Why Tribute Shows area an almost MUST

Why Tribute Shows Are An Almost Must

Creating yours, within your band’s wheelhouse, costumed or not, can generate more money.

DAVID K, Some of my varied tribute shows

I hit a high note one night while singing in a bar that was not full. It was a unique venue with indoor putt putt, axe throwing and a full kitchen of kind of separate food truck vibe counters. There were a half dozen people at the bar, two playing putt-putt and a few throwing axes. After I finished the song, the few there erupted in very complimentary applause. A guy told me we had to talk. He had bought some Roy Orbison glasses, replica guitar, wig etc., and took singing lessons. He said he could not hit the high notes. He said, “I think I found someone to buy this Roy stuff off me!” Soon I was doing tribute shows. Now, I never had problems finding fun places to perform covers and a few of my originals, because I have good promotional material and links of me singing covers etc., but once I started selling our tribute shows, the potential was vastly more profitable. I can put a poster up of me, and in the right hood I can draw some friends and people who have seen me, get paid a hundred or two a night for 2- hours of music, but ROY ORBISON and his legacy of course, will draw more. And these shows are 2 hours long is all. Everywhere! If you can bring it, if you can perform a quality tribute to the songs and a particular artist’s vibe, tickets will sell. That axe bar paid $100 a guy. Let’s just say, I hardly ever end up with close to that low anymore. I get vastly higher return on the time put in doing tribute shows. If you and your band can come up with something within your wheelhouse, a legendary artist that your particular talents can represent well, you have the potential to make way more money and play way more places, higher capacity venues and all over the country… if that is of interest to you… and if you can get your band to travel. Certain venues are built around tribute shows. Some mix them in. Some community theaters have a concert series between their regular play runs. Some just pay, they write the negotiated check. Some you negotiate a percentage of the ticket revenue. Some handle the tickets, others want you to put the online tickets up, and to have someone at the door to check people in. Some you rent the theater for between $200 and $500… 200-800 capacity theaters. Some want you to buy a $200 • 1-2 million dollar insurance policy, which you can also buy to cover the entire year, of all your shows, all 48 mainland state venues, for $600-ish. Figure out a way to put together a tribute show if you wanna play more places all over the US and if you’d like to make more money.

MESSAGE ME FOR INFO ABOUT TRIBUTE VENUES ETC.