Berklee today is the official alumni publication of Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts. It is a forum for contemporary music and musicians.
Issue link: http://berkleetoday.epubxp.com/i/67927
Maximizing Effect, Minimizing Expenses Find 2-for-1 lodging. If your tour requires frequent overnight stays, you can often get two nights at a hotel for the price of one by asking for an early check-in. "If you finish a gig at 1 a.m. and your next gig is a few hours away, make the drive after the gig," says Rabin. "When you arrive at your hotel, request an early check-in. That way you can get some sleep in the morning, and sleep there after the gig as well." Two nights for the price of one. Stretch your food budget. "If you eat out with four people, it can often cost $40 to $50 per meal," notes Rabin. "We carry a portable grill, purchase food at a large supermarket, and cut our food costs in half." Also, when negotiating compensation for their gigs, the band always asks that food and drinks be included. "Restaurants have huge food and beverage markups. $50 in food and drinks is not $50 coming out of their pocket. Think about the material worth of what you're getting, and the cost to you versus the cost to them." Take control of your sales. "Our record company keeps 100 percent of the profits from selling our CDs," Rabin says. "But in exchange, they manufacture a certain number of CDs for us and give them to us for free. We keep 100 percent of the profits from selling those CDs at gigs." Sell quality merchandise. "Don't cut corners on merch quality," Rabin advises. "For example, you'll sell more t-shirts if they're high-quality and made by a popular brand." Rabin depends on the sales of band merchandise to offset lower-paying gigs on Mondays and Tuesdays, typically slow nights at clubs. Marbin on the road. From the left: saxophonist Danny Markovitch, guitarist Dani Rabin, bassist Ian Stewart, and drummer Justyn Lawrence. ket value. Playing so many gigs has helped Rabin gauge, for example, how much in food and beverage sales a restaurant in suburban Arkansas can expect to take in on a Friday night. Or how many people would be willing to pay a $5.00 cover charge at a typical bar in Peoria, Illinois. "As a touring musician, negotiating pay is just one factor in maintaining your bottom line," Rabin says. "When we're on the road, the band watches every dollar. The money we spend on gas, guitar strings, and laundry is all accounted for. We know what our costs are, what our worth is, and how much we need to earn to make those two things balance." Meaningful Connections Like most touring bands, the members of Marbin know the importance of thoughtful communication via social media and the need to keep their website up to date. "Of course you have to have all of your online tools together: website, YouTube videos, Facebook page, and mailing list," concedes Rabin. "But you have to put them together in ways that have real value to your fans, not just as self-promotional tools. For instance, if any of our fans mention Marbin in their Facebook update, they get a discount on merch, or discounted admis- sion to one of our shows." While all of these business practices are important, Marbin is well aware that the first priority is making good music that resonates with people. "Music industry people have written so much about how the music business has changed, but in so doing they've created an illusion that it's changed more than it actually has," Rabin asserts. "It's not all digital, and it's not all about social media. Those things are important, and you can use them to reach thousands of peo- ple, but you're getting to them in the same superficial way that a lot of other people are getting to them." He believes there is a true hunger for good music, especially in rural areas of the country where there isn't a vibrant music scene. "For example," says Rabin, "we do very well in smaller towns, par- ticularly in the Midwest. There are some famous jazz musi- cians who sadly consider that area to be the 'flyover states.' That mentality has led many to miss out on some potentially rewarding gigs." Rabin continues, "We have people at our shows who have never heard a jazz record in their lives, and they sit for four hours listening to our instrumental music with their mouths open. They're starved for culture, and are too often over- looked." Regarding these small-town audiences, Rabin feels that some musicians wrongly assume that people living in small towns won't be interested in sophisticated styles of music. But his experience tells him otherwise. "In many cases they have a much deeper way of listening. They're not con- cerned with placing you in an artistic hierarchy. They listen and enjoy the show with no hang-ups!" For Marbin, making an emotional connection through the music is the biggest piece of the puzzle. "Some jazz today misses the emotional factor," opines Rabin. "Since we're so influenced by artists like Leonard Cohen, Johnny Cash, and the Beatles, our writing is informed in a different way, and we're able to attract a lot of fans who would otherwise not go for instrumental music. To genuinely succeed with an audience, your music must come from a place of personal conviction, and it has to resonate with others. You must play very honest music that has some kind of power." This aes- thetic has helped Marbin grow a large, dedicated fan base for their improvised instrumental music, a genre where success is illusive and hard-won. Ultimately, the path Marbin has chosen is not an easy one, but it's a labor of love that the group members find worthwhile. "You have to really know what you want," he concedes. "Doing what we do involves sacrifices. We don't always sleep well, often the food isn't great, and it's very hard work. But calling your own shots, playing live four hours per night, 300 nights per year is artistically gratifying in many ways. The highs are high, and the lows are low. But it's always interesting." Ryan Fleming '03 is a guitarist, recording artist, and assistant director of the Berklee Fund and Alumni Affairs. Visit his group's website at www.fieldtripband.com. Spring 2012 21