The Art of Planning

This month I have been taking a class called Project and Team Management. I've learned a lot so far about teams, planning, and budgeting and have tried to relate that to the music industry. As a fan of music/musicians I never really thought about what all goes into a show or an album, I just simply enjoyed the final product. I think I have seen only the beginning of the business side to music, and I’m excited to learn more! I asked my friends Amanda and Audrey, who play together as Bridge 19, to tell me a little bit about what they’ve experienced as a duo in relation to planning, budgeting, and teams. This is what they said:

“As an independent artist, budgeting/planning is imperative. You're responsible for recording/paying musicians/ CD replication/merchandise/website/gas/lodging etc. It's important to play enough shows to cover your expenses, which is where planning/budgeting come into play. Communication is an important part of the team because any money that one person spends directly affects the other. We compared it to managing a family’s budget.”

I’ve been able to see first hand a glimpse of the business side to Bridge 19. As they said, they play enough shows to cover their expenses. I used to live in Lexington, Ky. Bridge 19 would travel from Louisville to Lexington to play at a local café called 6 Friends Café. This is a post Audrey had written on 6 friends Facebook page:

“Just going to throw my 2 cents in here. It's not every day as an independent musician that you find a venue like the 6 friends. They pay us appropriately for the job we do there. They feed us. There is ALWAYS a crowd to watch us. Every. Single. Time. They request our original music. They purchase our cds. They talk with us and become friends. They invite us back to do it again. It IS those people and those places that keep us moving in our music; letting us go further. You take that away, and everyone loses. We will be back. No doubt in my mind.”

In August the café had an issue with a neighbor of theirs who complained of noise and loud music every time they would have a musician playing indoors. It was quite a shock when the café was told they were to stop having live music until further notice. Not only did it affect the café and their business, but it affected the artists who play there on a regular basis as well. Amanda and Audrey have been playing shows like those at 6 friends to save up some money for their album they are in the process of recording. In the end, a city council meeting was held and 6 Friends was able to have music again. Audrey was right; they would be seeing everyone there again. When I went home for a visit this past month I was able to see Bridge 19 play at 6 Friends and I cannot begin to explain how happy everyone was to have the music back! Supporting our local musicians is important, and I hope it continues. I’m excited for Bridge 19 and their future. I hope they continue playing enough shows to raise money for their album and to keep entertaining their fans.

If you want to learn more about Bridge 19, check out their Facebook page. Also, please read my first post on this blog, it's all about them! Then, you should go here and read more about them/listen to a few of their songs. If I had to pick a favorite it would be either "Song From Me" or "Chance". If you ever make your way to Kentucky, I hope that you’ll go visit 6 Friends Café, as well!