Taking Your Band From Local To Regional

Once you're solidly tapped into your local scene and your band is beginning to pull in crowd, it's time to start thinking about taking that next big step and going regional. Here we look at how to plan properly for such a transition, and avoid potential devastation and disappointment.

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Guest post by Rich Nardo for the TuneCore Blog

[This is a continuation of last month’s installment about building your local fan base.]

Congrats! You’re starting to really draw a crowd in your hometown and the local press outlets are taking notice. That’s a huge step for a band in building a sustainable career as musicians. You should be very proud of your accomplishments as you start preparing yourself for the next leap forward – going regional.

I’m sure your confidence is growing as an artist, and you’re starting to get social media followers from far away markets. Maybe some smaller blogs from all over the world are beginning to post your music. However, touring as a relatively unknown band can be one of the most stressful and defeating experiences you’ll go through as a musician. It can even bring the demise of your project as tempers begin to flare over constantly losing money and playing to rooms of ten people.

You probably became a musician in the first because you love it. So why be in a rush to add unnecessary stress and take the fun out of it? Rather than blindly booking a huge month long run of dates, your best bet is to start doing weekend warrior runs to neighboring cities. You still might play to some empty rooms at first or encounter some troubles on the road (i.e – van problems, band tension, getting stiffed on payment by promoters), but you’re never more than a day or two away from your own bed and the financial hit you might take is never too substantive.

I know the road is calling you but taking the proper steps early on will give you a better chance of having the amazing experiences on tour you’ve always dreamed of. Here are some ways to make that leap from local sensation to regional act getting their first taste of the touring life.

SET UP SOME SHOW TRADES

The best way to avoid having to play to rooms with less fans than band members present is to organize show trades with acts in nearby cities that already have a following. Are you a New York band looking to expand into Philly? Find a Philly-based group at roughly the same point in their career that would attract the sort of listener that would also be into your music. Chances are they’re looking to get their footing in New York as well.

Another advantage of this approach is that they already know the promoters at the appropriate clubs, other bands that would do well in the area and which local press to hit up so they will have an easier time getting a good show together and can point you in the right direction for your own PR efforts.

CHASE THE HASHTAG AND FOLLOW THE VENUE

Use the internet to your advantage (as you did in your home market). Find hashtags for that city’s