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Hi
Well it seems that isolating yourself for 10-15 years practicing, does a lot for your playing and musicianship but as a result, I am completely out of touch with the current trends. I am in a rural part of the UK and it seems my friends in other parts of the country in big cities are doing better but I want to stay where I am.
here is our website Finest Jazz musicians Norwich Norfolk Guitar trio Jazz guitar Live Music
At the moment I use Facebook and the relevant pages for our city, the local gig guide and instagram this is to advertise the two gigs we have a month. I usually post clips and videos and create an event and invite everyone.
Now I've noticed that in the last 6 months, I'm getting no likes or comments on anything I post. Like nothing at all, not a sausage. The gigs turn out to be really well attended but they are people I don't know ( I do talk to all the people that come and let them know they are welcome and that I appreciate them coming)
i don't post much just twice a fortnight with some videos and the date of the next gig and then the day after the gig I post and thank everyone for coming. I only have 200 friends on Facebook. Our group Facebook page has 165 followers and lots of likes but I think that's all over the UK. Instagram has 30 followers.
I don't have tik Tok, snapchat, WhatsApp or twitter and I've heard that Facebook is starting to fade away. There are so many organisations that claim they can help with marketing and promotion for a fee but I don't trust them. The musicians union have not been very helpful but I think that's a regional issue.
I can't really think of what else to do.
I did try advertising app on Facebook but I got charged £190 they just took it out of my account, no invoice or nothing
I would like to go into the studio to record our original tunes but I've been quoted £3000 for 4 tunes and I wouldn't have a clue what to do with the finished product. I have loads of cds by unsigned artists in my area , some have forked out a lot of money and done high quality videos but it hasn't paid off. Two musicians I know have done four cds.
I had a search for labels accepting submissions but the only label I found was 4ad and I would love to be signed by them but I've just been emailing them live links to tunes and haven't heard anything back
Im wondering what other people do in the UK.
Im also unfamiliar with Spotify, iTunes, and pretty much anything other than YouTube. Im using hashtags on Facebook, YouTube and instagram. Im on benefits, which I'm not proud of but I just can't see a way of earning money as the venues are not paying for gigs.
Any advice would be much appreciated. I know there is an option to earn money on YouTube. Perhaps you could check out our channel and offer some advice. It would be much appreciated. Maybe I need to ditch one or two of the other platforms and try some different ones
Triaura - YouTube
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04-12-2025 06:29 AM
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If you organise your writing in paragraphs, and pay attention to spelling and grammar, your promotions will be more effective. Here is a rough edit:
Hi
Well it seems that isolating yourself for 10-15 years practicing, does a lot for your playing and musicianship but as a result, I am completely out of touch with the current trends. I am in a rural part of the UK and it seems my friends in other parts of the country in big cities are doing better, but I want to stay where I am. Here is our website Finest Jazz musicians Norwich Norfolk Guitar trio Jazz guitar Live Music
At the moment I use Facebook and the relevant pages for our city, the local gig guide and instagram this is to advertise the two gigs we have a month. I usually post clips and videos and create an event and invite everyone. Now I've noticed that in the last six months, I'm getting no likes or comments on anything I post. Like nothing at all, not a sausage. The gigs turn out to be really well attended but they are people I don't know (I do talk to all the people that come and let them know they are welcome and that I appreciate them coming). I don't post much: just twice a fortnight with some videos and the date of the next gig and then the day after the gig I post and thank everyone for coming.
I only have 200 friends on Facebook. Our group Facebook page has 165 followers and lots of likes but I think that's all over the UK. Instagram has 30 followers. I don't have Tik Tok, snapchat, WhatsApp or Twitter and I've heard that Facebook is starting to fade away. There are so many organisations that claim they can help with marketing and promotion for a fee but I don't trust them. The musicians' union have not been very helpful but I think that's a regional issue.
I can't really think of what else to do. I did try an advertising app on Facebook but I was charged £190 — they just took it out of my account, no invoice or nothing. I would like to go into the studio to record our original tunes but I've been quoted £3000 for four tunes and I wouldn't have a clue what to do with the finished product. I have loads of CDs by unsigned artists in my area; some have forked out a lot of money and done high quality videos but it hasn't paid off. Two musicians I know have done four CDs.
I had a search for labels accepting submissions but the only label I found was 4ad and I would love to be signed by them but I've just been emailing them live links to tunes and haven't heard anything back. I’m wondering what other people do in the UK. I'm unfamiliar with Spotify, iTunes, and pretty much anything other than YouTube. I'm using hashtags on Facebook, YouTube and Instagram. I’m on benefits, which I'm not proud of, but I just can't see a way of earning money as the venues are not paying for gigs.
