We’ve all seen our favorite major artists doing FREE live stream performances on Facebook Live. They’re basically “busking,” which is the activity of playing music in the street or another public place for voluntary donations, but in this case, they are “busking” online. Major artists that used to make hundreds of thousands of dollars playing a live show are now performing for free for… just tips? Apparently, that’s the world we now live in with COVID-19 and the live events shut down.

HOW DO SMALLER ARTISTS SURVIVE THIS?

A smaller signed touring artist said to me recently, “The major artists that can AFFORD to not make money for the next 6 months are performing on Facebook Live for free. But the smaller touring artists like me are financially suffering without paid gigs. What do we do? We need our fans to pay for our live stream performances if we are to survive this.”

That is a powerful statement, and something we all need to think deeply on.

BEING AN INDEPENDENT ARTIST IS ALREADY TOUGH ENOUGH.

One of THE hardest jobs in the world is being an emerging independent music artist. It already was difficult for indie acts to cut through the noise and get noticed online. But now, music fans are being flooded with FREE live stream content from their favorite major artists. As you can imagine, this does not bode well for the up and coming indie rapper or band.

So that begs the question, are free live streams hurting the music industry overall?

THE ANSWER IS YES.

Many industry experts agree, it is definitely hurting the ability for the artists that desperately need the income during COVID-19 to make a living off of paid live stream gigs. Each time a music artist does a free live stream set, they are training music fans to expect the live stream performance to be free. This is what happened back with Napster and music piracy – suddenly every fan worldwide “expected” to get the new album for free instead of paying for it.

Why buy it, if I can just get it for free?

We all know the effects of Napster and music piracy. Album sales dropped drastically and left many music artists with a significant decrease in income.

SO WHAT CAN WE DO AS ARTISTS?

We don’t want to villainize these artists. Their intentions are well placed. But the major artists that are using these platforms and providing fans free content on a regular basis can afford to do so. We see a shift coming soon. The music industry as a whole will benefit, and every artist will benefit, when live stream performances start to be offered to fans at a fair price.

A New York Times article said it well: “The artists livestreaming for free or shaking a tip jar for charity are often the ones who can afford to, and who feel, justifiably, that charging fans money during these grave times feels bad and looks worse. At the same time, all these livestreams are competing for viewers’ limited time, so a high-profile artist offering free content deflates the market for anyone else hoping — and needing — to make money.”

SHIFT THE FANS’ MINDSET. LIVE STREAM IS WORTH PAYING FOR.

We are 4+ months into the pandemic with no end in sight. NOW is the time to change the mindset of performers and fans. Live stream performances are worth paying for. We cannot let free Live Streaming take money away from artists that need it.

We recently had a MyAfton artist make over $360 on a LiveStream including artist payout and Fan tips, with just 30 tickets sold at a $5.00 ticket price. Providing that kind of ability for our musicians to make serious money from home during COVID-19 is the exact reason we built MyAfton LiveStream.

SET A REASONABLE PRICE POINT FOR YOUR LIVE STREAM TICKETS.

Don’t stream for free. A typical local show is $10 to $12. So charging $5.99 or $7.99 for your LiveStream is completely reasonable and fair. Fans want to support you, and if you promote it right and send the right message to your fans, they will buy tickets to support you! Not only that, but you’ll ensure that your fans don’t form the habit of expecting your performances to be free. It’s going to be a LOT harder to get fans to pay for tickets to your real-world live shows when COVID-19 is over, if they’ve been seeing you stream live for free month after month.

BENEFITS TO CHARGING FOR YOUR LIVE STREAM.

Consider the work and ad spend an artist is willing to invest into actually promoting a live stream if they are charging for tickets and know they are going to make money off of the show! If charging for your live stream, you’ll put in more work to make your live stream content better. You’ll also be willing to put $50 or $100 into paid ads on Facebook to promote and sell your live stream tickets.

If you post on Facebook about your FREE live stream, you can’t run any ads because you aren’t making money off the live stream tickets (it’s free to watch). Remember, when you post to Facebook without boosting your post (i.e. paying face book to boost the post), Facebook only shows your posting to a FRACTION of your followers.

This means for FREE live streams, with no ad budget behind it, the majority of your fans and Facebook followers will never even hear about the live stream event. So attendance will be far less.

Every major artist, signed artist, and independent artist should be charging fans a fair price for a live stream ticket. This brings higher payout to the artist, it justifies putting money into Ad Spend for Facebook ads to drive more ticket sales, and in doing so the live stream is going to be more professional, more thought out, and by spending money on social ads you will ensure that ALL of your fans know about the show and attendance will skyrocket – as will your paycheck.

