How to start your music career in a new town.
Whether you’re new to music, new to town, or finally getting back out there after a long break, it can be really beneficial to make solid connections in your own hometown before you try to conquer the world.
Want to build a loyal audience in your local scene?
In this episode of the DIY Musician Podcast, we’ll discuss:
- 03:52 Where to begin when you want to make music in a new town
- 04:22 “Are you terrified? That’s normal.”
- 06:34 Be a student of your new music scene
- 07:47 Music scene research checklist
- 08:52 Be a local culture connoisseur
- 09:36 Don’t ignore the music stores
- 10:34 “Remember MySpace?”
- 11:47 Contact the local “cool guy”
- 12:10 Account for the quirks
- 13:11 Big city vs. small town
- 16:15 Every genre has its own entry point
- 17:22 The wackiest popup venues!
- 21:06 “The craziest night of the week”
- 22:43 Find the club that welcomes new acts
- 25:37 What do you want from your hometown?
- 28:15 Maybe you don’t need to build a live audience?
- 30:14 How to find bandmates & other collaborators
- 33:15 Places to search for good local musicians
- 34:07 Steady band vs. hired guns
- 34:40 People still pull flier tabs
- 35:32 What does your scene expect from musicians?
- 37:36 Concentric circles: Build outwards
- 40:14 You can shape the local scene
- 41:24 Help gatekeepers solve problems
- 42:21 “Your friends are not your fans”
- 43:07 Balance between playing too often and not enough
- 43:40 Don’t count on an unrealistic draw
- 45:53 Build a reputation — with video proof
- 46:30 “Don’t forget where you came from”
- 47:53 How to get other artists to promote you
- 50:01 What other skills can you offer your scene?
- 51:29 The “unhip” publications are thirsty to tell your story
- 52:17 Making inroads with local press
- 53:00 Bad press ain’t the end of the world
- 53:29 Our worst reviews
- 57:31 Be nice to everyone
- 58:05 Not every “sorry” is a rejection
- 59:59 Basic etiquette in your music scene
Have you made inroads in a new scene?
Gotten results? Still finding your footing?
We’d love to hear your tips and perspective. Comment below!
Chris Robley is an acclaimed singer-songwriter and award-winning poet from Maine.
His Beatlesque indie-pop and milltown Americana songs have been praised by The Associated Press, No Depression, KCRW, The LA Times, Boston Globe, NPR, American Songwriter, and others.
His poems have appeared in Poetry Magazine, Prairie Schooner, The Poetry Review, and more.
Robley has received a Maine Literary Award in Poetry, Boulevard’s Emerging Writers Prize for Poetry, and in 2016 was selected by former US-poet laureate Robert Pinsky as a finalist for the Dorset Prize.