If you build it, will they come?
August 23, 2007 1:01 AM Subscribe
On Wednesday, August 29th, I'll be playing in a show in a small venue in the kensington market area of Toronto (The Boat) with metafilter's own Evstar. How do I round up a crowd to attend an as-of-yet unpublicized indie show?
We've already thought about doing those stupid little leaflets that get stapled to telephone poles, but I'm fairly sure nobody reads them and says "gee, I'm so going to this show". What's the best way to attract an audience if your band is completely new?
Also, any Toronto mefites willing to attend and bring friends will be rewarded with beer.
Okay, so maybe this should be a MetaTalk thread, but I can't post one for 7 days and the show's in less than a week.
We've already thought about doing those stupid little leaflets that get stapled to telephone poles, but I'm fairly sure nobody reads them and says "gee, I'm so going to this show". What's the best way to attract an audience if your band is completely new?
Also, any Toronto mefites willing to attend and bring friends will be rewarded with beer.
Okay, so maybe this should be a MetaTalk thread, but I can't post one for 7 days and the show's in less than a week.
This post was deleted for the following reason: If you're pretty sure something should be posted to Metatalk and not here, posting it here's a pretty bad idea, tehloki.
Response by poster: I just realised that this totally looks bad. I wonder if there's any way it can be physically -moved- to MetaTalk...
posted by tehloki at 1:42 AM on August 23, 2007
posted by tehloki at 1:42 AM on August 23, 2007
Spam your friends via phone, email and IM. Then you have a core crowd of friendly people, and hopefully they'll bring some people you don't know. This is the closest you and I can get to Rent-A-Crowd.
Depending on your demographic, see if you can get some love from local student/college radio. Offer to come in and play. Give tickets away.
Give leaflets to people at the venue on earlier nights, if it's a place with regulars. Get down there on Thursday/Friday/Saturday night.
But most of all, have a freakin plan more than a week in advance, because anyone with an active social life may already have plans for that night.
posted by i_am_joe's_spleen at 2:53 AM on August 23, 2007
Depending on your demographic, see if you can get some love from local student/college radio. Offer to come in and play. Give tickets away.
Give leaflets to people at the venue on earlier nights, if it's a place with regulars. Get down there on Thursday/Friday/Saturday night.
But most of all, have a freakin plan more than a week in advance, because anyone with an active social life may already have plans for that night.
posted by i_am_joe's_spleen at 2:53 AM on August 23, 2007
I_am_joe's_spleen: not in Toronto, in my experience. Few people seem to plan their lives with any degree of firmness more than a few days out.
tehloki.. print leaflets, and plaster an event with a similar vibe to yours. It's too late to get listed in NOW or Eye print editions for this week, but you might be able to get into the online ed.
posted by dirtynumbangelboy at 3:22 AM on August 23, 2007
tehloki.. print leaflets, and plaster an event with a similar vibe to yours. It's too late to get listed in NOW or Eye print editions for this week, but you might be able to get into the online ed.
posted by dirtynumbangelboy at 3:22 AM on August 23, 2007
oops, should have added... flyer outside the similar event. unless you're flyering at the venue you will be using, it's unforgivably rude to flyer inside a venue for an event elsewhere.
posted by dirtynumbangelboy at 3:23 AM on August 23, 2007
posted by dirtynumbangelboy at 3:23 AM on August 23, 2007
This is totally spammy.
Anyway. www.stillepost.ca - don't be spammy there though, please.
posted by loiseau at 3:49 AM on August 23, 2007
Anyway. www.stillepost.ca - don't be spammy there though, please.
posted by loiseau at 3:49 AM on August 23, 2007
People post events like this to the Toronto LiveJournal Community all the time. I would include a link to your songs on Mefi Music, if that's the type of stuff you'll be playing.
Craigslist also has an events section. Not sure how much it gets used.
posted by heatherann at 5:21 AM on August 23, 2007
Craigslist also has an events section. Not sure how much it gets used.
posted by heatherann at 5:21 AM on August 23, 2007
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by Meatbomb at 1:09 AM on August 23, 2007 [1 favorite]