I've been touring full-time since I was 19--doing most of the work myself. In that time, I've worked with a lot of other artists to help them start making a living in this crazy music-making business. I've coached several musicians through their first websites, first gigs, first press kits, and first national tours...
I'm now offering my knowledge to anyone else who may be looking for similar help! We all need someone to turn to for a nudge of encouragement, or a little bit of perspective... those are some of my favorite things to provide. Anyone can make a living in the music business with lots of motivation and a little bit of talent.There are two parts to what I offer for the emerging musician. This process is totally personalized to where you are right now and, more importantly, where you want to be. All you need to bring is whatever current recording you have and whatever current press kit you have (if you don't have one, that's fine too!)
OPTION 1 ($100): Phone or In-person Coaching Session (usually between 1.5-2 hrs)
In this initial session, we'll create an identity for your music (e.g. "Wiggly Acoustic-Rock", "Heart-centered Folk-Pop", "Gender-blending Pop") and from there we'll craft your "elevator pitch" (i.e. your one-sentence, 30-second explanation of your music to help you communicate with bookers and get you more gigs). With these in mind we'll look through your press kit to see if you're getting this message across in all of your materials. We'll work together to come up with ideas of how to improve it.We'll take this vision of your music and together develop an idea of what kind of venues you should be playing (and I can give you a lot of ideas and names of places to check out). We'll talk about what to charge venues/colleges for a performance and ultimately how to monetarily value your worth as a performer.
If you're interested in touring specifically, there are several things we can discuss. We'll touch on booking etiquette for new-to-you venues, and how to decide when to use an EPK vs. a hard copy press kit. I can give you the 101 on ways to make a tour budget work through smart routing, including how to choose the right venues, right cities, and right day to play. Other things we may touch on: how to research venues in new-to-you towns, how to sustain a fan base, how to sell more CDs, how to find other performers for gig-swaps, conferences and organizations you may want to think about joining. I can also give you organization tips and tools as needed.
OPTION 2 ($500): Coaching and Press Kit Design
Based on our earlier discussion of your current press kit, with this option I'll also fully revise your materials and put them in an attractive, professional format. Together we'll create the content for the kit (facts, venues played, quotes, etc.). From that information, and keeping your “music identity” in mind, I'll design a professional kit to send out to bookers, press, or other industry contacts. Design will likely include headshot photo editing (or creating a headshot from what seems to be a normal photo), creation of logo, and stationary that can be used for cover letters, websites, or merchandise.If your bio needs to be re-written, that's an additional $50. Minor changes are included free in the cost of Option 2.
REFERENCES:
If you'd like to contact a few of my past clients, please see contact info below.
Kate Myers: kate@katemyers.com
James Richards: redkelly590@hotmail.comIf any of this is confusing or you have questions about it, feel free to email me @ coaching@julieloyd.com. I'd love to work with you, so do be in touch if these options sound like something you might be interested in!
Big love,
Julie