Author: Matt Fripp

Jazz showcases at jazzahead! and beyond

Jazz showcases at jazzahead! and beyond

Posted by | Apr 3, 2018 | |

One of the best ways of getting more gigs, is performing in front of people working in the industry (journalists, promoters, agents, etc) who will spread the news of your performance with colleagues and contacts. Whether as part of a competition, festival or showcase, there are many opportunities on the international jazz scene to play in front of these people – including the annual jazzahead! conference. So, as part of this Jazzfuel series on the 2018 jazzahead! conference, here’s a quick look at the things you can do to make the most impact in these situations… NB: If you’re not showcasing...

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Before, during & after jazzahead! 2018

Before, during & after jazzahead! 2018

Posted by | Mar 28, 2018 | |

If you don’t have a booking agent or manager, the single most important thing if you want to get more gigs and build your profile is to be able to directly connect with promoters & journalists. The jazzahead! conference helps you with this in 2 main ways, but both need a bit of preparation… 1) The jazzahead database   Registering for the conference gives you access to the delegates database where you can find every person who’s signed up to attend, including their email address. So, first thing, use the filter function to grab as many relevant contacts as...

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An introduction to jazzahead! 2018

An introduction to jazzahead! 2018

Posted by | Mar 28, 2018 | |

April 2018 sees the 13th edition of jazzahead!, one of the biggest jazz-focused conferences in the world. I’ll be there in Bremen, Germany, for the 9th consecutive year – along with more than THREE THOUSAND promoters, agents, journalists, musicians and record labels from around the world. As it approaches, I wanted to share a 4-part guide to making the most out of it. First up, here’s a quick introductory look at what to expect and how to prepare as a jazz musician attendee… “Out of all these type of industry events that I’ve been to, my experience at jazzahead!...

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Promoting your new album without a jazz publicist?

Promoting your new album without a jazz publicist?

Posted by | Feb 26, 2018 | |

If you’ve ever looked into hiring a jazz publicist, you’ll probably notice one big thing: Most of them only work in their own country or territory. So, if you are aiming at touring internationally, you’d need to hire a whole bunch of different people to reach those markets. And that would be EXPENSIVE. If, like most musicians, you don’t have the budget to engage in worldwide PR, it doesn’t mean that you should miss out on this. You might never develop the address book of the great publicists, but there are a bunch of actionable things you can do...

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Video Q&A with Phil Woods of Jazzlines Birmingham

Video Q&A with Phil Woods of Jazzlines Birmingham

Posted by | Feb 15, 2018 | |

As part of the Jazzfuel How To Get More Jazz Gigs Course, I hosted a live Q&A with British jazz promoter Phil Woods, who’s worked for both Cheltenham Jazz Festival & Jazzlines in Birmingham. This video is a short clip from that interview, where he talks about the impact personal industry connections can have on a musicians’ touring and gig...

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