What’s The Deal WITH SHOWCASES?

By Melissa Ellen

showcase  noun

• a place or occasion for presenting something favorably to general attention : the gallery will provide a showcase for Atlanta's young photographers.

verb [ trans. ]

exhibit; display : the albums showcase his production skills.

I have been performing professionally since 1989 and voice teaching, coaching and consulting with singers and bands since 1990.   Before performing professionally, I was trying to perform professionally.  For years I took voice lessons, went from band to band, musician to musician, and every audition I could find.  As you can well imagine, I didn’t know what I was doing.  During this period I participated in many showcases.  As my experience and talent grew, I moved from amateur to professional.  After several years of performing professionally, pursuing a record deal and vocal coaching independent mainstream music artists I would attend showcases in support of my students or as a judge or industry presence.  I eventually started speaking on music business panels from my dual perspective.  I moved to Nashville about two years ago and since have attended at least 30 showcases.  I attend them mostly for networking purposes and to learn more about the Nashville experience.  Although, the music business has changed dramatically over the past two decades, two things that have remained constant are that less informed people get taken advantage of and, there are a lot of talented people participating in the wrong showcase or a showcase they are absolutely not ready for.  It is my intention here to help clarify the showcase experience.

There are three major categories of showcases.

Category 1:  Usually held at a night club, these showcases can have up to ten performers sometimes performing up to two songs each with their backing tracks.  Often it is set up like a contest where the prize is performing in front of music industry executives and maybe getting an hour or two of free studio time.  Basically, all the participants invite everybody they know so the club makes money, and because all studio projects take more than two hours (even one song), the studio will make money off of the winner. This is not really a bad thing because studio experience is great too.  If the studio owner is a producer, or song creator, you might get some cool original music out of it. These events are a great way to get performance experience. You can meet people in the business.  You can meet other artists.  You can meet songwriters and producers.  It’s the slimy “Hey baby I can make you a star” people that you should be aware of, including anyone offering you a management deal or production deal.  Plus, when you are new to the business, you may think you are going to get a record deal from this kind of event.  Because I do not believe in saying, “Oh that’s never going to happen”, I will say that 99% of the time, no one will be getting a record deal worth anything from this performance.  The showcase is just an opportunity for you to gain experience. 

Category 2 (Music Conferences):  Usually singer/ songwriter or bands selected from their audio or video submissions by the event management persons.  They perform up to a thirty-minute set.  There are at least five other people on the bill for the evening at that particular venue. These conferences can have up to 300 bands performing at many venues over a period of a few days.  There are often music industry professionals at each venue at any given time.  The performers are independent artists who create their music, perform and even tour on their own.  Sometimes there is a specific showcase of only a select few chosen as the best of the conference, bands that are ready to break out on the scene.  These conferences are fabulous for performing, gaining fan base, getting education and networking with other artists and industry folks however, you have to be up to par to get to perform there in the first place.

Category 3:  One artist, showcasing for industry executives and shopping for an artist deal or production deal from a record label, in which case the audience is label executives and producers. Sometimes the showcase is for an established signed artist soliciting material for their next CD project, in which case the audience is publishers, songwriters, song pluggers, and producers. There is usually a good amount of money spent by the artist for the venue, for the pro musicians, for all the promo and work done prior to the event, etc.   Usually, the artist has a manager, or assistant who has been cultivating a buzz with industry people for a while prior to the showcase.  These showcases take place in New York, L.A. and Nashville.  (I lived in Atlanta for 16 years and there was never once a professional Artist Showcase there.)

Here are some helpful Tips:  The trick is to know which type of showcase is for you.  Be clear and honest about your level of talent.  If you are not sure, ask a professional for a consultation, not your friends.  Check out the showcase(s) online that you are interested in being a part of, and even listen to other artists who participated in it previously.

When performing, do not try to impress or engage us with banter.  It’s a showcase, not a gig.  Do not tell us about your website or new CD, or give us a ten-minute soliloquy about your next song.  Be well rehearsed and kick butt.

If there is a fee to perform, I usually would say, “don’t bother” however, most conferences charge a nominal fee upon submission (up to $25).  This is a common and accepted practice.  A showcase where you only perform one song should not have an entry fee at all.  There are certainly exceptions to the rule.  Just keep in mind that you can perform a lot of places for free.  The goal is that people should eventually be paying you to perform.

Always have business cards with you.  Always collect business cards.  Have a notepad or use the back of each card collected to write down where and when you met that person and what you spoke about.  NEVER hand out CDs to industry people unless you are asked.  Establishing relationships is the key to success in this business (as with most businesses).

Please let me know if this article was helpful.

www.melissaellen.com