Last but not least, fans that PAY for your live stream put it on their calendar and are ready to watch on their couch with their favorite drink or smoke in hand. They stick around the WHOLE SHOW, instead of leaving after 2 songs, and as a result they are going to tip you during your live stream multiple times because they are engaged until your very last song.

We built our LiveStream platform to empower artists and PAY them for their musical content. We hope the rest of the music community can come together to work to change the mindset of artists and fans before covid puts everyone out of work completely!

Other Resources

Facebook Ad & Promo Tips for Livestreams

Making Waves With Your Music Videos On YouTube

Local and LiveStream Shows

The post ARE FREE LIVE STREAMS HURTING THE MUSIC INDUSTRY? appeared first on Afton.

FANS ARE ONLINE NOW MORE THAN EVER BEFORE.

Covid-19 has shut down everything, especially live music. Everyone you know has moved online 24/7. They are cooped up in their house and craving a live music experience more than ever before.

But as an independent musician – now how do you stand out? How do you cut through the noise and grab the attention of your fans now that there is SO MUCH more content available to them? We’ll show you how to not only survive this pandemic as a musician, we’re going to show you how to thrive.

YOU’RE DYING TO PERFORM, YOUR FANS WANT TO SEE YOU.

Afton LiveStream shows help you connect to Fans in a meaningful way, even during quarantine, and provide you with financial support to continue to grow your music career. Let’s be honest, your Fans need something to look forward to – and so do you; performing live is in your blood. With a LiveStream, you can ask Fans to support you without asking for handouts and without starting a GoFundMe page. You can offer Fans a LiveStream performance to watch from home, right from their couch – with a drink or a smoke in hand.

But first you have to cut through all of the noise. How do you get your Fans to SHOW UP to your LiveStream performance? Just like with any show, it’s as simple as this:

Get your Fans to financially commit to attending your LiveStream by buying an online ticket.

That’s it. If you promote effectively and get Fans in gear, they will 100% be ready to watch your LiveStream show when it starts. They’ll block it off on their calendar, and the best part, they’re going to watch with friends and spread the word about the unique live show they’re about to experience.

LIVESTREAM SHOWS ARE EASIER TO SELL TICKETS FOR!

1. LiveStream tickets are CHEAPER than a typical real-world show at a venue (you set the price). This is a huge advantage for fans that are concerned about money, and cheaper tickets makes them more likely to tip you during the show!
2. LiveStream tickets are all online – you don’t have to worry about meeting up face to face to sell cash tickets or drive around town putting up flyers. So now you can spend even more time on online promotion.
3. LiveStream tickets can be sold to ANYONE worldwide, not just people in your city. This opens up the amount of people you can sell to. Do you have 2 fans across the country? They’d never be able to attend a normal show, but they can buy tickets to your LiveStream!
4. LiveStream payout is HIGHER because we don’t have to cover venue, staffing, and real-world show costs. As such, the benchmarks and perks are even better for LiveStream shows (i.e. You make 70% of ticket sales at just 5 tickets sold).
5. LiveStream shows are more convenient for your fans  – of course most of us prefer in person club shows, BUT think about the hassle factor. With a LiveStream, fans don’t leave the comfort of their home. They save money on parking, drinks, food… and can kick up their feet and relax while watching your show online.

Ok, so you set up a LiveStream from your myafton.com account. Now what?

It is time to PROMOTE the show to your fans just like you would a real world show at a venue with a few simple differences.

For LiveStream, all tickets are sold online using your unique ticket URL. So this ticket URL is where you want to be directing ALL fans.

As soon as your LiveStream is created, start spreading the word. Is anyone performing with you? Group or band members? Have them do all this as well!

FIRST – Post about it on social media on all your platforms (Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Snapchat etc). Make sure you include a call to action “Go buy a ticket here….”

SECOND – Send personal messages to all your followers on your social media platforms.

THIRD – Go through your phone and send text messages to everyone you want to attend with the ticket URL. Keep a list of who you have reached out to and be sure to follow up until they have purchased or said no. Remember LiveStream is worldwide, there are no limiting factors to who you can invite!

FOURTH – Do you have a mailing list? Do you have people in your life that prefer email? EMAIL them.

MOST IMPORTANT: 

After you have done a full pass on everyone you know (worldwide), it is VITAL to focus on follow ups. Schedule a few follow ups a week so you can ensure fans purchase their ticket and don’t flake out.

