It is your personal responsibility to bring people to your performance.

Large organizations, like orchestras, have divorced many classical musicians from this responsibility. The marketing team is in charge, and musicians don’t notice the consequence of a small audience, nor the benefit of bringing in a larger audience. It simply doesn’t affect them one way or another.

On the gig scene, it feels more personal. You’re likely getting a cut of the ticket sales, so the turnout affects your bottom line. If your night is slow, they might reconsider having you back at their venue. In the end, it only makes sense for a venue to have live music if it improves their bottom line.

If you consider your audience to be your personal responsibility, it affects all aspects of your performance. It will influence the style of music, the location, and the presentation of the show.

Building an audience

1. Don’t rely on social media.

Yes, you should post on social media, but don’t overdo it, and don’t expect much from it. It should serve as a reminder for those who are already planning on coming, and to keep everyone in the loop about your activities.

The announcement should be a minimum of two weeks prior to the event- people are busy. If you truly care about people attending, give them time to make a plan to come.

Social media is quick and impersonal. It’s easy to do, but also easy to miss, forget, or scroll by. You feel anonymous while reading it (or ignoring it). It’s good for announcements, but not great for moving people to action.

2. Send personal invitations.

It may seem less efficient, but personal invitations make up for efficiency with effectiveness. Send a text message or email to specific people, or if you see them in person, tell them face to face. It’s much more difficult to ignore than social media.

Even if you don’t get a response, most people will like that you thought of them and wanted them to come.

3. Be a part of the scene.

Possibly the best place to meet people interested in live music is… at a live music performance.

Take the time to support members of your music community. If you can (and want to), meet them afterwards. No need to have a specific agenda, just connect with them, get their name, and tell them you appreciated their performance.

Often, other audience members are also active musicians. Make this a regular practice, and you will see the same people. They may start to show up to your shows. You will likely become friends, then possibly collaborators in the future.

Attending a variety of performances is an easy and interesting way to meet other active musicians. Most performers really remember and appreciate their audience, especially those who show up consistently.

On top of that, attending performances is one of the very best ways to develop your own performance skills and style. With a curious mind, you can learn something from anyone.

4. Demonstrate consistency.

In the internet/social media age, we can be “connected” to a large number of people, but many of these connections can be absolutely meaningless. Online, it’s hard to know if someone is genuine, and most people have developed a (healthy) suspicion for internet acquaintances.

However, if you demonstrate your character consistently over time, you can build a reputation of doing what you say. This will develop into trust, even with people you’ve never met.

5. Play the long game.

Always treat your audience with respect. If someone is interested in your art, be interested in them too. Learn from your fans- talk to them, listen to them, and express your appreciation. Creating a solid relationship (of any kind) takes time and patience.

Understand that it takes repeated exposure to a person or project for someone to attend a performance or otherwise buy into your art. Some people will never attend a live show, but are content to support you online.

Why you should care

When we shoulder personal responsibility for the audience’s attendance, we feel differently about it. We must consider what they want. What kind of music? What kind of venue? Are we creating an experience that is comfortable, or memorable and challenging?

As performers, we are the vehicle for our art. Think of it as an act of generosity- to be deliberate and thoughtful about your performance.

Considering the complete experience allows us to be creative in realms beyond our musical performance. As the performer, you are connecting with the audience firsthand. You have immediate power to influence them in real time, from the stage.

A performance is a multi-sensory experience, and could never be replaced by a recording, or video, no matter how high quality. By now, we all understand that watching a live stream is not equivalent to attending a live show.

Many (most?) performances are simply created within their prescribed conventions. They look and sound exactly as we expect. Most of these conventions are unspoken, assumed. In reality, there are no hard rules, except those we have determined ourselves, or failed to notice. The only reason things are the way they are is because we continue to do it that way.

If you want to create an experience that is memorable, avoid being conventional by default. The challenge is that we are most blind to our own assumptions.

Our responsibility as performers is to connect with audiences, which often calls for us to expand our skills. But that doesn’t mean spending more hours in the practice room- it actually has very little to do with technical abilities. Frankly, once you pass the point of fluid proficiency (which good music schools will do) most people can’t tell the difference.

We are always aiming to improve our technique, but what if we apply this endeavor more holistically to the performance? Can you improve your stage manner? Public speaking? Create media that is more engaging? How can you utilize your skills to create a unique experience?

It is misguided to think that as musicians, we know best, and the audience “just doesn’t get it.” We must stretch ourselves outside of the proverbial “box.” If we are aiming to create performances that are unique and exceptional, we should act and prepare accordingly.

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