Any advice would be much appreciated. I know there is an option to earn money on YouTube. Perhaps you could check out our channel and offer some advice. It would be much appreciated. Maybe I need to ditch one or two of the other platforms and try some different ones.
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I've just given your facebook page a follow. If anyone else wants to, it's here: Facebook
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I would say actually linking to the pages you want people to follow would be A number one.
Originally Posted by James W
Even before paragraph breaks, believe it or not.
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Thanks so much James I really appreciate it let me know if I can follow you ( this stuff is all new to me
)
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Hi
I think the instagram is linked to Facebook but not sure. I'll have to see if I can check. Thanks for the tip cheers
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I’m being a little snarky, but honestly I wouldn’t worry too much about it. Having one or two platforms you’re comfortable using, making it as low maintenance as possible, and setting your expectations to be reasonable — meaning it’s a digital flyer campaign. Folks can follow you when they see you play and you can tell them where you’re playing next.
Having two or three hundred followers who are interested is wonderful. Maybe you get lucky and a video strikes it and you end up with 50,000, but that’s a volume game and a lot of luck and it’ll be a time consuming part time job. Real work.
Low maintenance: chop up videos from your gigs so you can use the clips for a few months. Canva is worth the subscription so you can create a simple gig announcement and change it quickly as needed without reinventing the wheel.
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Be active on Instagram ("posts" for anything you want to remain visible, stories for the rest, though you can store those into "highlights") and let it cross-post to your FB account so you don't have to do things twice.
Being active also means following and interacting with your peers as that will also be noticed by their followers.
If this is all too incomprehensible to you and you're willing to spend some money on it, find a (beginning) social media manager who'll help you kick off for a fair price (I might have someone in mind - not me
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Sure - (1) Facebook Originally Posted by Heybopper
Thanks so much James I really appreciate it let me know if I can follow you ( this stuff is all new to me )
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Hi James I see your Facebook page but can't see the follow button
(
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I paid 50.- to promote one Youtube vid as an ad. For that money, it got 23400 showings, 140 likes, 120 subscribers.
There is no way to check how it really works though.
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Well you can either add me as a friend or click on the dot-dot-dot (...) button where you should find the option to follow me. Originally Posted by Heybopper
Hi James I see your Facebook page but can't see the follow button(
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Ah followed
Ive spent an hour trying to link my trios Facebook page to instagram. It seems you have to do it on your phone as I spent ages trying to do it on my laptop. Im giving up now for today. Thanks for the advice and help. Maybe ill pay someone as its too complicated for me
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I am pretty certain I did it via the "accounts centre" on my laptop, but that was a while ago already. Check Connected experiences and Profiles. Originally Posted by Heybopper
Ah followed Ive spent an hour trying to link my trios Facebook page to instagram. It seems you have to do it on your phone as I spent ages trying to do it on my laptop.
It may be necessary (and things will undoubtedly be easier) if the accounts share the same email address
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I used to do that a long time ago until FB started autobilling my card without authorization. It's mostly a waste of money anyways. No one is coming to your show cause you paid extra for FB advertisement. Originally Posted by emanresu
Chasing facebook likes by using your personal account to direct people to your band page is a waste of time. Unless you are getting organic likes from people who attended the show you just look like a phony with a bunch of people who hit like and have never even heard you. Organic likes are more satisfying but must be earned through repeated performances and hard work.
OP if you want more followers you need to press the matter at your shows. HIT US UP ON FACEBOOK AND SAY HI. FREE MUSIC AND VIDEOS THERE.
You also need to gig more. Two gigs a month is bordering on wasting your time. If you aren't willing to travel some miles then it's just hobbyist stuff and people will treat you as a hobbyist. Set a max radius you are willing to travel for the average gig pay. For me that means about an hour and fifteen minutes from home unless there is additional money or prestige vs the usual gig involved.
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TBH first off I think the OP needs to find paying gigs more than social media likes. The music business is a BUSINESS, that means your make money, not lose it.
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Heybopper -
I spent 40+ years in Brighton on the music scene. Basically, you're doing it all the wrong way. You get gigs by getting gigs, which does NOT mean sitting on your computer in a 'rural area' and wasting your time. You get busy finding where the gigs are and making yourself known. You might have to book your own venue and hope people turn up.
If you're any good they will. Word of mouth is what will get you bums on seats. The best gigs are repeated gigs in pubs and restaurants. As I said, if you're any good you'll get known pretty quickly. You know where the venues are, hassle them. Build yourself a reputation.
