to offer is absolutely clutch. I love when an artist or group reaches out before submissions close, expressing their interest in attending LAUNCH, and maybe even expresses some genuine enthusiasm about some forthcoming piece of programming they’re interested in.
Hausman: I would like for people to pay attention to the details more. We always post our submission process and forms and try to be as open about it as possible, but I still see people miss dates, fill out the wrong information, etc. You want to make sure you are putting your best foot forward so we can judge you on your music and performance.
3. What do you think sets successful musicians apart from those who, while talented, may never get off the ground?
Weiss: I have never known of an artist or act, after they’ve worked to develop themselves and their base as best they can, who broke out big without a solid team to take them to that next level. There are simply too many people and things you have to know to assume that you can do it entirely on your own (if we are talking about artists who are looking for serious breakout success, not those who do it “for the love” and merely satisfied with wherever that takes them).
Klingman: I think that a lot of it has to do with timing which, unfortunately, is not something that’s easy to plan for, or to manufacture. The bands who really take off might happen to be the best songwriters or the most polished performers, or they could be complete neophytes who are hitting on a novel sound at a counterintuitive moment.
Artistically, the only way to proceed is to figure out what it is that excites you as a musician, as a listener, and dig as deep into that stuff as you possibly can, without giving too much tortured thought to what you’d anticipate other people might want. Professionally, though, treating everyone you come across – venue staff, sound people, and fans – with as much kindness and respect as you can muster is vital. The industry is a pretty small world; being a jerk will always catch up to you.
4. What do you wish everyone who attends music festivals and conferences understood?
Weiss: Good conferences are a highly concentrated pool of great instructors, talented professionals, and tons of bands with which to build these relationships. Festivals, as well, provide nice crowds to perform in front of…but they also give artists the opportunity to be around and build relationships with other talented artists, and for that artist’s team to build relationships with other artists' teams.
Hausman: The amount of work, passion, and love we put into making a festival a reality. I work with an all-volunteer festival and everyone is giving their all to make it a reality. We are not in it for the money. We want the experience to be the best it can be for the audience and our performers.
Klingman: It’s often the smaller shows or stranger bills that festival organizers and our showcase presenters are most personally excited about, and the ones we’ve put the most effort into making happen. So, even when you’re walking into some room around town randomly…there are people who’ve been thinking very hard about what’s at the end of that impulsive whim to check something out. You get the most out of a festival badge by being loose and allowing for those unanticipated experiences.
Ready to perform at a festival? Apply to Indie Week Canada 2016 before it closes on August 11, or check out all of these other festivals currently booking independent bands and artists.
Get more tips for playing festivals:
- Secrets to a Successful Festival Performance
- 3 Things I Wish I Knew Before Playing My First Festival
- How to Turn Festival Attendees Into Fans
- How to Break Your Indie Band Into the Music Festival Circuit: Advice From Fest Veterans Wild Adriatic
- 3 Things Every Band Should Know for Festival Season
Angela Mastrogiacomo is the founder and CEO of Muddy Paw PR, which specializes in personalized campaign initiatives for independent artists. Muddy Paw artists have seen placements in Noisey, Idobi Radio, AbsolutePunk, PureVolume, Substream, and many other leading publications. Angela also owns music blog Infectious Magazine, and is the curator of several chapters of the music community Balanced Breakfast. She loves hanging out with her dog, eating ice cream, and a good book. Read more at https://angelamastrogiacomo.wordpress.com/
