The First of 5 Reasons Why Nobody is Buying Your Music

The following is an excerpt from an article I discovered that hits home with most musicians.  There are far too many talented artists out there who work diligently to perfect their craft, yet don't know the first thing about how to market their music effectively. For those of you who ever asked yourself  "How the hell do I get people to BUY my music?!" this and the following 4 blog postings are for you.

By the way, I'll be posting this article in 5 segments since the whole article is a bit more than you might want to read in one sitting.  Besides, you've got songs to write and rehearsals to make (I hope).

Bartenders: A Message to Those Who SUCK and a Toast to Those Who Don't

Let me begin by stating that I'm not a bartender, never have been and doubt I ever will be. I don't know how to mix a drink (well maybe a rum and coke) and I suck at pouring beer.  But none of that matters because, just like one doesn't need to be a Hollywood critic to know Jim Careys penguin movie is gonna suck, Ive been enjoying the occasional drink long enough to know a good and a bad bartender when I meet one.  Plus, this isn't about the technical aspect of bartending.  Its about the quality of service that is lacking in many South Florida Bars and how the answer to generating more revenue and repeat business is right underneath the bar owners noses.  No, I didnt pay $500 for a weekend bartending course, but I can pretty much tell when a bartender needs to go back to handing out crayons and kids menus.

Ive lost count of how many South Florida Bars have shut down and am already running out of fingers trying to keep track of the ones about to follow suit.  With that said, one would assume the ones left standing would work extra hard to keep their patrons happy, hydrated and coming back for more.  Instead, to my dismay some South Florida Bar owners are raising prices, short pouring and putting little to no time and money into their most valuable asset...consistent quality service and a qualified happy staff.  It's a fundamental and wise business practice to invest in human capital, yet for some odd reason, several South Florida Bars have been overlooking what is arguably the single most important component to their business....their BARTENDERS.

Lets face it, whatever the underlying reason, most people frequent bars to get their buzz on and socialize.  Whether these goals are met is in large part determined by whoever's behind the bar.  Before I continue, let me clarify the difference between a server and a bartender so theres no confusion.  A server "serves" drinks, while a bartender "SELLS" them.  Anyone can be a server provided they're willing to work their tail off.  But to be a successful "bartender" you must be willing and able to work hard and sell even harder.  Bartenders are cut from an entirely different cloth, which is usually drenched in sweat, alcohol amd a couple of tears shed on those slow nights when it seems they did such a great job at selling drinks, their customers forgot to tip.

To be successful at selling anything, one must first understand the concept of reciprocation.  In order to get what you want (which in this case is frequent drink orders and repeat business), you must first give the patron what they want. What follows are a few examples of what people really want from a bar and what it will take for them to stick around long enough to run up a healthy drink tab more than once:

1. Smile: Put a smile on your face.  Practice a few times in the mirror if you have to.  If you have a look on your face that says you'd rather be somewhere else, chances are your patrons will be going somewhere else next time lady liquor calls their name. 
2. Pack a Personality: If you're an introvert who has trouble sparking conversation with complete strangers, then bartending may not be for you. In a world where everyone would rather send a text than call, for most people its comforting to engage in conversation with anyone who seems to be even the least bit interested in how their day went.  If you get them talking, you'll keep them drinking and if you make a friend, it's you they'll come back to every single time.
3. Don't Short Pour: I'm not in any way suggesting you should over pour, but whatever you do, don't ever short your customers drink "especially" if they order a stiff drink or one high in alcohol content such as a Long Island.  Although some may tell you when they're drink just isn't strong enough, most will just turn around and never come back
4. Remember the Drink: Make a mental note, jot it down on a sticky note, take a cell phone pic...do whatever it takes to remember what your regulars drink and get it right each time. Even if you forget their name, remembering what they had the last time they were in, will make more of an impression.  Besides, if you took the time to talk to them, chances are you'd remember their name too.

Here's the bottom line.  People are going to go where the drinks are strong, the specials are frequent and the bartenders are hot, fun or "both".  But since finding a bar with all three is about as rare as finding a winning lottery ticket in the streets of Brooklyn, most of us will settle for 2 out of 3.

