Finding The Best Talent Around

It’s not only musicians who struggle to get a step up in their careers. Music executives and event organisers have been known to tear out their hair in search of someone who can fit the exact bill of what they’re looking for. In each area of the industry this can be something different – perhaps a certain image, or a certain age. The one thing that remains important from musicians wanted is the talent – real, raw talent is hard to turn down whatever package it comes in.

A networking site can offer a great deal of help to executives, or concert planners, as they can be immediately matched up with a person who has the attributes to perform for them. But any musicians would still need to be seen live, possibly on more than one occasion. Once a networking site can help to narrow down the options, execs can find other ways to judge how good these musicians are.

There are a number of ways that this can happen:

- Talent shows:
Organising a one night (or one week, depending on the number of entrants) can help to pick up some great talent. The upside is you might uncover a real diamond. The downside is you might also attract some not so serious people just looking for a laugh.
- Music nights: Arrange a musical night in your local pub or bar, or find a nearby venue. Audition for artists before hand, choose the best ones to sing. Get them to spread the word and market it for you and you can split any profits between you and the venue owner. The advantage is that you’ll get to seen them both in an audition AND performance setting and see how good they really are. Downside is it’s a real risk that they may not be so great on the night and you could lose money and credibility.
- Concerts: Get on the emailing list of major venues so you know whenever there is a concert. Choose any themes that suit what you’re looking for and go along. On the plus side, concerts are usually organised by musical people so the quality on show should be high. On the down side, it may prove difficult to get in touch later on with all the acts you really liked.
- Student nights: Near every student campus, there is a bar or a number of bars that will fill up with student bands and groups performing once or twice a week. Give these a try and there may be a promising group that catches your eye. The talent might not be that varied and won’t always be very good but the atmosphere will be great and the drinks cheap.
- Competitions: Similar to the talent shows, but on a longer scale. Post up a notice in a music school or college and hold auditions over a few weeks. The winner will win a substantial prize that could change their career. This will only work if you have a real prize to offer, like a place in a very popular concert or a large amount of money, but will attract the most serious of artists.