Here is an example message you could send as a follow up:

“I’m getting a head count on my LiveSteam Show on xxxDATEandTIMExxx. You haven’t bought a ticket yet right? I really hope you can make it! You can buy online at (put your ticket URL here). Either way, let me know if I can count on you to pick up a ticket before the show. Thank you so much!”

IF they text back they CAN’T MAKE IT – ask if they can forward your text to their friends. Most of the time they’ll feel bad they have to miss your show. So they’ll be happy to try and get some of their friends to buy tickets and attend! What if your best friend can’t go, but gets 3 of their friends to buy tickets? Always ask!

IF they text back and say they CAN MAKE IT – tell them how stoked you are and ask them to TELL YOU once they’ve bought a ticket so you know they’re attending for sure. Always include a call to action or followup request.

Now that you have some momentum, and tickets are selling, make a pass on fans that have purchased tickets and ask them to INVITE friends to watch the LiveStream with them (from a different location). LiveStream shows are a great way for fans to connect and socialize while being apart.

Thats it. Simple online promotion. Keep hustling. Treat this like any other show and really spend the time to put together an awesome set so that fans find value in their ticket purchase and will buy again and spread the word to people they know. The goal should be to do weekly or monthly LiveStreams to bring in money while venues are shut down – so you must leave fans wanting to come back for more!!

For some other tips, read more here: https://myafton.com/blog/how-to-sell-20-tickets/

Other Resources

The Importance of Getting On a Spotify Playlist

Facebook Ad & Promo Tips for Livestream

Local and Livestream Shows

The post HOW TO SELL TICKETS FOR YOUR LIVESTREAM SHOW! appeared first on Afton.

How to Help Music Venues During Covid-19

It is has now been over three months since Covid-19 shut down the United States. Music venues were the first to close and as the phases roll out slowly in almost every state, they will be the last to re-open.

Small, independent music venues are such an essential part of the local music scene and every day that goes by we grow more and more concerned about which venues will make it to the other side.

In some cities we are able to do shows again (Atlanta, Dallas, Oklahoma City as examples), but in other places, shows do not look likely until fall or later. This is a devastating blow to clubs that rely on rental income and bar sales to operate and pay the bills. And even if clubs are able to reopen, it will be with new restrictions and capacity limitations that make their businesses economically unviable.

Closed venues hurt everyone in the industry – bartenders, security, sound/light technicians, cooks, and of course artists who are also dependent on the revenue they bring in from performing. While there are many organizations out there focusing on helping the artists, I would like to use this article to relay what can be done for music venues during the shut down.

Here Is What You Can do….

1. Go to the website/socials of the venues in your city to see what they are asking for. Many venues have started kickstarters or gofundme campaigns to help sustain them through the down time.

Here is a list of nationwide venues (with direct links) who are asking for financial help:

2. Offer your support by commenting, leaving positive reviews, or sharing messages from venues you care about. Now more than ever, venues need to know they are valuable and have the support of the community! We are in this together!

3. Find groups that support the cause in your specific state or city. In Oregon, we have this coalition:

https://www.voicevenues.com/

They are asking that patrons and fans of live music write to state representatives and commissioners to ensure that funds for covid-19 relief are allocated to the music venue industry. The votes of our politicians are crucial to the survival of small/independent venues.

4. Support NIVA – the National Independent Venue Association – they are a nationwide group trying to get funding for venues. A recent survey they took gave this grave prediction: “90 percent of independent venue owners, promoters and bookers say that they will have to close permanently within the next few months, if they can’t get an infusion of targeted government funding.”

Learn more here:

https://www.nivassoc.org/

5. When music venues do re-open and when you feel comfortable…  attend shows again, buy drinks, tip the artists performing, buy merch. Times are hard for everyone right now, but banding together and supporting each other however we can NOW is the only way we will have a music industry to come back to.

Please do what you can to help! We cannot enter a new normal where independent music venues do not exist. If monopolies like Live Nation and AEG control all the venues still standing, where does that leave the local artist looking to get on stage?!

Other Resources

Afton Press Release

Live Music After Covid

Make Your Livestream Unique

Shows In Your City

The post Some simple things YOU can do to help music venues during Covid-19 appeared first on Afton.

Unique Livestream Performance

Here’s a quick guide to making your Live Stream gigs the most profitable shows you’ve ever played.

So many major artists right now are doing Live Stream performances for free. It’s been kind of weird, and kind of cool, to see major artists essentially “busking” online for tips.

So this leaves many independent musicians, rappers, and bands wondering “how the hell am I going to get my small fan base to pay to watch my Live Stream performance?”

