Rock legend Mike Po ("The Press Kit: A Rock Band's Survival Guide") returns to Getsigned.com with an info-packed article on why bands need to play live to be self-supportive (and go platinum, of course) and how you can set up your own indie tour playing lucrative regional and national markets. Get out of the garage and into the spotlight with Po's new article!

I make one thing clear to every band I work with - you're going to tour, heavily. Playing live is the number one priority for any young rock/metal/country/pop act, and frankly, no amount of record promotion is useful without it - and vice versa. In reality, if you're not in a band for the thrill of getting up in front of tens of thousands of people to make an idiot of yourself, then, well, maybe you've missed the point. Touring isn't a necessary evil, rather, it's what this whole game is (supposed to be) about. But, you knew that already, right?

Other than this basic fact, then, why tour? Well, consider the options --maybe you're a huge draw in your hometown. That's fantastic, and maybe if you're in a market that is large enough, then the "buzz" about your band will grab some attention for you, OUTside of your market. Still, even if you're an extremely popular local band, then, well, you're still just a LOCAL band. You're just gonna have to take your lumps and branch out to being a "regional" act, even though it's practically a guarantee that your first out-of-town shows are gonna be a huge letdown from the screaming fans (read: girlfriends, co-worker, relatives, others who are entirely obligated to tell you that you rule) you're used to. Regional touring is no picnic, but, hey - you could just stay at home and keep your day job, you know?

Even with a self-produced or small indie-label backed cd, you're not going to see much action from it without getting out there and promoting it yourselves - radio interviews, magazine articles, maybe even local cable tv appearances, these things become exponentially easier when there's actually a show to promote. If you see what I'm saying, you're gonna get a lot more chance for promotion in central Iowa if you're actually playing a show in central Iowa, as opposed to just calling up from your safe Chicago home and telling a columnist in Iowa about how great your record is… radio stations have a reason to play you, there's a good possibility that a local college radio station will be sponsoring a showcase, college papers write reviews of shows, music magazines would much rather interview "touring" bands then their own "local" bands--everything springboards off of each other. If you're touring, things are happening and there's something to write about. If you're not touring, then, well, you're just another local-market band with a self-produced cd.

Let me clear up a myth for you, right here and now: I can't believe how many times, in even just the past few months, bands tell me that they want to sign with a local indie label because they want the "promotion" and "distribution" that a label can provide. This is usually followed by the statement that "we're going to tour as soon as the record is out." Well, okay, good concept, but let me speak directly from years of experience (as opposed to everything else I say in these columns, which, as you know, is usually based solely upon conjecture and opiate-induced delusions of grandeur): I doubt that the majority of you will be signing to any label that actually has enough money to properly promote a record. In all honesty, there are very few labels out there that really have the time and resources to "push" every release the way that every band hopes will happen. All of those magazine ads for new releases from indie record labels cost a ton of money, folks, and what's worse - they're not particularly effective. Think about this for yourself-- what's the way that you hear about your favorite new bands-of-the week? Do you read fanzine ads? Do you pay attention to the posters on display at record stores? In short, do you believe the hype? I'm guessing that no, you don't - but I'll bet you that word-of-mouth, "hey, I hear this band rules," "dude you won't believe this band we saw the other night" kinda stuff is what it takes for you to pay attention....

What I'm saying here, is that yes, a label can do some promo work for you. They can get your records into the stores, they can get your posters on the walls, they can service your record to radio stations, they can put ads in magazines. And, after all that, what it really comes down to is a crapshoot: maybe, just maybe, somebody out there will see your ad, think the cover looks cool, and maybe buy a copy…but probably not. I mean, let's be honest - using my Chicago-based bias again--you're a Chicago band, and you play Chicago clubs. You were going to put out your own record, but you decided to go with a local label so you could get their distribution. Now, your record is out, and instead of having your self-produced records in the back of your van, your label has copies distributed to stores in Iowa, Wisconsin, Indiana, and all of the midwest. Yeah, so what? Now your records are sitting on regional shelves, un-purchased - how has that helped you? And, again, the most the label can do to promote your product is to take out ads, send out posters, and do their best to work the hype machine to promote you. And, if I know my Chicago label scene, their promo budget is probably slightly less than the bands' weekly beer budget… Hey, that's no 'dis to the labels, but I don't think that any of my readers are signed to Warner Brothers--quite yet.

So, what's my point? Read on...

