Week in Review - 4 April 2014

This week has been about finalizing the entertainment line-up for the first of the five Foodies Festivals for which GME is managing the entertainment stage.  The Brighton event is just short of a month a way on 3-5 May, and I am so excited to bring this line-up to the very enthusiastic Brighton crowd! Here's a preview of who will be performing:

Kyle Parry
Jipsy Magic
Beth Oliver Band

I will publish the full running order next week. Tickets are available at the Foodies Festival website. Stop by and say hello at the entertainment stage!

Last night's heat of Southsea's Got Talent unleashed some fantastic talent!  Every month's competition is full of surprises, and this time was no exception. Among those who took to the stage at The Jolly Sailor we had a David Bowie Tribute, Opera Singer, Diva and a 16 year old who sang with soul and passion way beyond his years. It was also a pleasure to share the judges table with Lulu from Love Southsea, Cheryl Buggy Express FM and Si Genaro who appeared on Britain's The Voice!  Si also performed a fantastic set during the intermission and from the first note, it was evident why he made it as far as he did on the show. He will be appearing in this Saturday's episode of The Voice ... be sure to check him out!

Tomorrow night I will be stepping into the persona of Diana Ross for a fun-filled party night at The Piranha Bar. I'll be starting with Supremely, Diana Ross and finishing up with a party set of party favourites from the 60's through today!  It's gonna be a good night!!

Well, that's it for this edition. Have a groovy weekend!!

Week in Review - 28 March 2014

It's weeks like this one that make me so happy I've started my own business. It's been an incredibly exhausting and rewarding week so let's get into it!!

On Tuesday I had a lovely meeting with Steve & Chrissie of One World Radio to put the finishing touches on my next radio show, and I'm happy to announce that Glo's Music for the Soul Vol. 2 will be airing on Saturday, 5th of April at 7pm! I'm quite excited about this show and I'm looking forward to hearing your thoughts once it airs. In the mean time, click here to listen to my debut show that aired on Valentine's Day. You will be able to use this same link to listen to Vol. 2. Please let me know what you think about the shows. I would appreciate your feedback, suggestions and tips on how to make the show better.

Visit Their Website

Wednesday I went to a fantastic joint networking event held by the Hampshire & Dorset Chambers at Careys Manor & Hotel which is a delightful hotel and spa in the New Forest. Wow, what an impressive establishment run masterfully by their staff! We were given 5-star treatment starting with lovely, tropical pre-lunch drinks, followed by a delicious 3-course lunch! Careys provided a great atmosphere for networking and I connected with some fantastic people including Claire Oldham, a manager at Careys who gave us a delightful tour of the spa facilities. I was ready to book a spa day then and there!  I also met Carolyn Freeman of Revelation Marketing who spoke so passionately about marketing to people who are 50+. It was quite the 'revelation' speaking with her and I look forward to meeting up to discuss reaching this virtually untapped demographic.  It was also fantastic meeting Wendy Savage of Marie Curie. She was such fun and sat next to me during lunch. I am looking to partner with her on community fundraising events for Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. 

Visit Their Website

I'm always surprised by the generosity of people at these networking events and how eager they are to help you connect with other people.  Carolyn made sure I met Jo Legg of Global Radio who run several radio stations. And then Jo made sure I met Kim Clayton, with Dorset Chamber. The more I run GME, I'm realizing that doing business is all about developing relationships with the people first and then through those relationships finding mutual ways to benefit each other in business.

With Tara Howard

My Wednesday didn't end there, later that night I went to the launch event of the Portsmouth Venus Awards. The Venus Awards acknowledges the achievement of women in business, and I had the pleasure of meeting the very enthusiastic founder, Tara Howard. It's so great to be a part of something when it's first starting, and you could sense the excitement in the room as several of the sponsors of this event spoke about why they were bringing the awards to the Portsmouth area. I am happy to announce that GME will be sponsoring the entertainment for the Portsmouth Venus Awards Ceremony being held at the Portsmouth Marriott on the 1st October, 2014.

If you know a woman in business who you feel deserves a bit of recognition, please do nominate her. Click here to find out more about the Portsmouth Venus Awards and place your nomination!