So bartenders step your game up, loosen up, smile a little and don't be cheap on the pour. Bar owners, be a little selective with who you put behind the bar and make a habit of treating the ones you do have with a higher degree of respect.  After all, a good bartender is essentially the lifeline of your establishment and deserves every ounce of respect and recognition you can give.  I think we can all drink to that!

Female Drummers ROCK Harder Than You Might Think!

Despite the convenience of Facebook and text messaging, teenage girls still find it challenging to keep up with daily drama, let alone find a way to deal with the every day challenges of female adolescence, such as: boys, backstabbing friends, schoolwork and bushy eyebrows.

However, watching Elizabeth "Little Rock" Piedrahita of the band White Noise and Dina Juarez of The Velvet senses during last nights performance at Stage 84 lead me to believe that women in their interest group don't exactly share the same concerns as most other young girls do.  

You see, Little Rock and Dina aren't exactly singer songwriters, acoustic guitarists or background dancers.  They're drummers; really, really good drummers, who by the way are barely old enough to drink.  Witnessing the look of intensity in their faces as they pounded the skins providing the rhythmic foundation for their male counterparts was a cool sight to behold.  Being a rock drummer requires a skill-set that includes rhythm, timing, energy, power and confidence.  But above all else, it allows for a controlled display of aggression, which under normal circumstances would be considered unacceptable for a young woman to express; an opportunity most women seldom get a chance to take advantage of.

It is my opinion that young women of any age who pick up a pair of drumsticks, struggle less with depression and self esteem issues than other women in their age group. In addition to being a great stress reliever, there's an undeniable "cool factor" and swag that drummers possess which is something that can never be taken away, manipulated or ruined with a malicious Facebook status.  More importantly, anyone who excels at the drums are professional instrumentalists who can only achieve such status with a great deal of practice and dedication; leaving very little room for self-destructive activities that leave many young women out of school, out of work and out of luck.

With all that said, I rest my case that female drummers rock harder than most as it takes an extra ounce of intestinal fortitude for a woman to go against the grain and excel on such a male dominated instrument. Still not convinced? Check out the following clip and tell me if you feel the same when its over.  Male drummers, prepare to get owned:

This is 14-year-old Caitlin Kalafus who claimed the title of World’s Fastest Female Drummer last month in Anaheim, California at the NAMM Winter Session. Caitlin is the youngest person to ever hold a World’s Fastest Drumming World Record, setting female division records in the  ‘Battle of the Feet’ with 799 singles on the bass drum in sixty seconds.   She's 13 in this video.

Well known females drummers are unfortunately few and far between although not exactly a rarity.  With that said, the following is a list of some of the most notable female drummers of all time proving the tender gender is not so tender after all.

Terri Lyn Carrington
Shelia E
Meg White
Hilary Jones
CIndy Blackman

Torry C (from the Donnas)
Mercedes from kittie 

My advice: Ditch the ankle bracelet and get her a drumset!

Click on the following link to get plugged into my fan page: Rich Rox Radio and tune in to 954ROCKS every weekday between 7-8pm for the best in local unsigned rock!

Bands kick off at 1030! Velvet Senses, White Noise, Midnight Hour & Beyond Our Will. VIP PRIVATE PARTY STARTS AT 2am. $10 ALL U CAN DRINK TILL 4am! - LIFE ROX!

954ROCKS! Pre-Launch Concert at Stage 84 in Davie kicks off TONIGHT BEHIND THE BUILDING at 8pm. World Renowned DJ HYRO kicks it off out back with DJ KELLENDER.

The Broward Underground Music Syndicate: Will the REAL Battle of the Bands Please Stand Up?...

The Broward Underground Music Syndicate: Will the REAL Battle of the Bands Please Stand Up?...: "It's official. Stage 84 in cooperation with Rich Rox and 954Rocks.com will be launching its 1st quarterly Battle of the Bands competition i..."

Will the REAL Battle of the Bands Please Stand Up?!

It's official. Stage 84 in cooperation with Rich Rox and 954Rocks.com will be launching its 1st quarterly Battle of the Bands competition in Davie, FL.  Here's a list of incentives for those with the chops and the guts to participate:

1st Place Winner: $1000 CASH!

2nd Place Winner: Pro 3 Song Demo

3rd Place Winner: Complete EPK (Electronic Press Kit) including, logo design, promo phot shoot, bio and social networking site design.