Touring, is my point. These records don't sell themselves, and the promo that small labels can provide, in most cases, is going to be ineffective. What I'm trying to say, here, kids, is that the number one promotional tool, the most effective record-selling device that you have at your disposal, is your band. On a stage. Rocking out (or, you know, whatever it is that you do). At this particular stage in your career, it's okay to think of touring as a promotional expense. Even if you go out on the road and lose a few hundred bucks (or maybe a lot more), I'm gonna guarantee you that the returns from your investment are gonna be exponentially greater than an equal amount of money put into posters, magazine ads, any of that stuff… Getting your act in front of people is what sells records, at this stage of your career. Period.

Now, just lemme backpedal a wee bit - I am not saying that it isn't worth your time to hook up with a small indie label. What I'm trying to tell you is that, well, here, this is the equation: A touring, working band with a self-produced cd, without all of those ads and posters and with no distribution, is going to sell a truckload more records than a band with a label deal, all of those promo dollars being spent, who just happen to be sitting at home "waiting for the record to take off before they tour." Bottom line. There's no way around it. Now, try this on for size: Say you're on an indie label with a budget, all of those promo devices are being exploited, AND you've got your lazy rockstar butts piled into the van to play some shows all over God's green earth? Well, then, now you're getting serious about "moving some units," my friend.

Sorry to espouse my little tour-or-die manifesto on you, there, but it's probably the most important (if not most obvious) lesson I ever learned from my cool-indie-label-owner-guy days. Bands who played live sold records, bands who stayed home, did not. No matter what else we did, no matter what we tried - playing live was the bottom line. Besides that, I'm simply at a loss to understand why anyone would want to be in a band but not be playing in front of people every night. I mean, all my readers get the idea that I'm pretty much hung up on the concept of the "rock star" (no, really, ask me about Kiss, again - no, I mean it, I'd probably rather be talking about Kiss), but this is a universal thing for performers, isn't it? How could you ever be a performer and not want to go on tour? Really, no surprise that I'm not that big a fan of DJ culture, but even the best of that breed are out there, commanding an audience of many thousand dancing fools every night. Look, if you're not into this game to have the bright lights shining on you, then, man, just get out of the way, okay? All right, all right, you get the point, end of manifesto....

I realize, though, that many bands out there just simply think that they can't "tour." I know you have day jobs, I know that a lot of you have families, kids, mortgages even....Dropping everything to get in the van for a month at a time just isn't realistic. Hey, I hear you, but let's all just redefine this notion of "touring," here. Let me teach by example: Probably the hardest-working band I've ever, ever seen, are the Poster Children (who you already 'oughta know about, but if not, go buy every single damn album right this minute). My fledgling little Limited Potential label put out their first lp, way back there in 1989 - and, to this day, is the highest selling release the label ever promoted. And, oh, believe you me, it wasn't selling like hotcakes because it had MY logo on it, folks…the P-Kids got in the damn van and WORKED that record. And, to the best of my recollection, for at least the first year of touring for that release, the P-Kids had 40 hour per week day jobs. Yet, amazingly, covered tours through all of the midwest, all of the big college towns, Illinois, Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota, Ohio, everywhere even close - and all the way up to Philly and NYC. The key was organized bookings, and dedication, dedication, dedication. Those guys would sneak out of work an hour or two early on Friday, and be in the van at 4 o'clock heading for a sound check in Madison at 7 pm. Sleep on floors, then up the next day to play in Iowa City, another evening on another floor, play a Sunday afternoon record store matinee, and then a Sunday night opening slot in Chicago… they'd make it home a few hours before work on Monday, with four regional shows under their belts and their bosses none-the-wiser. You CAN tour, and keep your day job, but I never said it would be easy (for those of you who prefer the easy route to overnight success, please see chapter 14, "My Father is Bob Dylan").

So, now you know WHY to tour. And I'm telling you that you CAN tour. Now, the real trick is just exactly HOW you're gonna tour.

And for that, you guys will have to wait until next month.  :)

I know, I suck, but there's a lot to cover here and I want to make sure this is all sinking in. I don't want to throw it all at you at once.

See you next week with Part #2 of this article.

Po

This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it  Website Back	Mike Po
	Mike Po was the founder of early '90s  influential indie-rock label, Limited Potential Records. Under Po's no-nonsense leadership, LimP Records signed and managed such acts as the Smashing Pumpkins, Brainiac, Catherine, Triple Fast Action, and more.   Po was one of the first music industry experts to contribute to Getsigned.com and his first column on Getsigned.com, "Rant! with Po" is still remembered fondly by many long-time Getsigned.com users. A native of Dayton, OH, he currently resides in Chicago with his collection of Swedish porn and SWEET records.
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