Thursday morning I attended a 'Coaching Skills Taster' at the Langstone Hotel on Hayling Island being run by Jane Child of JCA Learning. I am thinking about doing some coaching for people in or who want to be in the music business, and attending this taster gave me a great opportunity to see if coaching would be something I would indeed pursue. I absolutely loved the taster. I even got to do a 'mock' coaching session ... I was a bit rubbish, but also invigorated by the whole process. I am definitely going to pursue getting my qualification to coach, so watch this space!!

Because I am just a performer at heart, the highlight of the week was performing 'Supremely, Diana Ross' at the 'Spring Into Action' event put on by the very talented Nathalie Gunn and held at the Wedgewood Rooms on Thursday night. The evening was a true Variety Show with singing, dancing, magic, burlesque and a contortionist! Just fabulous!! The event was in honor of Nathalie's good friend, the late Kerry Harvey who bravely battled Pancreatic Cancer and the proceeds of this event will benefit those who are still battling this disease. The venue was absolutely packed with people, each thrilled to do their part to support this cause. I'm so glad I could be there too!

Supremely, Diana Ross

What a week! Today I'm recovering a bit before I sit in on vocals with the fantastic band, 'Beau' at the Woodpecker in Waterlooville on Saturday night. My friend, the lovely Chloe Dixon is their regular singer, but due to a bout with laryngitis, she has asked me to cover. I will not do justice to the songs like Chloe can, but I will give it my best shot :)!

I think that's enough for this week ... have a fantastic weekend!

Week in Review - 7 March 2014

This has been a typical work week for GME. I spent a couple days working from my office in Portsmouth getting caught up on marketing some upcoming events.

Today I attended a Hampshire Chamber event at the Portsmouth Marriott, 'Future Portsmouth,' and I am so happy to be a part of this growing area on the South Coast. They talked about planned development, grants and loans available for small to medium sized companies, and the main focus was Apprenticeships and how companies of any size can benefit as well as support our local economy by hiring an Apprentice.  

It was a struggle getting to this early breakfast seminar, especially after spending an amazing evening the night before at the O2 in London with Beyonce! I saw her last year at the O2 but was sitting in the nosebleed section of the arena ... this year, we were on Level 1!  What an amazing show. I was literally drained by the end of the night, and by the time I arrived home well after 1:00am I had major doubts about making it to my meeting. I'm so glad I did, though, because I left the meeting feeling even more connected to my adopted community!

On 8 March, Mayfield will be performing again at The Jolly Sailor. This is our first gig there this year and we are looking forward to spending a Soulful evening with our friends in Southsea!

My party band, 'Move On Up' will be performing at The Grosvenor Casino Osborne Road for their Wedding Fayre on Sunday, 9 March from 12p.  Hopefully, our performance will lead to a couple bookings. With our unique blend of Soul, Funk & Rock classics, we work hard to make any event sizzle from start to finish!  

Finally, I am gearing up for the first of five Foodies Festivals for which I will be managing the entertainment stage.  GME was scheduled to work on seven events, but the entertainment for the Marble Hill and Kenwood House festivals will now be handled directly through these venues.  Our first event is Brighton on 3-5 May. I will be announcing the performers for Brighton in the next couple weeks!  Watch this space.

That's it for now ... have a fabulous weekend!

Week in Review - 21 February 2014

I am on my second week of being on holiday and have had a wonderful time visiting friends and family in Florida, Georgia, Illinois and Wisconsin (heading there later today).

I've been living in the UK for four years and it's been that long since I've had a gig in Milwaukee, where I lived and performed for just over two years. Tonight, thanks to the fabulous vocalist and my friend Jeannine Rivers, I will be appearing with her and Scott Currier (one of the best keyboard players I've ever worked with) at The Delafield Hotel. Jeannine and I will be sharing the evening and singing some of our favourite Jazz, Soul & Blues songs. Jeannine and I sing so many of the same songs, but surprisingly, when we compared set lists, there was very little overlap. We both love singing 'Summertime' and we each put our own unique spin on the song, so that one we had to have a little discussion about. But, Jeannine is graciously allowing me to sing it tonight! 

Available on iTunes

Scott was very involved with arranging and performing on my solo CD, 'Let Go' and we performed together either as a duo or 4-piece band at venues all around the Milwaukee area. He was an absolute joy to work with and a bit of a musical genius (some of the chords he came up with on the CD, other musicians simply can't figure out ... LOL)!

Tonight's performance will be a bit of a reunion with many of my friends and family joining us for what promises to be a fun and unique evening of music! I will try to remember to take pictures tonight so I can share them with you next week! 