We expect that major artists will soon stop live streaming for free and start charging fans to watch with a pay-per-view ticket. With no real end to Covid-19 in sight, musicians will need to start bringing in significant revenue.

Luckily, music fans are getting use to watching and paying for virtual Live Stream performances – and this can have a huge positive financial impact on unsigned, independent musicians.

So the question is, will any of your fans be willing to pay $5.99 or $9.99 to watch your virtual Live Stream gig? MyAfton LiveStream has found that there are key strategies artists can use on live streaming that can mean the difference between selling 2 virtual tickets, or selling 50 virtual tickets. They are so easy to implement.

1. Planning is Everything!

First, you need to think about what your fans and friends want to see. Right now during COVID-19 they can’t go see a live show. But, you want to start honing your Live Stream skills so that even once live shows come back – you can make your LiveStream gigs a normal part of your show offering.

You want to create a Live Show experience that is so much more meaningful than the $5.99 or $9.99 you ask your fans to pay, that they beg you for more and more Live Streams on a continual basis.

You want your Live Stream shows to be more than just “you performing at home.” Think outside the box, be creative, and look at your Live Stream shows as an interactive experience – not just a camera pointing at you while you perform.

Create your Live Stream show plan, almost like you do with your set list. We’ll show you how.

2. Content is King.

You have to not only offer great songs and a great performance to fans in your LiveStream – but you also must deliver a meaningful, fun, unique, and interactive experience.

When you Live Stream you can do so much more than you normally can at a music venue. The stage is yours. You can tell stories, show your new music videos, talk about song lyrics that are meaningful, answer questions from the audience – if your platform has Fan Live Chat like MyAfton LiveStream does, run contests, play cover songs, and show who you really are.

You can let your personality shine.

So when you sit down to create your set list for the stream, spend an equal amount of time planning out what you are going to say and do in between songs. Are you going to perform each song in a different room of your house? Are you going to have several quick wardrobe changes? Are you going to perform your stream out on your deck during sunset? Will you have a drink in hand or show off your favorite glass bubbler?

Try to plan out what you’re going to say and what kind of content you want to deliver to your fans. Maybe you want to setup your LiveStream in a “tonight show” format and have guests – it’s all up to you. We also recommend using content that is relevant to what is happening right now – so pay attention to the news in your city and use that to increase engagement.

3. It Must Be a Unique Experience

Fans can already see tons of live footage on YouTube. They probably have already seen you perform live in a music venue. So it really comes down to, “What are you offering in your Live Stream experience that is worth me spending $5.99 or $9.99 to watch from home?”

Brainstorm with any and all ideas, no matter how wacky they sound. Ask your fans what they want to see you do during your Live Stream. Ask them what songs they want you to play. Ask them for any and all requests, maybe they want to see you shotgun a beer, or perform next to a bonfire, or play a song with a carrot instead of a guitar pick, or perform while standing in your bathtub?

Whether you choose some type of gimmick or just doing some in depth Q&A sessions or guest features – the point is you control your entire show from start to finish. SO, MAKE IT SPECIAL, AND MAKE IT YOUR OWN!

4. Make it Interactive!

At a music venue you don’t get to chat with fans in between songs. In fact, with the lighting from the stage you usually can’t even see past the first row of fans.

But now you can literally ask fans anything you want, and they can do the same. You can have them vote on the next song you do, you can ask them to rate how well you’re playing, or make a drinking game out of every time you say a certain word. You can do some trivia where fans guess things about you. You can offer rewards and incentives for the top 3 tippers during the show. You can write a special song just for your live stream. You can share your political views, you can talk about Black Lives Matter and the protests that been happening, it’s your platform to speak out against injustice.

The point is, when fans are watching from home sitting on their couch and you’re on their flat screen TV, or if fans are watching from their laptop or on the bus from their iPhone – let them take part in your performance and engage them. You just can’t get that kind of interaction at a normal concert.

5. Lighting & Backdrop

Make sure there is ENOUGH LIGHT so fans can see you! This is crucial. If the lighting is bad, or half of your face is in complete shadow – you’re going to look like an amateur and fans won’t buy tickets to your future Live Streams.

You can invest very cheaply in some good lighting. Our friend over at Primal Video has a great video on types of lighting you can buy.

When you are doing your testing for the Live Stream do the video test in the exact place you plan to perform. If you are going to perform at night, don’t test your video in broad daylight. You want to match the conditions of the lighting in the room that will be experienced when you stream.

