If you are a rapper or a singer, by now I'm sure that you have ran across the opportunity to do a showcase at some big venue such in your area. The only catch was that you had to buy a certain amount of tickets up front (usually 200) for about a dollar each. The promoter's sales pitch is that if you purchase the tickets at 1.00 each, you can then turn around and sell them to your fans for any price you want and keep the difference as a profit for you or your band.
The only catch is that you have to either buy the tickets up front or sign a contract agreeing to pay a certain amount to the promoter on the night of the show before you perform.
You buy the 200 tickets for 200.00, then you harass all of your friends and family to buy a ticket for 4.00 or 5.00 each....some of them do, the rest say they will before the show, but you find yourself with 160 tickets left, two days before the show...so what do you do....you figure that you've already spent the money.....so you might as well give the rest away so that you will have a significant support for you in the audience, and that's exactly what you do. (right there, you have a 170.00 or 180.00 loss)
You say yes, pay the 200.00 or agree to provide the 200.00 to the promoter the night of the show, before you perform of course. Then you begin your selling rampage. You call all of your family and friends and ask them to buy tickets. Guess how many tickets you sell before the show, out of the original 200? You sell 30 or 40..why? because most of your friends and family want tickets for free and you know what you're gonna do? Give away as many free tickets to your friends, family, and fans as you can, because it's better to have the there to support you than not.
For most artist just starting out, you will be lucky if you sell 40 tickets to your showcase. The rest of the money will have to come out of your pocket if you want to perform.
What that means is that for every artist, there is a little, or big, cheering section, only for them....and when the artist that they came to see is finished performing....that section leaves with the artist.
That's ok if your set is close to the beginning of the set, but if you're near the end of the show, then you may end up performing for a bunch of chairs. That's actually ok also if you need to get more experience performing.
These types of shows are good if you need practice on your performance or getting the kinks out of your stage fears, but not very helpful to your career in my opinion.
However, there is a similar type of opportunity that I think would be more beneficial to your "buzz". You still have to sell tickets or pay out of your pocket, but this time you will be "opening up" for a major artist.
Basically, when you hear that a major artist is coming to your town to perform or do a show (preferably the same genre as you), find out who the promoter is and you will find that most of them offer the same opportunities to perform or to sell tickets to perform.
So, in closing, showcases with no major artist headlining, are basically like big talent shows with no prize that I don't find very helpful. On the other hand, if there is a major headliner, it can be beneficial to your career and if you have the money could be a stepping stone if used in the right manner.
Peace!
The only catch is that you have to either buy the tickets up front or sign a contract agreeing to pay a certain amount to the promoter on the night of the show before you perform.
You buy the 200 tickets for 200.00, then you harass all of your friends and family to buy a ticket for 4.00 or 5.00 each....some of them do, the rest say they will before the show, but you find yourself with 160 tickets left, two days before the show...so what do you do....you figure that you've already spent the money.....so you might as well give the rest away so that you will have a significant support for you in the audience, and that's exactly what you do. (right there, you have a 170.00 or 180.00 loss)
You say yes, pay the 200.00 or agree to provide the 200.00 to the promoter the night of the show, before you perform of course. Then you begin your selling rampage. You call all of your family and friends and ask them to buy tickets. Guess how many tickets you sell before the show, out of the original 200? You sell 30 or 40..why? because most of your friends and family want tickets for free and you know what you're gonna do? Give away as many free tickets to your friends, family, and fans as you can, because it's better to have the there to support you than not.
For most artist just starting out, you will be lucky if you sell 40 tickets to your showcase. The rest of the money will have to come out of your pocket if you want to perform.
What that means is that for every artist, there is a little, or big, cheering section, only for them....and when the artist that they came to see is finished performing....that section leaves with the artist.
That's ok if your set is close to the beginning of the set, but if you're near the end of the show, then you may end up performing for a bunch of chairs. That's actually ok also if you need to get more experience performing.
These types of shows are good if you need practice on your performance or getting the kinks out of your stage fears, but not very helpful to your career in my opinion.
However, there is a similar type of opportunity that I think would be more beneficial to your "buzz". You still have to sell tickets or pay out of your pocket, but this time you will be "opening up" for a major artist.
Basically, when you hear that a major artist is coming to your town to perform or do a show (preferably the same genre as you), find out who the promoter is and you will find that most of them offer the same opportunities to perform or to sell tickets to perform.
So, in closing, showcases with no major artist headlining, are basically like big talent shows with no prize that I don't find very helpful. On the other hand, if there is a major headliner, it can be beneficial to your career and if you have the money could be a stepping stone if used in the right manner.
Peace!
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Want to find out more about Showcases, then visit Eric L. Mims J.d.'s site on how to choose the best instrumentals for your needs.
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