Until then ... have a fabulous weekend!

Week in Review - 10 January 2014!

It's official!  GME will be providing the entertainment for several Foodies Festival events across the UK for the second year running!  This project was made official on Monday and what a fantastic way to start the new year. We will be bringing back some of the best acts from the 2013 events as well as introducing the Foodies attendees to some new and diverse performers from across the UK.  We will keep you up to date on all the entertainment news as we gear up for our first event in Brighton which will take place 3, 4, & 5 of May.

On Thursday, I attended a fantastic networking event at Grosvenor Casino Osborne Rd. hosted by Jodie Young where I ran into some familiar faces and meet some new people offering some very interesting opportunities and products. Stephen & Chrissie Sheppard of One World Radio Org. were there, and I am pleased to announce that I will be partnering with them to present 'Glo's Music for the Soul' monthly radio show that will be launching on Valentine's Day with a show filled with romantic music from the genres of Soul, Jazz & Funk. This show will feature well-known as well as emerging artists showcasing music from the soul!

It was great to see Haley Storey of About My Area there as well! We are in discussions about ways to spotlight the great performers in the Portsmouth area by bringing you the latest events and interviews to support the amazing talent in our area.

Another highlight of the networking event was meeting Sue of Redtopp where I was given an impromptu 10-minute 'healing' session on my very troubled left knee. This morning I'm feeling no pain in that knee!  I'm not sure how 'Energy Healing' works, but I plan on exploring this further! 

Sherry Claridge

I don't know about you, but as I get older I'm starting to be concerned with the aging process and how it showing up on my face :). Sherry Claridge of NuSkin talked to us about some amazing anti-aging products that promises to reverse the aging process. She looked absolutely amazing so I'm looking forward to trying out some of her products!

Finally, for a bit of fun I will be heading to Southampton on Saturday for a Soul 45 event at The Cellar to get 2014 started right with a bit of Funk, Soul, Motown, Northern, R&B, Raggae & Disco!! 

Don't wait to the last minute Valentine's Day entertainment sorted. We have some fantastic Solo, Duo & Tribute acts as well as high-energy party bands that can be a great addition to your events. Call us at 02392 280829 or email us today to book your entertainment!

Until next time ... have a fabulous weekend!

Gloria

Foodies Festivals 2014

Gloria Miller Entertainment is pleased to announce that we will be organizing the entertainment for several Foodies Festival events for the 2nd year running. We are thrilled to be working with Media Company Publications again to bring together some of the best entertainers from across the UK to perform on the Foodies Entertainment Stage. 

Here are the events GME will be organizing:

Brighton Hove Lawns - 3, 4, 5 May

Marble Hill London - 24, 25, 26 May

Kenwood House London - 30, 31 May, 1 June

Clapham Common - 6, 7, 8 June

Bristol Harbourside - 11, 12, 13 July

Battersea Park London - 15, 16, 17 August

Oxford South Parks - 23, 24, 25 August

 

As you can see from this video, last year's Brighton event was a smashing success. The weather was gorgeous, the food delicious and the music was fabulous. Fingers crossed that we'll have good weather again this year! Click here to check out some pics of last year's performers at Foodies Brighton.

We are looking for cover and original artists who perform reggae, folk, jazz, blues, acoustic, swing and pop genres to book for these events.  If you are a solo performer up to 6-piece band and would like to perform at one of these festivals, please email me at gloria@gloriamillermusic.com and I will send you all of the details of participation.

To find out more about the 2014 Foodies events, please visit their website.

Year In Review - 2013

Happy New Year! 

Before taking on 2014 I want to take a look back at 2013 and highlight some of the highs and lows that made the year so amazing!

On 13 January Mayfield hires Quay West Recording Studio in Gosport to start recording a demo that eight months later became our debut album. As we started cutting tracks, we realized that something more was starting to take shape and the final product became 'Tempo of Your Sou!' which was released on 30 August to local and national acclaim on the Soul music scene. In 2014 we will begin working on our 2nd release, 'Keep On!' (Click here to read Mayfield's New Year's message.)