For video, you usually need more lighting than you would think. But this also gives you a chance to be creative. Once you have enough white light can you add in some disco lights or colored lighting to make it more interesting? I have 2 of these at my house for parties, my kids love them, and they’re like $13.99 – Disco Ball Lights on Amazon.

For a backdrop… What do you want your fans to see behind you during your Live Stream? Do you want a huge Bob Marley poster with hanging tye dye sheets? Do you want to do some kind of theme? Are there any PROPS you want to use? Be funny, be cool, show what you care about. What if you spent a couple hours painting a cool Black Lives Matter poster or sheet to hang behind you?

Get a couple fog machines, light up some incense. I have a handmade wooden pipe like the one Gandalf smokes in Lord of the Rings – I’d definitely incorporate that into my Live Stream. Do you have any cool beer mugs, Growlers, pipes, bongs, or shot glasses to incorporate? Are you going to sip on your favorite cocktail or premium liqueur? Don’t overdo it… But be yourself. Don’t overly censor yourself, let loose and have fun.

It kind of reminds me of being a little kid when a friend would come over to my house for the first time. I was so proud to show off my cool bedroom and all the things I decorated my room with. It was “my domain.” Well, you’re inviting your fans to watch you perform at your house and you can do the same. Create a COOL space and a fun atmosphere to watch you perform in. You should be excited to let your fans into “your space” so they can see who you are and connect on a deeper level!

PRO TIP: We recommend looking at your Live Stream shows as a continued part of your performance offering to fans – even once shows come back after COVID-19. Don’t look at this as a one-off show. Plan to make this a monthly or bi-monthly series. This makes it even more worth it for you to invest a little into good lighting and fun backdrops to make what your fans see a higher quality and more fun experience.

6. Choose the Right Ticket Price

Ok, so you’re stoked now. Your mind is already racing with 1,000 awesome ideas to make your Live Stream MORE than just a “performance on camera.” Because you are a creative. This is in your blood. You write lyrics, you create music, you make beats, all of the things we’re talking here is just using your creativity to enhance your Live Stream performance.

But, what ticket price do you charge?

Let me just say this, please don’t undervalue yourself or your music. Your show is worth more than 99 cents!

Your fans already buy things (many times “stupid” unnecessary things) that cost way more than a concert. I once saw a popular fart machine phone app that is $3.99 and brings in $10k a day (sad, I know). Fans spend $10 or more just for the privilege of entering a nightclub downtown. One cocktail at the bar is going to run you $5-$10. So a local artist asking fans to pay $5.99 to $9.99 for a special Live Stream experience is completely fair.

We believe local artists can price their virtual tickets at $5.99 to $7.99 very easily.

If you charge anything less than that, you don’t really make enough money to make it worth putting the time and energy to make it an awesome experience (i.e. selling 20 tickets at $1.99 each, what’s the point?) But, for local artists that are drawing 20-50 fans at real-world shows you may be able to get fans with $7.99 to $9.99 pretty easily.

Signed artists with larger fan bases should be able to charge 50% to 75% of what their normal real-world concert price is without issue.

Wait, Won’t I Make More Money by Streaming for TIPS ONLY?

This is a big myth. There are actually big disadvantages to an artist for doing full live stream shows for free, and it actually hurts their maximum earning potential. This article below talks more about this myth, and shows how to use free live streams to PROMOTE the ticket sales of your upcoming pay-per-view Live Streams and why that strategy pays off in the long run:

CLICK HERE TO SEE WHY LIVE STREAMING FOR FREE COULD BE HURTING YOU.

The post How to Make Your LiveStream so Unique that Fans Pay for it appeared first on Afton.

A widely-recognized platform pivots to bring music to the masses and a generous revenue share to performers.

Portland, OR – May 18, 2020 -In the wake of COVID-19, the world wants a way back to what was blissfully taken for granted. Most are determined to embrace the new norm at all costs so, like never before, forward-thinking companies take center stage.  Enter, Afton LiveStream.  Set to launch the MyAfton LiveStream platform for independent music artists and the Afton Tickets LiveStream platform for event organizers, signed major artists, and promoters in June of this year.

The streaming service will not only bring live music back, they’ll generously pay the artist for it. Call it the ultimate approach to social distancing that loves fans while it brings in revenue to music artists. Putting on 1,000 shows a year pre-COVID-19 and providing online ticketing for event organizers nationwide, MyAfton and Afton Tickets is no small operation. Changing with the times, the company now readies itself to stream live concerts worldwide.  Welcome to the digital age virtual stage.  It supports independent and large touring artists, promoters, and event organizers, and tells fans, ”Stay Home. Save Music. Watch a LiveStream.” 

