All of the sophisticated arrangements in the world do not grab your audience's attention unless you're performing a concert where people have paid to see you. But at a bar, a wedding, a casual gig - no, no one cares. They didn't come for you; you came for them.
"We have the best musicians," a typical tag line amongst many bands and agencies. Who cares?
Every group will say they have the best musicians. They'd be fools not to answer the question that way, or would they?
Musicianship, the quality by which a musician executes a performance as defined by other professional musicians, is in the eye of the beholder. Truly. How I see a musical performance will be different than how another person will see it. My mother, not a musician, will experience music differently than I, and others like me, experience music. Nine times out of ten, the consumer is not a professional musician. They are a professional human being and often go to music to "feel" something from it.
People purchase live music because of the feeling it creates within them. They hope to recreate that feeling for those they're bringing together for a special occasion.
They remember how it felt to hear their first orchestra, band, musical. Experiencing live music might recall memories of their first private lesson. They see in movies couples having their first dance to a live band. People seek out live music because it helps them connect to something that no longer exists - a memory.
All of the musical talent in the world is meaningless unless you can effectively recreate memories.
What Can You Do?
Decide to be different.
When speaking with customers, make it a goal to understand what they remember about their earliest experiences with music.
Adjust arrangements, as needed, to highlight the lyric and the written word.
Improvise solos that are hummable by a non-musician.
Make personal connections with as many guests as possible and care about getting to know them.
Assert how you want your customers to feel.
Ensure you do everything in your power to help customers feel your brand.
Actively survey and learn what people remembered most about your work.
The above brainstorms are ideas. Flesh them out. See if they work for you. Try something else. For myself, I thought about how I would describe myself if I were a jazz musician:
"We bring to your party what a musician brought to you, so many years ago. A lifetime of good memories, positive vibes, and a feeling they'll want to share with others. We also happen to play jazz."
If I were a customer, I'd consider having a phone call with me.
Recreate the memory.
Oh!
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