Do the Norwich music/jazz festivals. Advertise in the local press. Put yourself about. If you must, busk. It's great practice and people will remember you. Plus there's the additional bit of money.
Your website is awful. Your blurb sounds as though you're begging, cap in hand. 'We're trying to be the best'. 'We're very grateful', blah, blah. Those videos are unedited and drowned in chat and noise, you can barely hear the music. The music isn't bad, as it happens, but that's not enough. And 'For bookings go to page 2'. There isn't a page 2 for god's sake!
The internet is a huge place. Why should people go to your website without prior knowledge of you? They won't. Why should they see some sort of thing on Facebook or whatever and become your fans? They won't.
Do these people know you?
Norwich Jazz Gigs - Live jazz in Norwich, Norfolk.
Norwich Jazz Festival - Norwich Arts Centre
https://www.gig-guide.co.uk/listings/norwich
WHY NOT?
Stop pissing about with Instagram and trying to be teenagers or trendies or whatever. Get off your collective asses and make it work. Record some decent clips of yourselves. Make a CD worth buying. Sell it at gigs.
Etc, etc.
Message clear? Good.
Never heard anything like it in my life.
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Well that brings me to another issue
Don't think ive had plenty of people offering to help for a fee. Ive been quoted from £700 - £1500 for promo videos, that's without the audio. Photo shoots, studio recordings, website creators, marketing. I just don't see it paying off.
Sadly the gigs just are not there. I grew up in Manchester UK, studied in Australia and came back to Norfolk. It's not an issue in the bigger cities, there are more opportunities, more funding, access to good tuition. Here it is pretty bad.
Ive considered relocating again but rent is crazy. I'm seeing £700 a month for just a room in a shared house in Manchester near the city. I have a friend in London and she lives on a boat. Norfolk Uk is still quite cheap but its behind most other places in the UK in terms of diversity and arts and culture.
No one is performing more than once a week. Tribute bands, pub rock, folk and Americana are the main bands and they all have day jobs.
On the plus side, that's why we stand out, but we have to establish ourselves and play Jazz to people that have never heard it before.
There are a handful of really great Jazz players here, Most have moved from London but they don't play live they just teach and wouldn't do a gig for less than £80 for a pub or £130 for a function. The result is there are no Jazz gigs here and no one who lives here knows what Jazz is because no one is playing it.
Ive done posters and business cards its just the social media thing.
There are pluses though. The last few gigs have been really well attended. Audience response has been very good and the venue and owner are really happy. Ive applied for grants and funding but not much luck. but that's the thing. The only real choice is to keep doing it or stop doing it
Ive also realised that none of my musician friends on Facebook and in the area have been supportive. The audience is full of people ive never met of all ages that are very friendly and easy to talk to. I think I'll ask advice from them at the next gig. They will know what to do I'm sure
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Yes I could hire the arts centre for £1000, plus another £1500 for the bar and staff. I'll pay the musicians £100 each. I'll pay £2000 for promo. £6000 for recording and cds (plus musicians fees)
this will be from my £20,000 a month befit check that every unemployed person gets in the UK if they are out of work or have health issues that prevent them from working full time.
Yes Ragman, I don't know why I didn't think of that, I must be stupid.
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Of course the venue is happy, you're their slave. Originally Posted by Heybopper
Well that brings me to another issue
Don't think ive had plenty of people offering to help for a fee. Ive been quoted from £700 - £1500 for promo videos, that's without the audio. Photo shoots, studio recordings, website creators, marketing. I just don't see it paying off.
Sadly the gigs just are not there. I grew up in Manchester UK, studied in Australia and came back to Norfolk. It's not an issue in the bigger cities, there are more opportunities, more funding, access to good tuition. Here it is pretty bad.
Ive considered relocating again but rent is crazy. I'm seeing £700 a month for just a room in a shared house in Manchester near the city. I have a friend in London and she lives on a boat. Norfolk Uk is still quite cheap but its behind most other places in the UK in terms of diversity and arts and culture.
No one is performing more than once a week. Tribute bands, pub rock, folk and Americana are the main bands and they all have day jobs.
On the plus side, that's why we stand out, but we have to establish ourselves and play Jazz to people that have never heard it before.
There are a handful of really great Jazz players here, Most have moved from London but they don't play live they just teach and wouldn't do a gig for less than £80 for a pub or £130 for a function. The result is there are no Jazz gigs here and no one who lives here knows what Jazz is because no one is playing it.
Ive done posters and business cards its just the social media thing.