Southsea's Got Talent 2014

Southsea's Got Talent is launched at The Jolly Sailor on 7 February and I signed on to be one of the judges. There were 7 heats from February through August with two semi-finals held in September. I had no idea how difficult the judging was going to be because I didn't expect Southsea's talent pool to be so reach with potential super stars. me and fellow judges, Rod Coombs (Stealers Wheel), Andrew Pearce (Miss G) & Ross McInally (owner of The Jolly Sailor) had the very difficult job of deciding who would win the £1,000 cash prize, and The Hourglass Duo consistently wowed us with their original acoustic pop music and were named the first winners of SSGT at the Final Gala Show on 27 September! The Hourglass vocalist Chloe Dixon is a GME Artist and is a highly sought after performer as a solo performer, with her Duo or as a dep vocalist with some of the top bands around the UK!

w/Fran Classic @ FF Hampton Court

GME was contracted to provide entertainment for five Foodies events across the South of England and the first event was 4-6 May in Brighton. Thanks to some absolutely fabulous performers we set the bar really high for the remaining four events.  When taking on these events, I thought it would be difficult to find enough good talent to fill all the performance slots. To my amazement, I was getting contacted by GREAT bands from across the UK who were looking for an opportunity to showcase their talents, and I was constantly humbled by the caliber of artists I was getting to work with. Some were beginners and some were seasoned pros ... and all came together to provide top notch entertainment for the eagerly awaiting Foodies crowds. The last event was 24-26 August in Oxford. By this time I had worked with several of the performers across several of the events and there was a real family atmosphere by the final day of the final event. The organizers were well pleased with how the entertainment went so watch this space for info on this year's events!

Move On Up Party Band

In September I started two new projects ... 'Supremely, Diana Ross' which is my tribute to the legendary performer; and 'Move On Up' party band, which is a 5-piece Soul, Funk & Rock band! MOU had our first gig on 21 September at Port Solent Tennis Club in Gosport, and I performed the first tribute show the next day at The Old Vic in Portsmouth. These projects were born out of a really low point in the year when I had to leave a band that I had spent a wonderful year working with. It felt bad at the time, however, looking back I now realize that leaving was the absolute best thing that could have happened. So many other wonderful doors opened when that door shut and I'm thankful!!

September 1st was the first year anniversary of being in business and I decided to change the name of the agency from GMM Booking Agency Ltd. to Gloria Miller Entertainment Ltd. which seems to better describe what the company has become during our first year.

Talk Network Event

October and November were my planning months for 2014 and it took me two months just to set four goals ... LOL! The main goal of the four is 'grow GME with a focus on private and corporate events.' I started laying the ground work for this goal to become a reality in November and December by going to local networking events, joining the Hampshire Chamber and by restructuring my artists and website to meet the demand for these types of events. The last few gigs of the year that were booked through GME were corporate and private events so we are well on our way to meeting this goal in 2014!

w/John Leete

Other highlights included meeting John Leete & Company of Home Front History at the Royal County of Berkshire show in September.  Home Front History recreate the social and military history of Britain during the 1939-1945 war at events across the UK and have adopted me into their family! I'll be partnering with them in 2014 as we lead up to the Anniversary of the D Day landings which took place on 6th June 1944. Also, joining Opus 20 Jazz Orchestra and performing two fantastic events with them in December was an amazing experience and I'm looking to do more with them in 2014.

I don't know what 2014 has in store for GME, but I will focus 100% of my efforts on my four goals and enjoy the journey! I wish you every success in this new year and look forward to hearing all about your journey!!

Gloria

GME Week In Review - 20 December 2013

Move On Up Party Band

On Saturday, 14 December, 'Supremely, Diana Ross Tribute Show' featuring Move On Up Party Band had another successful outing at The Jolly Sailor. That was our last Tribute show of the year and what a way to finish the year.  The show only went live in September and the demand has been overwhelming. We already have several dates booked in for next year so watch this space for updates.

On Monday, 16 December, Opus 20 Jazz Orchestra had its 2nd ever show at the Newtown Conservative Club in Poole and we had a delightful evening performing some fantastic Jazz songs and Holiday favourites. Both or 9 December and 16 December shows were video taped and I will post a few clips once the editing is complete. A special thanks to Gordon Wray of Advantage Video for coming along to tape these shows.

I love performing at private parties, and my gig on 19 December for Bosmere School Havant at The Piranha Bar reinforced why these types of events are such fun! From the first song to the last, the dance floor was packed and everyone was singing along to their favourite songs ... sometimes louder than me!  I agonized over the set list hoping to choose the right songs to ensure everyone's enjoyment, and I feel that the list I did put together was absolutely perfect for the occasion!  Once I was at the last song of my first set, the dance floor was full and I didn't want to disrupt the flow with taking a break, so I did both sets back to back with no break! I was exhausted by the time I finished off with 'Proud Mary' but the decision to play right through was definitely the right one!  We all had an absolute blast!

