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Mickey Squeeze

Feb 15 2023

#42 How to Build a Fanbase in 2023 Requires Open Mics

Shure Super 55 Mic Studio Music Blog Image

How to Build a Fanbase in 2023

Musicians, artists, bands seem to have lost sight of what is actually important due to the convenience of streaming aided by an pandemic that turned the music industry on its head.

The conversation surrounding an artist’s success was always hype, energy and attendance at a live show.  Due to streaming and social norms ironically favoring those not frequenting social gatherings & laziness the metric conversation became streaming numbers & social media traffic.  

Musicians trying to create a music career were given some incredibly misguided information on how to build a fanbase due to this blip in the world & profound affect on the music industry. The truth is social media & streaming numbers can be bought, sold, gamed & faked, which is hardly new information.

The entire industry is aware of bloated profiles created by various individuals & agencies cornering the deceiving numbers market. An artist is wasting extremely valuable in person networking time if isolated at home hovering over a phone and a computer as well as killing their craft of songwriting.

Social media definitely has its place, but I would argue that its usefulness is connecting to music blogs, venues, promoters, record stores & other music fanatics not locally accessible. Social Media has created such a disruption for up and coming artists because it is hiding what is truly important for an artist.

There is only so much time in a day and most artists put a majority of their free time to social media instead of practicing the art of songwriting & performing. An artist’s number one priority is writing better music in order to stand out. The music will turn heads and speak for itself. The music is the product that creates a potential career.

An artist knows they have something special when you receive that repetitive super genuine reaction to their music every where they perform. The easiest way to gauge your music and skill as a self promoter / marketer is by making open mics a testing ground.

The proof in the pudding is the hustle everywhere you go.  If an artist does not want to believe this then enjoy and revel in possibly 100K streams and most likely 1 in attendance at your local dive.  

Everywhere I read regarding how to build a fanbase fails to mention performing at open mics .  Open mics are completely free and already have the curated audience for you to network so there is no need to sift through people that might be interested in what you have to offer.

Open mics are a great place to create culture around your music Monday through Thursday, get in with venues & people others that may want help an artist succeed.  It is also a good place for constructive criticism, free live content & zero stress. 

Time and time I again I get asked how to get into certain venues and in with certain clicks. The response is always the same. Did you showcase for the venue or attend events at the venue? Did you start to build relationships with the bartender, security, DJ, promoter, local musicians?

You can answer most of these questions by doing an open mic on a Tuesday night from 8-10 for two hours instead of watching Netflix or creating the perfect social media post. Then after your open mic performance you can review the video footage and possibly post your performance and show how good you are. If the audio came out decent you can post it as a live performance to streaming sites adding to your EPK when you reach out to venues or other bands. Total cost is zero.

-Mickey Squeeze

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Bands Mentioned:

Alice Cooper, Seether, Saliva, John 5, Guns N Roses, Taylor Swift, Smashing Pumpkins, 21 Pilots, AC/DC, Abba, Aerosmith, Midnight Mob, Misfit Saints

Written by Mickey Squeeze · Categorized: Earspunk!, Podcast · Tagged: Live Music / Concert, Podcast, Tips

Feb 11 2023

#34 Amie Bishop & The Slingerz Female Fronted Independent Rock Act (Updated 2023) | Arkansas

2023 Amie Bishop Update

Carly and I in 2021 had the pleasure of having a two hour phone conversation with singer/songwriter/songstress Amie Bishop of the now proclaimed Amie Bishop & The Slingerz.

The transformation of Amie Bishop’s music career from a singer on the hustle trying to keep a band together to putting together a solid unit and ultimately penning the name Amie Bishop & The Slingerz has been inspiring.

Amie Bishop & The Slingerz Black & White Band Promo Photo Arkansas Vanzig Studios
Amie Bishop & The Slingerz

There is so much drive, work and thick skin involved just to put band together and keep a band together let alone garnering positive press, doing photoshoots, pressing merchandise and booking shows in the hopes to build a fanbase.

Amie has been pulling it off over since our conversation back in 2021 and has set up a solid foundation to build on in 2023 to push the envelope even further.

The band has released two singles in 2023 streaming on all platforms: “Merry Go Round” and the Heart cover “Barracuda”. Between these two tracks it’s easy to hear Amie’s passion for music. I have heard a lot of Heart covers, but not anywhere close to how the band pulls it off.

I am really looking forward to having another phone with Amie regarding updates, plans & all her insight to what she is doing. Keep a lookout for this podcast episode either late February or early March.

Get yourself some killer band swag at AmieBishop.com.

Amie Bishop & The Slingerz – Streaming on All Platforms

Who is Amie Bishop & The Slingerz for?

Amie Bishop & The Slingerz is for those into female fronted rock band drawing influences from classic rock and 90’s alternative.

At this time it seems the band is still trying to figure out who they are by writing music in a few different styles. In my personal they should look to Heart & do the modern version of that mixed in with all of Amie’s personality.

Members

Vocals – Amie Bishop

Guitars – Dan Schoultz

Bass – Matt Stone

Drums – Darin Williams

Amie Bishop & The Slingerz Band Promo Photo with Pink Logo Arkansas Vanzig Studios
Amie Bishop & The Slingerz Promo Photo

Amie Bishop & The Slingerz Origin

Amie Bishop & The Slingerz originate from Hot Springs, Arkansas and have relocated to Little Rock, Arkansas.

Amie Bishop & The Slingerz Sticker Art Arkansas
Amie Bishop & The Slingerz Sticker Art

Amie Bishop 2021 Podcast

Amie is a singer/songwriter, originally from Hot Springs, Arkansas, is hell bent on pursuing a music career. Amie is a rock, metal and alternative chick drawing influences from Heart, Led Zeppelin, Portishead, Rob Zombie, Siouxsie & the Banshees and Pantera.  Her latest single, Raven (May 2021), can be heard on Spotify now.

I initially was introduced to Amie when she began submitting to opportunities on ReverbNation.  In an earlier podcast episode Carly Quinn and I listened to some random artists that submitted and Amie’s submission, Tune In, was one we talked about.  Amie listened to the episode and we have been in contact ever since.  We chose her to be our first artist phone call conversation because she has a killer voice, no bullshit hustle mentality and is experiencing all of the classic trials & tribulations artists go through.

Amie talks about all of the classic roadblocks an artist can have such as solidifying a band of like minds to figuring out how to market and promote. We had a really great conversation and look forward to having more in the future.  Amie is open to collaborating with other musicians to keep pushing out her art so if you are looking for a female rock, metal, folk singer she can kind of do it all. Don’t be shy, she might even share her keto beer and eclectic cheeses with you.

Visit AmieBishop.com for all info and follow her on instagram @TheAmieBishop.

If you would like to work with Vanzig Studios please send an email to Airheads@VanzigStudios.com or send a DM @VanzigMoshPit

Amie Bishop & The Slingerz T-Shirt Merch Art Arkansas
T-Shirt Merchandise

Tour

Amie Bishop & The Slingerz Tour Dates

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Please hit us personally here at Vanzig Studios for any reason whatsoever using the Contact Form. If you’re curious where Carly and I come from then read over our bio.

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Written by Mickey Squeeze · Categorized: Podcast · Tagged: 2021, 2023, Female Fronted, Gear, Interview, Podcast, Pop Genre, Promotion, Rock Genre, USA

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