There are pluses though. The last few gigs have been really well attended. Audience response has been very good and the venue and owner are really happy. Ive applied for grants and funding but not much luck. but that's the thing. The only real choice is to keep doing it or stop doing it
Ive also realised that none of my musician friends on Facebook and in the area have been supportive. The audience is full of people ive never met of all ages that are very friendly and easy to talk to. I think I'll ask advice from them at the next gig. They will know what to do I'm sure
And expecting other musicians to give "support" is a pipe dream and yet another waste of time. Asking your audience for tips on what to do is yet more time wasted unless you wanted to hear the dumbest opinions possible.
a) demand pay from current venue before you walk away embittered by the way they take advantage of you
b) book new venues
c) attend jam sessions and network yourself into venue bookings
Everyone loves a good jazz or blues band, they just don't know it cause they never see them.
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Hey Jonathan, first off I'd like to say how much I'm enjoying the Triggs New Yorker I got from you.
I would like to recommend that you figure out a way to get better sound out of your videos. The videos on your website are hard to listen to, IMO, because the loud incidental noise tends to be very distracting.
Depending on how you're making your videos, it might require getting a stand-alone mic nearer to yourselves. If the videos are being made with a smartphone, you could just use another smartphone closer to yourselves (let's call it the audio smartphone), and then swapping out the sound from the video with the sound from the audio smartphone.
Or you could use a stand-alone audio recorder (I'm a big fan of the Tula mic, although you could find one that's less expensive) and set it up at your feet, or have a confederate who's seated close to the music record the sound.
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Ragman is being annoying but it seems the consensus is — don’t invest too much time in social media unless you’re ready to be your own full time social manager. It’s not for advertising and new eyeballs, but for giving folks who find you live a way to find you again. Originally Posted by Heybopper
Ukenas comments there are useful too. You’re musicians so you want to be audible. It seems like you’d want good VIDEO for something like Instagram or whatever, but maybe not. Instagram definitely rewards really high quality high production value stuff, but also rewards consistent “behind the scenes stuff.” So unless you’re putting real time and effort in, a “from the drum throne” video or something where you can hear well but only see the drummers hands or something is probably just as good as a full band shot you bought a tripod for that doesn’t have great audio
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Oh. I do have a story about Youtube. I did a practice advice channel with very short vids.
Uploaded maybe 6 short clips. Suddenly, I saw clicks. And likes. It was so nice. I thought that this may be my new career...
That happiness lasted for 2 days, then the traffic stopped completely. I dunno what it was even.
Thing is, YT is not a reliable career thing. Your boss is YT and it is completely unpredictable. You have absolutely no idea what it does or does not.
Most channels I've watched have posted a whiny vid about YT not treating them right at some point. YT stopped suggesting their vids without any warning or explanation whatsoever.
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If OP doesn't want to a) relocate or b) afford to do a metric shit ton of driving he's pretty much hobbled forever unless he has special social connections. To be a part of the busier paying red light music scenes you have to become part of the red light scene.
I was fortunate to find a place to live with a country feel in reasonable proximity to several good music scenes but I moved a thousand miles to do it. Just hitting jams and making connections with other players who are there lead to gigs and connections to other better players and better paying gigs. Now ten years on I have the band I always wanted with the players I want, an album coming out soon, and am just starting to make real headway in terms of having some small semblance of name recognition in my area. I still get plenty of doors slammed in my face, that's part of the gig but this was made possible through many many hundred of gigs plus rehearsals, jams, subbing for others, dealing with guys who weren't the right player, late nights, cold food, gear failures, car problems, car wrecks, hairy drives, road pirates and I'm still thankful for it all cause I still got to sleep in my bed at night A lot of guys don't.
If you're not a person who doesn't mind being lower on the scale of importance than the dishwasher or if you are above hanging out back by the dumpsters this life isn't really for you IME. Maybe I'm crapping on someone's dream. But getting dream crapped-on is also part of embracing that chosen occupation that you need to become ok with. There are just harsh realities involved. Most people can't do it. I don't know how long I will continue myself but now with 7 years of no actual work history I'm kind of locked into this.
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Hi
Thanks so much for the latest advice it's really appreciated. I will take the advice and look into options for better quality videos. Thanks Ukena for the suggestion. I did look into mics for iPhones and im using one at the moment. I believe sure do an iPhone mic. I think that's what I'll loo into.
I really appreciate all the comments and advice. I was just wondering about other platforms im not using. The musicians union suggest tik Tok but im not sure.
I think im just going to have to be patient. Well done Dawgbone, it sounds like you understand my situation and know what it means to create your own scene and deal with the many obstacles in order to play the music you love with people that are supportive and in venues that want you to be there. I hope it works out for you and that your efforts pay off. Thanks
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