Burlesque Show

On Saturday, 21 December, Move On Up will be joining Veronique Devine & The Vixens for their Ultimate Burlesque Christmas Party at the RMA Tavern in Eastney! Needless to say, when I mentioned this opportunity to the boys in the band, they were quite enthusiastic about saying yes to this gig!

Next week is Christmas and I am looking forward to have a few days off to enjoy friends and family!  I hope you have a fantastic Holiday Season and that it's filled with love and joy!!

See you next week!!

Gloria

GME Act of the Week: Opus 20 ... Coming Together in Perfect Harmony!

Opus 20 Rehearsal

Sometimes I find myself wasting loads of time on Facebook, and ocassionally this wasted time pays off. Responding to a post by Mike Hopkins who was looking for singers to join his 20-piece Jazz Orchestra was one of those ocassions.

I grew up in a very musical household and my music education basically came from the Gospel music that filled our house from sunrise to sunset and beyond. I am the youngest of seven kids, and we all have a love for music and would have to be quite cunning in order to sneak a listen to other types of music besides Gospel. Enter Soul, Funk, Blues, R&B and what has become my favourite genre of music, Jazz. The seeds were planted as a small child to what has now blossomed into me fronting a 20-piece orchestra.  

So, if the seeds were planted when I was just a kid, those seeds were watered the night I was flicking through the channels on TV and landed on the local PBS station that was airing Natalie Cole's 'Unforgettable' concert. While watching that show, I saw myself doing exactly what Natalie was doing, fronting a Jazz orchestra.  

Prior to seeing this concert at some point in the early 1990's I had only been singing Gospel music and had begun to work professionally on the Gospel circuit. However, those early seeds were planted, watered and starting to grow and almost 15 years later I saw the first buds started to bloom as I performed a 20-minute cabaret spot on a Celebrity Cruise Ship with a 7-piece orchestra in 2004. I remember feeling completely at home during that 20 minutes. I didn't do a full jazz set, but I did enough to realize that becoming a Jazz vocalist would become my focus.

Fast forward to 9 December 2013 when I am standing on a stage in Bournemouth Square, in England, providing the vocals for Opus 20, and I was back home again. After many detours and loads of discovery about what my voice is capable of doing, I feel most at home surrounded by Jazz music. 

Next Show - 16 December, 7:30pm

This is what I was most struck by on the night ... once all the instruments were set up, everyone was playing randomly making sure their instruments were ready, I was humming and warming up my voice, and collectively, we sounded like a hot mess. Then someone said, let's tune up and hit a single note and everyone joined in ... awesome, the sound of unity ... unison! Then the count was given for the first song and all those dots on all that sheet music no matter how different it looked on the page, came to life in perfect harmony. Then I had the magical experience of lending my voice to this amazing sound and I felt it, and the people watching felt it too ... Joy!

In a word, that is what springs forth from the musical seeds that were planted and watered over the span of my musical career ... Joy!  I feel it everytime I sing and try very hard to share it no matter what genre I'm singing!

Opus 20 gave me the gift of Joy this past Monday! It was an absolute Joy to sing and listen to my favourite style of music, Jazz, and to share the stage with such wonderful musicians! I am excited to see what the future holds for Opus 20, and I am looking forward to sharing the Joy!

Opus 20 are presenting a Festive Cabaret on Monday, 16 November at the Newtown Conservative Club in Poole!  Join our FB event if you are able to attend!

https://www.facebook.com/events/1430692270482985/

If you have an event next year and you want to do something big and unexpected, contact GME today to find out how you can book Opus 20. 02392 280829.

Mandela - A Tribute!

GME Band of the Week ... Lui Matthews Band!

Lui Matthews

When I started GME just over a year ago, I didn’t know at the time the calibre of performer that I would be blessed to work with. My keyboard player, Dennis Elvie, recommend Lui Matthews to me and when I heard him perform on a festival that I was running the entertainment stage for, that performance was a game changer for me and the agency. Lui Matthews is a dynamic performer, amazing singer and an absolute crowd favourite! After experiencing the Lui Matthews Band live, I started thinking much bigger in terms of what GME is going to be as a provider of entertainment.

