Concert Venues

Do you have what it takes to perform live in concert? It is simple really: you need to have the knowledge, as well as talent and equipment. Generally, bands gather by their interest in music as well as performing. A few issues will deserve your attention, before you can get the attention you deserve. Here you will find a few ideas and helpful advice while performing as a band.

You will require the talent for singing or playing an instrument. However, there are productive band members who only sing or only play an instrument. The characters in your band will depend on the people included in the band. Once you have the band staffed you will need a few more items, such as a microphones and microphone stands, cables, speakers, monitors, an assortment of jacks, you power mixer and guitar stands as well as any other instrument or prop you band may personally require for live performance. Keep in mind, however, that one essential aspect of successfully performing live in concert is the need for practice, since we all know that practice makes perfect.

Practice and determination for creating and performing your music in concert are only part of successful live band performance. One of the most important characteristics of a live band is knowledge of how to work the crowd. If it comes natural to you, then just go with the flow. However, if it makes you a little nervous to interact with the audience, you will need to learn how to do so. It is easy really, but first you have to relax within your own self. Think of the audience as hundreds of your very best friends gathered in one place, only you and your band have the microphones.

If performing comes natural to you, this is great, just work up some witty introductions, comments and banter to work into your live performance. You must get the audience involved and enjoying their time with you. If you are a bit more shy or nervous, sit down and write up creative and witty conversation to share with your fans. Then practice this commentary on your friends and family, however, you do not want to sound too rehearsed as you want your comments to feel fresh to those you are entertaining. You just want to create an air of fun and enjoyment for you and your audience.

Ideas for entertaining your live audience

- Let the whole band in on entertaining your live audience, bantering back and forth while cheerfully having a good time. However, stay away from any true personal comments.

Promoting your concerts will take time and you will need help, therefore when working with a band, delegate different duties to different members when promoting your band. Some ways to promote your band would be the use of several ideas below.

Remember, to be truly successful, you must get out there and let the public know your performing live in concert. Once you have your equipment and a set of songs to sing, you will need to promote your band. You will require a public location such as county fairs, school dances, restaurants, churches, a skating rink or perhaps a nightclub that features the type of music you play.

Any location that features an open mic night are generally a good bet. The point is to get out there and let the public know that you are available. Once you have begun your bands performance, it will not be long before you have adoring fans, waiting on batted breath to hear your newest release. Then like the pink battery bunny, you just keep going, and going and going. Keep up the good work, practice and remember to smile. Love your audience and they will love you in return!

Kevin Sinclair is the publisher and editor of MusicianHome.com, a site that provides information and articles for musicians at all stages of their development.

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If you enjoy attending big events in sports, music, theater, or other major events, you probably realize how difficult securing your tickets can be, especially at the last minute. Popular events will often be “sold out” before everyone who wants to attend can grab their tickets. Then, those who don’t get a ticket must scramble at the last minute to try and find tickets through other sources. If you find yourself in a bind like this, using online resources can sometimes help you secure last minute or sold-out concert, sport, theater, season and event tickets. But there are a few things to be aware of when buying sold-out or hard-to-find tickets. Use the pointers below to save time and money while protecting yourself from ticket scams. Check for Online Security when Ordering You can take a look around a ticket website and its ordering section to be sure the ordering process is secure. The order page itself should be a secure page if you are to enter your credit card information directly into a form. The page is usually secure if the Web address begins with “https://”. The “s” means it is secure. If the ticket company is using a third party ordering service, be sure it’s a company that is well known and trustworthy. Contact Information Check to be sure you can contact the ticket company by phone when you need them. If the website does not offer a good “contact us” system, beware of them. You could get stuck with the bill and no tickets. If you order football tickets or baseball tickets, for instance, and the game is rained out or cancelled for some reason, you should be able to contact the ticket company to find out what your next step should be. Check for Reputation You can contact the Better Business Bureau (BBB) or visit the BBB Online to check out a company if you’re not sure if you can trust them. Here you can find out if there have been any recent complaints about the company, how long the company has been in business, and so forth. Beware of Hidden Fees Before placing an order for concert tickets, football tickets, theater tickets such as “Wicked” tickets, or any other event tickets, make sure there are no hidden charges. The hidden charges often come camouflaged as “service charges” or something similar. Shipping charges are fine as long as they are reasonable. The average rush shipment could cost you an amount from $15 to $25 in the U.S. and up to $35 internationally. Look for the “Buyer Guarantee” When you buy tickets, you should have the assurance that if for some reason, the event is cancelled or the ticket purchase falls through, you can have your money back. The ticket company should state up front what their policy is and if they offer a customer guarantee when things go wrong. If they don’t state this anywhere, seek out a ticket company that does cater to the customer’s needs. If you really want to attend an event, it’s wise to buy tickets early. There’s never a guarantee that you will be able to buy tickets at the last minute. But when and if the time comes that you need to buy tickets at the last minute, use the guide above to keep your personal information and money safe. Whether you are buying concert, sport, theater, season or event tickets, you’ll have peace of mind knowing you can get last minute or sold-out tickets when you need them.

