Task 3/Preparing for our FMP Gig

Rehearsal Techniques:

Warm up:

In every rehearsal we've had I always take time to stretch out my fingers and forearms and run through some scales and chord progressions to warm up my hands. It hugely important for me because it makes my hands so much more loose, relaxed, and responsive when I play guitar. I will spend quite a bit of time before our final gig doing the exact same warm up.

Set list/Stage set up:

After finishing up our 6 songs for the gig we've had to start thinking about the order for our set list. We've begun to order them based on their genre. For example we don't want two slow R&B songs right next to each other so we're going to place them in an order which will create space for the audiences energy levels to relax and come up again.

For one of our songs we are swapping instruments with myself playing bass and Charles playing keys. We have to think about where on the stage it will be best for us to be, what will be the quickest way for us to swap instruments while making sure there isn't dead silence on stage while we do so. A drum solo will be the perfect thing for us to add in while we change instruments.

Relateable Artists/Influences:

The band today that I would have to say relate to in terms of sound would be 'The Internet'. They're a modern soul band with other genres mixed in. They feature a female vocalist with a similar range as Nina.

For influences there are a few that factor into our band. Personally my influences include Prince, D'angelo, James Brown, Nile Rodgers/Chic, The Isley Brothers, B.B King and many more. The main influences that affect our band sound would probably be The Isley Brothers, Chic, The Internet, Hiatus Kaiyote.

One original of mine I had wrote is very influential of Nile Rodgers guitar playing. I use 7th chords while really bringing a heavy funk element to the track. Here is a link to a track by Chic that is in the same vein as our original song 'Feel the Vibes'.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKl6EZShaaw

For my R&B material I take a lot of influence from The Isley Brothers. They really captured a certain emotion/feeling with their music and It really helped me learn to write R&B music effectively. I really learnt about space and simple timing is what makes a lot of great R&B tracks. An example of where I learnt this is this track.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PDKGDPSq03A

Marketing Strategy/Promotion:

The main way promotion and marketing is done is through social media such as, Facebook, twitter, Instagram. However there are still other ways you can promote a gig and do your best to sell it out. Here are some tips I found online.

"1. Have confidence in yourself to promote your art.

2. Ensure you are on social media and using it effectively by having a variety of different engaging content and using paid advertising when necessary.

3. Networking with fellow artists, promoters and people involved in the industry is essential and will open doors to many new opportunities / gigs.

4. Have a marketing head on – you think of different ways you can promote and make people talk about you.

5. Be enthusiastic and show support for the shows you do get booked for. No matter how big or small the booking, that promoter has taken a chance on you."

Source: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/blog/how-to-promote-your-gigs-ds00/

We have also played a number of outside gigs leading up to the FMP where we have been able to expose our music to audiences and inform them of the upcoming gig at the O2. Hopefully this has been a help and we'll have more people turn up to the show.

Target Audience:

I believe our music is aimed at targeting young and older audiences. We take a lot of influences from musicians decades before our time, For example Nile Rodgers/Chic, The Isley Brothers, James Brown. When we're in the songwriting process we draw from influences from the past, and because of this I feel the slightly older generation would connect to our music. I feel the age group for the older generation ranges from 30-40. This age range of male and female people will more likely have knowledge of older musicians like the ones we are influenced by.

Now we also connect with the younger audiences for the same reason as for the older generation. We draw influences from the past and present. The present artists that influence us are bands like The Internet, Hiatus Kaiyote. These are bands that are current and the younger generation is their audience. With that in mind I feel like we also have the influence of present bands that connect with young audiences, and in return that allows our music to connect to them too. The age range for the younger male and female crowd can be anywhere from teens to about 30.

What is crowd funding?

"Crowdfunding is a way of raising finance by asking a large number of people each for a small amount of money. Traditionally, financing a business, project or venture involved asking a few people for large sums of money. Crowdfunding switches this idea around, using the internet to talk to thousands – if not millions – of potential funders. Typically, those seeking funds will set up a profile of their project on a website such as those run by our members. They can then use social media, alongside traditional networks of friends, family and work acquaintances, to raise money."

Source: https://www.ukcfa.org.uk/what-is-crowdfunding/

Health and Safety at the venue:

Primary research:

I have visited the O2 academy myself many times so I am very familiar with the layout of the venue. One thing which is an issue for people with disability is that they don't have any access upstairs. They only have the stairs which is a shame for people who are wheelchair bound as there is they simply can't attend.

Secondary Research:

For the security they have somebody on the door who pats you down and checks your ticket. However after the tragedy in Manchester they have stepped up on security, here is a quote from their official site on security.

"Security:

Our management and security teams regularly review procedure and protocol with all staff. As with every live event, all arrangements are in continuous consultation and review with local authorities and the police. There are lots of things that go on behind the scenes, too: training exercises; new security measures – so please be patient if things take a little longer than you’re used to."

Source: https://academymusicgroup.com/o2academyoxford/faq