Caroline Collective

Due to super secret reasons and everyone’s insanely crazy schedule for December, we decided
to reschedule Bandcamp: TOURING for January 4th, the next first Sunday of the month. While
there was no official Bandcamp on December 7th, Gretchen Schmaltz of Houston’s Western Civilization was on hand to provide one-on-one mentoring for bands in attendance. Adam Newton of Dryve Tyme Onlyne posted a recap here. We are sorry to have rescheduled and hope everyone has a great holiday month.

Following the incredibly educational session of Bandcamp: OFFLINE PROMOTION led by B-Boy Craig and Kerry Melonson, next month’s bandcamp will focus on booking and touring. This session will be led by Gretchen Schmaltz of Western Civilization, a Houston band that tours 150 dates out of the year (bet you didn’t know that). Ms. Schmaltz will provide a step-by-step process for booking a tour for your band including tips and tricks to contact bookers, routing logistics, a packing list for tour, and best practices for promoting in an away city.

Bandcamp: TOURING will also have a talk by Sara Winter of AEG-TMC/Warehouse Live. Ms. Winter will speak about the responsibility of a band either home or away booked onto a show with respect to promotion, playing schedule, and getting attendance.

Terry Crane of Commerciant will give a product demo of their handheld credit card processing machine. Studies have shown that a great deal of opportunity lost by not being able to offer credit cards at an artist’s merch table. This simple to use wireless device can help touring bands process credit card payments to help alleviate the financial burden of touring.

Finally, we are asking bands to submit a tour proposal to us: length, desired region, budget, why…then we will select one of these proposals and book that band a tour. We will transparently detail every step of the way so that others can learn this process and provide guidance for our (mis)steps. By collectively sharing the Houston Music Community’s expertise and advice we’ll be able to demonstrate it’s actual strength.

WHEN: January 4th, 2009, 1-3pm

WHERE: Caroline Collective, 4820 Caroline

WHAT: Bandcamp:TOURING

Regular BandCamp sessions are held on the First Sunday of every month at Caroline Collective sometime between the hours of 1pm and 5pm. Please mark your calendar accordingly for future events where we’ll all educate specific skills to musical artists such as, online/offline promotion, tour booking, financials, and recording. Please speak about this event to your colleagues, band members and other interested members of the Houston Music Community.

About the initial Bandcamp

What is BandCamp About? Music, Musicians, Artists, Bands, marketing and promoting your band, booking a tour, dos and don’ts, selling your music online/offline, old guard vs new guard, etc.

There are several goals to Bandcamp. First, to deliver tools to Houston musical artists that will allow them to more effectively practice their craft. Second, to open lines of communication between all members and levels of the Houston Music Community. Finally, it is our goal to cohere and direct the Houston music community towards a path that will allow us to gain national recognition for the talent and expertise of the musicians and genres sprouting up and fostered in Houston.

We hope to accomplish these goals through an open forum and discussion about the music scene in Houston occurring between musicians, artists, the people who service them, booking agents, club owners, recording studios, and the press which writes about the music scene. We additionally plan to hold how-to sessions for artists and members of the Houston music industry to bring us all up to a level of shared knowledge in such skills as booking, recording, merchandising, online/offline promotion, touring, management and licensing.