Lui Matthews Band are a 4-piece band with a huge sound that electrifies from start to finish. They are professional in every way, easy to work with and will bring sizzle and heat to any venue, event or festival.  Lui studied at the Academy of Contemporary Music and has been singing professionally since 2004. He’s got a rich, soulful voice and the band lends their unique flavour to the biggest hits from your favourite artists including Stevie Wonder, Bruno Mars, Michael Jackson, Jamiroquai, and even Aretha Franklin!

Lui Matthews Band

The start-up phase of any business is tough, but it’s artists like Lui Matthews Band that motivate me to work hard to keep them working! I look forward to 2014 and presenting this fantastic band to venues, events and festivals across the UK.

If you are planning an event and thinking about entertainment, then I encourage you to get in touch to discuss booking the Lui Matthews Band! I guarantee that they will give you and your guests a fantastic show.  Call me today … 02392 280829.

Karaoke Singer vs. Backing Track Performer

Okay, I admit it … I have signed my name on many a list and flipped through very large books listing every imaginable song, and then took to the microphone to belt out one (or more) of my favourite songs.  Karaoke nights are fun and many venues offer these nights in lieu of bringing in live performers.  However, there is one huge difference between Karaoke singers and backing track performers … entertainment value!  Karaoke nights can be entertaining, but usually for all the wrong reasons.

Blues Bros. by Disco Divas!

At GME I work with some amazing solo, duo & tribute acts who perform with backing tracks and they create a ‘show’ atmosphere with their performances because they are stellar performers!  More and more venues, hotels and event planners are seeing the value in booking a backing track performer because it is a smart choice if you have limited space or a small budget.  A solo or duo act with backing tracks is a great option to create a big band sound for your guests at a solo or duo fee.  Another option is to pair a solo performer or tribute act with a DJ for a party night or event adding the ‘live’ music element to the occasion.

Our aim at GME is to keep music live which is why I encourage solo and duo performers to consider adding backing tracks to enhance their shows which gives entertainment bookers affordable options that allow them to continue to bring fantastic live entertainment to their venues or events.

Elainor Knight-Solo Performer

If you are a performer and you currently use backing tracks or might be considering using them, I recommend visiting www.karaoke-version.co.uk.  They offer thousands of backing tracks in .mp3 format for download at a reasonable price, and each track gives you four key options. 

Secret Smile Duo

This is ideal for the solo performer. They also offer custom backing tracks which are multi-track .mp3’s allowing you to alter or omit any of the individual parts that make up the track. This is ideal for solo performers and duos who want to remove the piano part or the guitar part, etc. leaving room for you to add live instrumentation. There is a .com version of this website too. 

GME is currently running a Holiday Entertainment special for the month of December:

Book a GME Solo Act for £180 for 2 45-minute sets of festive music. 

Book a GME Duo Act for £250 for 2 45-minute sets of festive music.

Contact us today to enquire about one of GME's acts, or provide information about your next event on this booking form and let us handle the details ... 02392 280829.

Promo Video / Showreel

Since I started my entertainment company a year ago, I'm really enjoying looking at the entertainment business from 'both sides now.' When creating a video from an artist's perspective, I want to include flashy opening and closing titles, full length songs and my contact details. From an agent's perspective, when I'm looking at a video that has been submitted to me by an artist interested in being represented by GME, I want the video to be unbranded (without the name of the act, or any contact details), no longer than 3-5 minutes in length, and the absolute best, show-stopping clip showcased within the first 4 seconds of the video.

No Branding: You can include a description of your act in the opening title ... 'Today's Hits Party Band', but not the act's name. Some agencies like to give an act they are representing a name that's unique to that agency. With my company, I don't mind if the acts name is in the opening / closing credits, but the closing credits of the video should not contain any contact information. YouTube footage is good, but I prefer Vimeo footage because it's much cleaner and doesn't cross link to other videos on their site like YouTube does.

3-5 Minutes Long: The same rules apply as with your 'Kick-A** Song' on this one. The promo video should be the length of a song and no more than 5 minutes long. You've got about 8-15 seconds to capture the viewers attention. Don't waste this time on the opening credits, get right to your best clip of your best song. If you've captured the viewers attention, they will watch more.