The best part of our live music stream model is, fans can support the artists they love during this financial crisis. Human connection is so vital to our well-being so, performing shows and connecting with fans is more important now than ever for all of us. Watching an interactive LiveStream performance can help mend us back together in so many ways.

Amy Kintz, Owner and COO of Afton, LLC

With two platforms, one for smaller independent artists and one for larger, signed touring musicians, MyAfton and Afton Tickets, support the biggest profit share model in the business.  Focused on providing revenue for the artist, the platforms are free for them and their promoters to use. Large touring acts keep 100% of the ticket face value, and independent artists keep 70-90%.  Tips are included, too. 

Afton Tickets LiveStream charges a small ticket fee for their services and takes zero percent of the pay-per-view face value of ticket sales.  They provide daily ticket fund payouts, a 24/7 account manager, customer service, and a promoter portal to create and edit live-stream shows, among numerous other features.  The all-in-one platform serves the promoter, the artist, and the fans right down to a live chat and a virtual tip jar. 

For more information, visit https://myafton.com/

About Afton, LLC

Afton, LLC is the parent company of MyAfton and Afton Tickets. The platforms have sold over 3.2 million tickets for 15,000 shows in 70 US cities since 2004.

Artist Website Links

Independent Artists: https://myafton.com/livestream/

Large/touring Artists: https://aftontickets.com/livestream

Websites

MyAfton

Afton Tickets

Social Media

Facebook

Instagram

Twitter

YouTube

The post Afton LiveStream Launch Helps Music Artists Get Paid to Perform Despite COVID-19 appeared first on Afton.

Afton has been producing live concerts since 2004. Founded by Musicians, for Musicians – Afton’s passion has always been to support and empower independent bands, rappers, and musicians. Today, we are the largest booker of independent artists in the country with shows in 70+ U.S. and Canadian cities, over 250+ music venue partners, and millions of fans who have attended an Afton Shows event.

But 15,000+ shows later, COVID-19 suddenly and without warning brought live events to a dead stop. Live events cannot happen anytime soon, and the uncertainty of what the “new normal” will look like for live events has many music venues, artists, promoters, and booking agents wondering where to go from here.

As soon as our first show was canceled due to COVID-19 in March 2020, co-founders Ryan Kintz and Amy Kintz began the pursuit of finding a solution for the 240,000 bands and rap groups on our MyAfton.com booking platform.

Luckily, it’s always been hard to make money in the music industry. So we’re no stranger to overcoming obstacles and creatively solving problems. With a lean staff (we’ve been able to keep all full-time staff onboard) and an expert in-house team of software developers that have been with us since the beginning – we have been able to pivot quickly and build the MyAfton LiveStream platform.

Our vast experience in booking live concerts, dedication to music artists, our knowledge in promotion and marketing, and our ability to build enterprise level software are the core reasons we are able to so quickly provide this essential new MyAfton LiveStream platform to every musician, no matter where they live or what level of their career they’re at.

We will continue to focus on helping musicians and innovating new features, solutions, and tools to ensure that MyAfton LiveStream shows are some of the most rewarding and profitable shows our musicians have ever played.

The post Why Afton Shows is Primed to Lead the Industry in LiveStreams for Music Artists. appeared first on Afton.

Are shows still being booked? What is Afton’s plan?

Afton Show’s plan during the COVID-19 live events ban is to continue supporting our employees, our venues, and our artists. After much discussion between our team members, it was decided that the best course of action for everyone involved is to continue planning, booking, and promoting our late May/June/July events as usual. We are working closely with each venue, to monitor and adhere to the guidelines and restrictions put in place by local and state governments.

Things are uncertain now but could potentially change quickly. Nobody knows exactly when the live events ban in your specific city will be lifted, and we feel it is irresponsible to blindly cancel all shows for the next 6 months and shut down our planning, booking, and offering of dates to our artists. If we did this, it would be impossible to quickly put together shows to support our venues when the ban is lifted. As an example, on April 24th Georgia is re-opening many of its businesses.

Of course, we respect our artists’ decisions, so if you don’t feel comfortable confirming a show quite yet just let your Booking Rep know.

But remember this!

AS SOON as the live events ban is lifted, every tour, every show, every artist will be desperate for dates and we are confident that almost immediately EVERY DATE and EVERY SLOT will be booked up for many, many months. This is a key reason we are continuing to offer our show dates to our artists, because if you confirm a show in May or June, but it gets rescheduled due to COVID-19, you now will have a secured slot on the reschedule show in the future.

