Season 2 - Episode 5: Mark Miller - Building Your Fan base For The College Market

This week I’m talking with my friend Mark Miller from the company Brave Enough which does concert booking for the college market.  We are discussing what it takes to get booked at colleges across the country and the importance of showcasing at either NACA or APCA which are the campus activities associations you have to use to get into this market.  Plus, we talk about the best music genres for the college markets.

Sponsors: Edenbrooke Productions - We offer consulting services and are offering listeners a 1-hour introductory special. To request more info on consulting services, email Marty at contact@johnmartinkeith.com.

In this episode we talk about:

*Being an artist touring in the college market.
*NACA - National Association of Campus Activities is main way to get booked for colleges.
*You must submit audio or video samples to get a showcase.
*Audio submissions have no chance of getting a showcase.
*Student activities boards from all colleges come to NACA to book artists.
*Create an atmosphere to set yourself apart from other acts.
*How to help your sponsors make money.
*Creating the booking agency Brave Enough for the college market.
*Learning how to showcase for the college market through NACA.
*Your submission video needs to be of cover songs that have been released in the last 5 years.
*There are more opportunities for solo or duo acts on college campuses than bands.
*Bands, duos and solo artists pay basically the same.
*Standard base rate is $1250 + travel for the college market.
*Rate can go up to $2500 once you’ve been around a while.
*APCA - is similar but a for profit company.
*If you’re not creating new content, you’re falling off the map.
*You have to have some investment cash to get going.
*You have to think of yourself as a business.
*You have to be invested in yourself.
*What Brave Enough is looking for when signing artists.
*You have to be relevant to 18-24 year olds.
*The best practices when booking shows with venues.
*Be strategic in building your fanbase.
*Don’t take any shortcuts.
*The best music genres for college markets.
*www.braveenough.com

BIO:

Mark Miller is the lucky guy married 10 years to Heather Miller, and proud dad of Rockwell and Juliette.  He also has the honor of serving over 400 colleges and universities and more than 50 artists and speakers through the two companies he founded and directs, Brave Enough Entertainment and Taikai Esports.  Prior to starting Brave Enough, Mark was a touring artist for more than a decade (half of that with Heather as the duo So Long Solo.)