4 seconds:  Your first clip should be happening by the 4-second point and should have wowed me by 8-15 seconds. If it hasn't, that's a lost chance for getting representation. The same holds true for potential clients who are viewing your video. People are generally quite busy, and bookers, event planners, etc., are even more busy so make the most of having their attention!

The clips in the video should be 90% 'live' footage either captured from shows, or filmed in a studio. You can include a few still photos, in fact I recommend you have a still photo as your opening and closing title page, but the entire video should not be made up of still photos with your music playing in the background.

The most important thing to remember when putting together your showreel is to make sure your clips clearly show the viewer who you are as an act! Make it obvious that you are perfect for their event by knocking their socks off in the first 8 seconds of your reel!

Here's a link to an act I work with who have a fantastic showreel:

http://www.gloriamillerentertainment.com/vintageretro_acts/the_rockafellas.

If you have a great showreel that would be a good example to others, please include a link in the comments. I'd love to have a look.

Until next time ... happy music making!!

The Beth Oliver Band - Original Band With A Familiar Vibe

From an agent's perspective I understand the hesitation of entertainment bookers to hire original bands but I don't support it! Here's why, there are some amazing original artists who are creating new music that somehow feels comfortable, familiar ... Like you've heard it before and audiences are responded to these artists! Here at GME we are blessed to represent The Beth Oliver Band and they personify being an original band with a familiar vibe.  Fronted by Beth Oliver who's just your ordinary Pompey girl! and backed by some of the finest musicians on the South Coast, you cannot listen to this band without trying to sing along even though you may not know the words, or at least tapping your feet to their tunes if not full on dancing.

I've been working with BOB for over a year now and have watched them grow as songwriters and performers and whenever I've been to their shows be it in a small, intimate venue or a festival playing to several hundred, their 60s inspired pop music elicits the same reaction ... A good time had by all!!

From a fellow performers perspective, I know the struggle that exist when deciding if you're going to be an original act doing your own material and probably not working that much or if you're going to be a cover band which makes it a little easier to keep your diary filled or if you're going to be something in between. BOB is truly an originals band, because even when they do a cover, they put their own stamp on that cover making the transition between the new and the familiar seamless.

I highly recommend this band for events, venues and festivals because they give their audience the best of both worlds ... Creative, new songs laced with the familiar vibe of Lily Allen, the Beatles and other favourites from the 60s offering a new sound that is uniquely The Beth Oliver Band!

Click here to learn more about The Beth Oliver Band!

Elevator Pitch

Here's my elevator pitch:

Hi, my name is Gloria my company is Gloria Miller Entertainment and we believe that any event can benefit from a bit of glitz and glamour, and we provide this for corporate & private events, venues and festivals. We represent solo performers up to 10-piece bands covering all genres of music from the 30’s through today. We also offer interactive entertainment that is perfect for corporate training and team building. Gloria Miller Entertainment, have we got an ACT for you!

Share your pitch with me by including it in the comments section or uploading your YouTube video. Would love to compare notes.

Also, here's a great website to help you put your pitch together:

http://www.15secondpitch.com/

Mayfield's Last Gig of the Year @ The Jolly Sailor - Saturday 16 November!

Mayfield Soul

It has been a fantastic year for Mayfield with the highlight being the release of our debut album, 'Tempo of Your Soul!' The release of the album in August this year has allowed us to build a strong foundation for the coming year and are already filling our performance schedule with some amazing venues and shows.

It's very fitting that our last gig of the year is at the same venue where we had our release party ... The Jolly Sailor in Southsea. This is a fantastic music venue and has become one of our favorite venues to perform. Come and join us this Saturday, 16 November for a soulful evening of Mayfield favorites and a few new songs too!  Of course, we'll be performing a few cover songs done the 'Mayfield' way!

If you haven't already done so, please click here to join our mailing list and download our latest single, 'Get Up!'

If you're coming on Saturday, please join our FB Event! Hope to see you Saturday!  KEEP ON!!

Contact Information - Vol. 3

Alright, I’ve been to your website, I’ve clicked on your ‘Kick-ass’ song because you don’t have it set to autoplay, and your kick-ass song has wowed me and I now want to contact you …

I cannot tell you the frustration of wanting to contact an act once they’ve got me pumped about their music, and then having to search for their phone number or email address. Yes, it’s great to have the typical ‘contact’ page on your website, but I encourage you to have your phone number and email address prominently featured on every page of your website, and on all your social media pages. Don’t make the person who is ready to work with you have to hunt for your contact details.