Chris Robertson is an author of Majon International, one of the worlds MOST popular internet marketing companies on the web. Learn more about Tips for Sold-Out Event Tickets or Majon’s Sports directory.

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Nightclub Photography

All of the World’s best nightclubs and lounges have one thing in common. They all hire top-notch nightclub photographers to document what goes on at their venues. Nightclub photography is the ultimate form of marketing for a venue or nightclub promoter. Flyers can only tell potential customers so much about an event. But if these same customers can see vivid, high-end photos of a packed club filled with beautiful happy party people, potential customers have a much easier time deciding where to go..

People Are Vain

On top of the basic advertising benefit, nightclubs with a “Paparazzi” type atmosphere attract a lot of attention. If a club can make it’s customers feel like rockstars and models, even if they aren’t, they’ll be bringing in rockstar type bar sales too. It feeds into that “VIP” atmosphere. This is a huge incentive for nightclubs & lounges to hire competent nightlife photographers. There is a growing demand for photographers who have skill capturing nightlife events. It’s a great job opportunity for photographers looking to make some extra income on nights and weekends.

Concert Photography

When big name bands or hip hop acts come into town, guess who gets a front row seat every time? Concert photographers do. Magazines, Record Labels, and PR firms always need great shots of bands during concerts. The challenges of low-light concert photography are not always covered in photo classes or books. It’s a form of photography whose techniques can sometimes be wrapped in mystery.

TIPS FOR NIGHTCLUB & CONCERT PHOTOGRAPHY

* Use camera lenses that excel in capturing low light, with an aperture of f2.8 or bigger.
* Use longer shutter speeds, from 1/60 a second up to 1.0 second. This captures the ambient lighting.
* Use a flash if allowed. Try setting the flash to “2nd Curtain Sync” mode to freeze action better.
* If you can’t use a flash, set higher ISO settings and reduce noise in post processing
* Take shots of couples, the whole crowd, the ambient lighting of the venue, and performers.
* Use many different angles. This keeps the photo gallery action/excitement level high.
* Take photos of the hottest people at the club. Regular people are attracted to beautiful people. Sad but true.
* Add some contrast and sharpening in post processing to make photos pop.

Once you have a good solid portfolio of work, start shopping yourself around to nightclubs, bands, record labels, magazines, newspapers, etc. It’s easier to get press pass credentials and get the best seats in the house if you’re working for a big company.

It’s also beneficial to start a photography blog if you don’t already have one. Use this to showcase your best work and write reviews about each party & concert you work at. This will help drive search traffic to your nightlife photography blog, which can result in more people seeing your work and more chances to get hired for events.

For great detailed tips and techniques on Nightclub & Concert Photography, check out Nightclub Photography 101

Keep those shutters snapping!

http://NightclubPhotography101.com

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Matthew Carson – EzineArticles Expert Author