Since THE STAGE 84 BATTLE OF THE BANDS event was posted on Facebook (Stage 84 Battle of the Bands Invite) I've had many skeptics and would be participants ask me for details on how this competition will be judged. Apparently, according to some, there have been a few bogus BOTB events taking place in the area which have been organized for the sole purpose of drawing a drinking crowd with little to no thought put into the integrity of the competition. This of course is beyond disappointing as this sort of exploitation and blatant disregard for the daily struggle of the local musician is part of the reason our local music scene is so underdeveloped.

With that said, I am releasing the details of our judging system and criteria to reassure everyone participating and attending of the legitimacy of this competition.  Our objective has and always will be to nurture the underground music community, by providing them with opportunities and platforms on which to share their music with events and programs such as The BOTB competition and The Broward Beat show on 954Rocks.com.

Please feel free to contact me anytime should you have any questions or require additional information regarding the upcoming STAGE 84 BATTLE OF THE BANDS competition: info@djrichrox.com, (954) 630-6415, www.facebook.com.RICHROXRADIO, www.RICHROXRADIO.com

I am grateful to those who have registered thus far and would like to express my sincerest gratitude in advance to those who have yet to do so.  I welcome the opportunity to contribute to the advancement of your careers and look forward to a successful and well orchestrated event! - RICH ROX!

THE JUDGING SYSTEM

On July 30th four judges will be present. Three of the judges will have been picked from a pool of professional volunteers from within the local music industry field. The fourth will be an A&R rep from a local independent rock label.

JUDGING CRITERIA

Displayed are five Main headings with three sub-headings for each Main Criteria. Point weightings are indicated besides the headings, e.g. 1 to 9 for Main or 1-5 for Sub-headings. The actual marks criteria sheets also leave space for the judges to make constructive comments to the bands in regards to each criteria section. 

• Planning/Preparedness 1-9
• Evidence of performance planning; i.e. Choreography, was there any demonstration of the musical/movement or program dynamics, costumes, make-up, stage props, backdrop? 1-5
• Preparation. Tuning - were the instruments and equipment made ready prior to performance? Did the band start on time? 1-5
• Evidence of rehearsal e.g. lyrics learnt etc? Appeared ready and prepared to play? Setlist provided? 1-5
• Originality 1-9
• Material. How unique did the songs sound? Did the songs fit the set? Did the songs fit the genre? 1-5
• Appearance. Did the band look original? Did the band stand out? 1-5
• Improvisation. Did the band demonstrate any level of original improvisational skill? I.e. ‘jam out’ or vocal through an instrument change, repair or equipment failure (!!!) 1-5
• Interface with audience 1-9
• Verbal Interaction? Did the band introduce themselves at all? Did the band talk to or with the audience? 1-5
• Physical Interaction? Did the band physically participate with the audience e.g. Eye contact, head nod, acknowledgements, waving, gesturing, dancing with the audience or giving hand signals. 1-5
• Confidence. Was the band confident in their interaction with the audience? 1-5
• Quality of performance 1-9
• Confidence/Competence. Did the band look at ease whilst playing? Did the band appear to be able to do what they wanted to do? 1-5
• Set Dynamism. Did the band’s setlist appear to play according to a plan i.e. was it well constructed and able to manipulate the audience’s mood? 1-5
• Stage Presence. Did the band use the stage effectively? Did the band appear positive about their performance? Did the band interact effectively on stage? How did the band cope with any problems they may have encountered? 1-5
• Presentation 1-9
• Attitude. Did the band’s on-stage attitude appear suitable to their genre i.e. were they ‘Punk’ if Punk, ‘Raucous’ if Rock? 1-5
• Appearance. Did the band show personality on stage? Did the band appear to enjoy what they were doing? 1-5
• Entertainment factor/Showmanship. Did the band entertain? Did one or the entire band display showmanship towards the crowd? 1-5

If you or someone you know would like to be among the first to compete in out Battle of the Band series, please submit an EPK or samples of your music, along with a complete bio and contact information to: info@djrichrox.com. For more information, please visit: www.facebook.com/RICHROXRADIO.com

NOTE: 

All bands selected will be given 25 tickets to sell for $10 each which will cover their $250 registration fee.  Bands are allowed to sell more if they wish.  Bands may keep 100% of the proceeds earned from any tickets sold beyond the 25 count.