THE INDIE WORLD (Hypebot) – A common, but easily correctable, oversight is undervaluing the importance of properly advancing your performances. Sometimes an artist simply believes they are prepared, which would seem to render additional conversation redundant. Sometimes it’s a result of ignorance—it's possible that they just don’t know any better. Sometimes it’s the simple fact that dealing with the whole “business side” of the process can feel like a burden instead of an opportunity to an artist, and, as a result, some just don’t care. But the fact is, advance work is a hugely important part of properly representing oneself, and failure to understand something so fundamental can be a serious detriment to the cause.
An advance is just another form of introduction. It’s an icebreaker with venue representatives. It’s the primary contact between artist and venue prior to your arrival, and it can set the tone for an entire relationship if handled, or not handled, properly.
Not every venue handles the advance the same way. At times it gets done with the talent buyer responsible for booking the engagement. Other times it’s done with a manager, or general manager, of the concert facility itself. Then there are instances when it gets handled by a production manager or sound person who may or may not work directly for the venue. That all depends on the size of the venue and the way their business is structured. But regardless of the method employed by these venues, performing attractions should have their own system for gathering information as well.
Here are some basic suggestions which can help to facilitate the process:
The most important thing to remember when doing an advance is this: Knowing prior to arrival the situation and the various players you’ll encounter will minimize the surprises and allow you to focus on the performance itself. And an event without incident will be remembered—it may even be considered by some to be as important as the performance itself. This is especially true for an emerging artist who is trying to develop a good reputation and could use the support of as many people as will give it—including talent buyers, venue managers, production people, bartenders/wait staff, other performers, and fans alike. – by Bruce Houghton