Play London
Introduction
Don't feel that you have to play London to get known in the music industry.
A lot of artists have made a reputation by concentrating on building a buzz in their area and waiting for the industry to come to them.
Read on for:
Is it worth playing London
The reality of London
The venues
"Playing London 's no harder than any other crowd, You should work hard for every crowd."
MC Donae'o
Local Vs Capital
This industry is one big network - there are A&R scouts all over the U.K and they're in touch with club owners, studio guys and other local figures in all the major towns and cities.
Everybody is looking for the next big ting and everybody wants to be the first to find it.
If you get some hype going in your home town someone will come and check you out.
The biggest advantage about being outside of London is that it's easier to stand out from the crowd and get recognition.
Promotion costs may be less and a word of mouth vibe may be a lot easier.
"Never think that you don't have to break your own area first. You have to mash up your own territory first."
Ben Palmar
A&R
Polydor
Expectations
Doing PAs in London is kind of harsh.
The London scene is spoilt for choice when it comes to new artists and this can make doing any PA in the capital that extra bit difficult.
The time it takes and the extra expense of travelling to and from London can also make it that much more of a mission for artists from out of town.
If you aren't already in contact with A&R people or journalists who've said that they're coming to see you, then there may not be any there.
The reason for this is that A&R are so busy checking out the artists they need to see and are so spoilt for choice as regards new artists, they rarely have time to wander about on the off chance of bumping in to someone special.
Another point to note is to be careful not too invite too many A&R. You may feel like you're increasing your chances of getting signed by inviting as many as you can but that's not always the case.
The truth about PAs in London is that what you're really going to get is experience of playing in front of an audience of hardened strangers and seeing how your music goes down.
This can be an extremely useful experience for artists, so it can be worth it just for that.聽
Having said that, if you can get on the same bill as a 'hot' artist, who's known to have A&R interest, it may just be possible to outshine them and take some of their heat.
"I see other A&Rs at a PA I'll usually leave the room. I don't like going to a place and seeing the same faces looking at the same talent."
Ben Palmar
A&R
Polydor
The Venues
One of the main ways you can get to PA in the capital is at open mic sessions.
The venues vary but currently Sound in Leicester Sq plays host to a couple of open mic nights that showcase new talent.
Ocean in Hackney and The Scala in King's Cross as well as WKD in Camden , The Spot in Covent Garden and Propaganda Bar in Wardour St are just some of the clubs in London where you can get to share your talents with the good people of the capital.
Again it will require some effort on your behalf to track down the promoters of the relevant nights.
Check record shops and music press for the details or ring the clubs and ask for the number of the promoter of the open mic night.
Bear in mind though that the club owner and the promoter are not necessarily the same person, so if you're getting a blank response, be polite and try another avenue.
More... from How to...
Making the best of a PA
http://www.bbc.co.uk/1xtra/1xmusic/performing/bestp01.shtml
Get a live agent
http://www.bbc.co.uk/1xtra/1xmusic/performing/agentp01.shtml
Promote live PAs
http://www.bbc.co.uk/1xtra/1xmusic/promotion/gigsp01.shtml
More... from the web
Ocean: www.ocean.org.uk
http://www.ocean.org.uk
Sound: www.soundlondon.com
http://www.soundlondon.com
The Scala: www.scala-london.co.uk
http://www.scala-london.co.uk
Kashmir Klub: www.kashmirklub.com
http://www.kashmirklub.com
麻豆社i What's On: Searchable for venue details
http://www.bbc.co.uk/events/livemusic/
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