I went to see one of my favourite bands U2 over the weekend and it was an unmissable show.  Not because of their video wall, the size of several IMAX screens but because they were playing one of my favourite albums, The Joshua Tree, in full. Playing an album live in this manner is becoming popular, partly because of our thirst for nostalgia but mostly because doing so creates a special, unmissable event.

If you find yourself playing lots of shows in your hometown or regularly gigging in the same town or city it can be hard to keep even hardcore fans coming back.  Your audience gets lazy because they know that sooner or later you’ll be round again so there’s no great imperative to come and watch your current show.  This can result in a lot of people staying at home.

If you play a venue or town regularly, your audience could look like this.

To stop that from happening you need to differentiate your current event from your earlier shows to create a ‘one off’ unmissable happening.  You should think about different themes that could incorporate, something that happens naturally when you release an album and play songs taken from that new release.

You need to find ways of making your show unique.

Could you play a set of special covers themed around a single artist or genre?  Could you collaborate and perform an exclusive set with a local band or musician that night?  Think of anything unique that will give the audience a true ‘one off’ experience that they will miss out on should they not attend.

Make sure your differential is at the front and centre of your marketing for the event. A key line in your event/press blurb should be  “You won’t want to this this one because…”.

Got any questions about this post or how you can better market yourself?

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