Even if you have a form set up on your ‘contact’ page for people to email you through your website, please include your email address too.  I personally never email acts through their website. I’m put off by it and I just move on to the next one. My husband asked me why I do this, and it’s because I use the emails I send as part of my follow-up system and I can’t do that when I’ve had to send an email through a website.

If you use a FB page to promote your music, make sure your phone number, email address and a link to your website is included in the ‘Short Description’ which is that box underneath your photo. Don’t make us have to click on ‘about’ to find your contact details! 

Same goes for Twitter! You need to have all your contact details on your profile, because this is the page people will land on if you have peaked their interest with one of your clever tweets. Again, make it easy for whoever wants to contact you to be able to contact you.

So, after I wrote this I went to my own web pages and realized I wasn’t exactly practicing what I was preaching. So to not be a hypocrite, I have followed my own advice and made it much easier for people to find my contact details. 

Take a look at my pages:

Website:  www.gmmbookingagency.com

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/Gmmbookings

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/GmmBookingAgency

I do hope this information is helpful!  Until next time, happy music making!!

Your Kick A** Song! - Vol. 2

In Volume 1 of this blog, Autoplay, we discussed that autoplay is baaaaaddddd!  I also touched a little bit on making sure that the tracks you choose to represent you on your webpages be your absolute best tracks ... in other words, your 'Kick Ass Tracks!'

Generally, you have about 8 to 15 seconds to impress someone at the initial point of contact.  Go to the main webpage that you use to represent you and really listen to what's happening in the first 8 to 15 seconds of your first track.  Has that time all been taken up with the intro?  Is there a better part of this song that you can edit your track to fade into that has the 'wow' factor?  Is the first song on your site your best song and are you showcasing the best part of your best song?  This applies to originals and covers.

I have been booking entertainment for 5 festivals this year and started the booking process sometime in February.  From that time 'til now, I have received a few 100 artist submissions expressing interest in performing at these events.  It has been this process that has fueled my starting this blog.  About 40% of these submissions never got heard because the first track on the webpage they linked me to was 15+ seconds of intro.  If I haven't heard what you sound like by 15 seconds, I'm no longer interested. 

Your first track on your webpage needs to be your Kick Ass song, and this song needs to represent everything about you and your sound in 15 seconds or less.  If you sing like an angel, or belt like Beyonce or if you're quirky like GaGa, anyone listening should now this by 15 seconds in.  If you have managed to wow the person you are trying to wow in 15 seconds, they will want to know more about you and listen to other tracks, watch video, etc. (this same rule applies to video demos ... you have 15 seconds max to impress).

If you would like help in this area, link me to your 'Kick Ass' song in the comments and I will have a listen and tell you my thoughts. I am here to help!

Happy music making!!

Next blog ... Your 15-Second Elevator Pitch!

Autoplay - Vol. 1

Scenario:

Artist has set up a lovely webpage and has setup their kicka** song to start playing automatically when anyone visits their webpage.

Artist has sent a link to this webpage with their kicka** song setup on autoplay to a very busy Agent who is looking through hundreds of submissions from Artists trying to fill a booking request.

Busy Agent has a few minutes while waiting to go into a meeting and decides to click on said link of Artist with the kicka** song setup on autoplay, and much to the Agents embarrassment, this kicka** song is now playing in the middle of the lobby of an important client, and the Agent can't figure out how to get the kicka** song to stop playing.

I can give you several more scenarios that all lead to this conclusion ... Autoplay ... Noooooooooo!!

GMM Booking Agency is small, but I get almost 100 inquiries a month from artists contacting me to consider them for the agency, or artists responding to my ads looking for bands.  I can only conclude from this that larger agencies are receiving thousands of inquiries a month.  Whenever I have a spare moment or two, I go through my ever-growing list of potential acts and have a nosy around their webpages, etc. When I am ready to listen (which sometimes involves me having to put headphones on) then I find the music link and play a track.  The webpages that autoplay when they load, I instantly close to stop the kicka** song from playing; then I move on to the next artist on my list.  The chance for that artist to be heard by me is lost.

Before becoming an agent, I had songs on autoplay on my webpage.  Now, I don't.  Give yourself a chance to really be heard by not forcing a song on a potential client or agent. Let us control when we hear you once we're on your page.

Next blog ... 'Kicka** Song!'  Tune in next week ...