You are SAFE to confirm shows with us, because any tickets sold will be honored to a reschedule date if that becomes necessary. Also, because we are not going to allow any shows to happen unless the venue and the government officials in that area are allowing live shows to happen.

It’s been reported that Event Brite (a major player in the event industry) has laid off close to 50% of their employees already. Our goal at Afton is to do our best to keep our employees supported and employed during this crisis, so that the minute the live events ban is lifted, you still have a Booking Rep at your service!

We owe it to our artists, venues, show managers, and booking staff to be ready when live events can continue safely (which could be within the next month). We also owe it to our MyAfton artists to continue building features and services such as Afton LiveStream so that we can help you no matter how long this live event ban lasts.

Other Resources

Afton Shows Supports Independent Music Venues

We Are in This Together

Local Shows In Your City

The post Are Shows Still Being Booked? appeared first on Afton.

So Shows Aren’t Happening… What Now?

Times are uncertain and stressful for so many people right now, especially for Afton’s independent musicians, bands, and rappers. Even more so, for the 200+ independent music venues that Afton and our artists support. Some days it seems almost impossible to stay positive and hopeful when the live events industry has been completely halted and remains in a state of limbo.

Of course with any dramatic change, there will be mixed emotions, but it is our goal and continued passion to help independent artists and music venues get through this tough time and come out stronger than ever before.

Here at Afton, we are disheartened by the fact that we’ve had to postpone and reschedule so many shows for March, April, and May due to the COVID-19 live events ban. Our hearts go out to all of the venues and their staff that have been affected by the closures that have happened nationwide.

But remember, we are all in this together! Alone we are just 1, but together we are many. We are all creatives and artists – who not only live to inspire others and bring joy with our art, but also to inspire each other! We are resilient… Our belief is that together we can come out on the other side of this with innovative ideas, new music, and new strategies to better connect with our fans than ever before.

All that said, here is a simple list of action steps you can take during this COVID-19 “downtime” to help your artist brand, continue to grow your following, and to become more engaged with your fans than ever before.

• Go through ALL your social sites and update content. Take NEW pictures and revamp the look of your social media presence. Give it a fresh, upbeat look.
• If there is a social site or musician/artist site you are not on, be sure to create a new profile! Build your SEO presence with more pages and content.
• Put together videos of past performance footage and set a schedule to leak it out to your fan base over the next few weeks (short clips).
• Use a social media publishing tool to help you keep posts regular and engage your audience (such as Buffer or Hootsuite) – everyone is online now and the more you can keep them engaged the better!
• Take advantage of Afton promo blasts and other services to increase your reach (myafton.com/store) – we are offering deep discounts on everything! Promo blasts can help your SEO and Google ranking, expose you to a large audience of new fans, and help give you some good press.
• Write and record new material from home – now is the time to get all those ideas out. Use this time of reflection and turmoil to create some of the best music you’ve ever written.
• Plan a LiveStream set – Afton LiveStream is launching early MAY 2020 and we have tips and tricks on how to maximize your LiveStream coming soon! Afton LiveStream will help our artists monetize their Live Stream performances in an all-in-one, easy to use platform. It will be FREE for MyAfton artists!

And of course, take time for yourself when you can. The happier and healthier we all are when this is over the easier it will be to start back up again. We all have to fight the urge to sit around all day in our PJ’s and watch Netflix with a beer or blunt in hand… But now is the time to pick up that guitar, pick up that pen, and step up to that microphone and hone in on your craft. That way, when the live events ban is over, you’ll have an edge over all of the other artists that wasted this time.

Anything else you are doing to maximize this downtime? Comment below! 

Other Resources:

We Are In This Together

Covid-19 is Hitting The Live Events Industry Hard

Local Shows In Your City

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Afton Shows Supports Independent Music Venues & Music Clubs

Owning a music venue is TOUGH… Especially if your club allows all ages concerts. In a world quickly becoming dominated by mega businesses like Amazon, Live Nation, and AXS – independent music venues are finding it hard to survive. We’ve seen so many independent music venues swallowed up by Live Nation and AXS and it’s detrimental to the music scene. It’s already hard for unsigned acts to get onstage, but almost impossible for them to play a room owned by one of those corporate music venue chains.

In every city, we’re seeing the rents and leases rising at an alarming rate, property developers are coming in, and increased permit requirements and restrictions are making it harder than ever for venues to keep serving their music community! We have seen this firsthand on a nationwide scale over the past 15 years.

