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money-making possibilities to include practically any venue in your region. ·ð ð Rent from stores, bands or discount services This may be another selection from the Overly Obvious category, but here it is anyway: When you have a paid gig beckoning and you don t have a sound or lighting system of your own, renting one or hiring someone to bring one in might be your best solution especially if you know you ll earn more than you ll spend on the show. Your options include renting PA and lights from music stores, sound companies or other bands and running them yourself. But don t forget about hiring a freelancer to come in and do all the dirty work for you ... at a higher price, of course. Some - 129 - of the best deals may come from other bands that rent systems on their nights off (in fact, they may be doing it to build their own Guerrilla Music Project Funds). Adding it all up Let s figure out what a four-piece band might be able to raise in six months using just some of the techniques listed here. First, let s start with your potential as an individual. Suppose you were able to set aside just $20 a week from your day job for your Guerrilla Music Project Fund. You d have just over $500 in six months. Then suppose you could earn an additional $20 a week giving lessons, doing home recording, or any number of things discussed earlier. That would give you another $500. If you really tried, you could probably raise about $250 selling off some old equipment. And by trimming back some of your more extravagant musical buying habits, you should be able to redirect another $250 into the account over the six- month period. That gives you a total of $1,500 in six months using only your own discipline and ingenuity. Do the math: Even though you could easily raise still more money by getting a credit card cash advance or a $500 to $1,000 loan from a family member, let s use the more conservative $1,500 individual figure for our purposes. Now multiply that number by the four people in our four-member example band. Suddenly we ve got $6,000 in the collective Guerrilla Music Project Fund. And we haven t even factored in fund-raising gigs, paid band jobs, and merchandise sales. Over the course of six months, a band could easily raise another $3,000 from these sources. Add that to the previous subtotal and you d be on your way to raising nearly $10,000 for your next project! 10 ways to get a better price on equipment You ve heard the saying: A penny saved is a penny earned. It s true. Don t spend more than you have to on equipment. Use these tips and save. ·ð ð Buy used gear Finding good, pre-owned equipment can suit your needs and be a lot easier on your pocketbook at the same time. Shop around and test the stuff before you buy. ·ð ð Shop by mail order Ordering gear by mail can often get you lower prices while allowing you to avoid paying in-state sales tax. Here are three good mail order equipment sources: - 130 - Musician s Friend www.musiciansfriend.com (800) 776-5173 zZounds www.zzounds.com (800) 996-8637 eBay Musical Instruments http://instruments.ebay.com/ ·ð ð Pay cash up front No secret here. If you ve done a good job of setting aside money for your Guerrilla Music Project Fund, walking into a store or studio with cash in hand will always give you plenty of leverage to get a great, low price. ·ð ð Compare prices and shop around I don t mean to insult your intelligence here, but too often many of us get hooked on the first offer we come across ... and quite often it s not the best buy. Resist impulse buying and check out other options before you commit. ·ð ð Establish a relationship with one retailer or studio On the other end of the spectrum from shopping around is being loyal to one business ... that is, if it rewards you for your patronage with lower prices. If you ve done a noticeable amount of business with one particular music dealer in town, ask about a preferred customer discount. ·ð ð Consider display models Ranking right up there with used equipment bargains is the super price you can often get on demo models. Eventually, stores have to dispose of the display units that sit on the sales floor. And they move them by letting somebody walk out with these items at a 30- to 70-percent discount. That somebody might as well be you! ·ð ð Take advantage of sales, liquidations and going- out-of-business specials Keeping an ear to your regional music grapevine might help alert you when a retailer is going out of business. When this occurs, you can bet the business owner will be more than eager to sell remaining equipment at deep discounts. - 131 - ·ð ð Buy at wholesale by helping a store meet its quota When music stores buy equipment from suppliers, the discount they get depends [ Pobierz caÅ‚ość w formacie PDF ] |
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