In an article written in “Metal Hammer”, author Thea de Gallier writes:

“The closure of grassroots music venues [and clubs] has a massive implication for the music scenes that use them. If keeping venues open continues to be a monumental battle, upcoming bands [and rappers] won’t have the platform they need to progress to academies and festival slots, let alone arenas. There’ll be no fresh sounds on the scene, and nowhere to go beyond a hired practice room. Break the link in the chain that is small venues, and the rest of the scene will crumble.” 

That’s why it is so important to Afton to partner with independent music venues and bring in shows that fill their off nights, and gaps between tour dates, and bring additional revenue to the club through bar sales, rental fees, and the marketing Afton and our artists provide. Equally important, is that our local artists and their fans support the clubs in your area by performing and attending shows, and of course being respectful while you are there, (damage or security issues to the club hurt everyone)!

The MyAfton Booking Platform is free to artists and our booking services are free. We have over 200,000 rappers and bands on our roster. So we’re not only bringing in shows to further support our music venue partners’ operating budgets, but we’re also bringing in artists that are grateful for the chance to play a fun show for their crowd.

Now more than ever, we hope to cultivate a music community in the 70+ cities we work in that supports independent music venues, and helps to “keep the lights on” so that there is a space for local artists to showcase their art, grow into the musicians they’re meant to be, and journey onward into the upper levels of the music industry.

Other Resources

The Afton Mission Statement

Stocking Your Merch Table

Local Shows In Your City

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Overcoming Obstacles to Ticket Sales 

Let’s face it….Selling tickets is not always easy and definitely can get you out of your comfort zone! At Afton Shows, one of our main goals is to help artists overcome ticket sale slumps with some simple strategies! Here are some of the main roadblocks we hear, and suggestions on how to approach your fans in each scenario.

1. Why is no one responding to my outreach?

Identify why fans are not buying. If you’re blasting and texting and posting the online ticket link and no one’s buying, think about a new approach, don’t keep doing something that isn’t working. For example, direct message your fans and ask for an actionable response such as “Can I count on you to go to the show? Yes or No?” Fans cannot ignore you if you are directly engaging with them 1on1 with a specific question.

Create value in your fan’s mind and tell them how awesome your live shows are, how much fun they are, why they need to go to the show, etc. Do something special at your show, add incentives, explain how they will help your career, talk up the venue or other artists. This is very much like a sales position, you have a product and you are the only one that can truly shine light on the value of your music and live performance.

2. Fans say they aren’t sure they can attend. 

Explain how their early commitment HELPS you get more perks, pay, better time slot etc. Treat it like a special party that they don’t want to miss and is important to you. 

3. Fans say they will come out to the next one. 

Explain that every show you play is important because it’s building your career and your fanbase. More opportunities will open up for you if you get people engage and attending all your shows! 

4. Fans keep saying they’ll buy tickets but they have not yet.

Call them out. Physically pull out a ticket for them to buy… Have tickets on you at all times so they never have an excuse. 

5. As the artist, I can’t control my fans behavior or I can’t get them to buy tickets

Change your attitude, think positively. Mindset becomes action, so try approaching your fans in a different way that brings value and excitement to your show. 

6. Fans say they will buy at the door. 

No, they won’t. Explain to them why that doesn’t help you and stresses you out. 

7. Fans don’t have the money for a ticket.

Offer incentives for them… Put together a “street team” that gives out a free ticket to any fans who sell 3 tickets to people they know in their network. Add value to the purchase with merch, music downloads, afterparty etc. 

8. Fans can’t drive to meet you for a cash ticket and they don’t want to pay online service fees.

Tell them to PayPal/Venmo/CashApp you the money and you can validate their cash ticket in your MyAfton account and put their name on the will call list. 

9. As the artist, you don’t know that many people in the area

Make a list of your 2-5 closest friends/co-workers/relatives and ask for their help in bringing people they know out to the show. Talk to them honestly and let them know they can have a huge impact on your career if they help you build a fan base. 

10. As the artist, nobody else in your group is willing to help you sell tickets.

Insist that everyone must do their part in order to perform. Working as a group is way easier than doing it alone. Create a requirement that each member must sell 5 tickets minimum in order to be part of the show. If you want to have featured artists during your set, ask that they get the word out about the show and sell tickets in exchange for the exposure. 

As you can see, there is alway an answer or work around for any obstacle you encounter. Comment below if we missed some excuses your fans have given you and what you did to overcome them! 

Other Resources

How Your Unsigned Band is Like a Startup

Believe In Yourself

Local Shows In Your City

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