GigSmart Info!

Gigsmart

Gigsmart is an organisation that is against Pay-to-play gigs for unsigned bands and aims to raise the abilities, professionalism and profile of worthy unsigned bands in Dublin and making unsigned live music a viable and entertaining night out for the discerning listener.

There will be a few new inititiatives in the next few weeks and your suggestions and help in making the above aims a reality would be appreciated. If interested post your suggestion or offers of help to gigsmart_ireland@yahoo.co.uk

If you are in a band and would like to play some of our own promoted gigs and/or would like to be included on our Hotlist for gig cancellations that includes all the main venues and gigs in the city then send some info about your band (contact info, experience, style and a web link) to gigsmartlist@eircom.net.

Watch out for new nights, new site, NEW MEGA ROCKING COMPILATION CD and a bigger push to realise our goals.

Giblet

I could set up a sticky for you on Bands/Musicians for potential Gig-wanters

Thomas from Presence

That would rock! Go for it gibbers!

PLEASE DO NOT ADS THAT ASK BANDS FOR MONEY TO PLAY A GIG unless its for something exceptional like supporting Brian May or the like!

Giblet

Stuck, If your a band starting off, you should use this opportunity to play some gigs.
Boards band should give it a shot :>

Thomas from Presence

Thanks Giblet!

Where not just a begginers organisation though! From band noname to Elton Mullally, Blotooth and Skyjack! They're all gigsmarted!

Post any questions here, I'll always be floating about!

Thomas Brunkard
Gigsmart Co-ordinator

funktastic

Hmm whats that thiong we're in again Paul? oh yeah A BAND!

NeMiSiS

I thought it was an erotic dance group for homosexuals ?

Giblet

Well Funktastic (whoever you are)
If your band wants a GIG, wouldn't it be better to talk to the OTHER band members about it heh.

DeVore

Is this a community effort or a commercial venture?


DeV.

Giblet

Don't worry DeVore, the only money gained by anyone out of this is by the bands playing the gig. Gigsmart is like a community of Bands getting together to help out other bands in getting gigs. Most places charge bands for gigs, but with Gigsmart this doesn't happen. They set up gigs for people, and the bands each get a cut from the door. Gigsmart don't get anything.

Thomas from Presence

The gigs at all times never cost the band/artist to play but we take an even share at the door to cover the following:

Organising the Gig
A multitude of phone calls getting the gear organised, sometimes bringing my own gear down (taxi's and mobile calls cost baby!)

Hosting, Domain name fees for the site and the new site we're developing which will have some very snazzy new features (SMS technology, streaming video and mp3)

Posters

Usually involves an age on the computer feckin around MS Publisher and the net looking for bands logos, queing in reads twice (we do colour and black and white!) and running around town like a lunatic sticking them up!

The gig,

Running around making sure everyone gets their fair share of the time
Making sure the soundchecks go by quickly, running the venue for all intents and purposes.


This is all for the Friday and thursday gigs. Other gigs are usually ones we wrangled due to free nights in venues and cancellations. They are also free to play but with some venues the sound man has to be paid off the door money (€70 or 14 @ €5) the rest goes to the bands directly as we only run off certain regular nights.

We are always as transparent as possible with our gigs. Please note that the website and the gigs are not the only work we undertake. We act as a conduit for organisations looking for bands. We also have discounts with various studios, artists, web designers.

We don't run on Fresh air but we don't aim to profiteer from gigs. Being all musicians all we want is a fair, thriving and represented live rock/indie/originals scene in this city. The whole operation generally runs on community goodwill and the small monies (never been over €70 for a gig except for that one fluke last September...!) we do make off the gigs.
Relative to our personal expense (ie above rant) and effort (phone calls, sacrificed Friday night, skipping college to meet bands, muso types, venue managers, journalists...) its not much financial compensensation.

Generally the Friday night gig is the only one that makes money, music centre gigs break even or make a loss due to the expense of the venue and intensive advertising needed to make it viable.

I hope that clarifies the way we work a bit better. I think its excrusiatingly fair (I would!) and we've not had a complaint yet!

Next...!

polarbelly

yeah gigsmart are the good guys defo

no piss taking with cash or anything

if the night makes money so do you, simple as that

and the diff with them is that they actually do care bout the bands and all

gigsmart as endorsed by: me!!!!!!

violent*sky

and us!!!!!!!!!!!!

Giblet

Thomas, my band are available for gigs in Dublin at weekends.

the tripper

Hey boys and girls... thanks for letting us in to voice... we have the same problem here in Canada and are looking at a variety of solutions... I will be real interested to hear how it all works out for you... best of luck!

We are also interested in forming a small group of like minded professionals who could swap venues across the pond... ie we set you up with dates and gigs here in Canada and you do like wise for groups here who want to play there... an exchange of sorts... call it gig swapping... just in thje begining stages but I would value any imput from your end... could stretch it out into the rest of Europe... Auz... and heaven forbid even into the belly of the beast itself (USA)...

United we stand on all continents... lets work togetehr to ensure that we get what we are due for sticking to our craft.

Keep the faith!

PS we just put up our first web site (boxing day hangover cure) so feel free to check it out and of course free advise is always welcome (this is the first one I attempted)... many changes to come and good critique is priceless. www.thetrip.co.uk

Giblet

Decided to give this another shot, get your collective asses down to the gigsmart gigs and impress the GS people with your charm and demos.

bombidol

Gigsmart comes very highly recomended from 20 Bulls Each. played with them a few times and each experience has been excellent and professional

Stifler

Originally posted by NeMiSiS
I thought it was an erotic dance group for homosexuals ?

Lol !
cool chance for some gigs i'll send you some info soon

Trev M

Hi guys,

Just letting y'all now there are dates for gigs coming up in Dorans, as always no pay to play melarkey....Thanks to those of ya speaking highly of us , this year is going to be massive , not for us but for the bands who take advantage of some of the initiatives we have in the works!! .

trev@gigsmartireland.com


Keep it real support each other ,. nuff c*nts trying to pull people down.

Trev M

Giblet

Good work, hope you do at least as well as last year.

Trev M

The all new and improved GS forum is up , best place to go to find out what happenin in GS land. Thanks to everyone once again for all the support!


http://www.gigsmartireland.com/forum2004/default.asp

tj-music.com

I am doing kinda romantic pop such as the likes of Art Garfunkel and I am looking for gigs to promote my new CD. Pubs dont work for me really. I would appreciate if you would know where I could play!

Thanks

www.tj-music.com

Trev M

Very strange co incidence , I recieved a mail two days ago from a girl who said exactly the same thing about playing in pubs....she stated it was the noise and the fact that people didnt pay attention...to be honest I havent really thought about alternative venues...

We have done theatres, community halls, and out door events at central bank, I guess you could organise one of these options with some like minded individuals ? I believe schools often have solo perfromers in from time to time I have been contacted a couple of times to provide people to do workshops....never really felt comfortable sending anyone to do it though ....it just seemed a little risky or something?

all the best
Trev

Tellox

Was it gigsmart that Leanne Harte played at? If so, kudos..

Gabriel

hi ,very good idea!!!! i have a band it sound like a really good industrial rock band ,we have 8 songs and a few covers of bjork and killing joke,wondering if we could get some serious gigs!!! tel 0879613614 _ ggraffo@hotmail.comn thank you!!!!!

maccamad

Debasement gigs runs showcase nite for bands in dublin, we look for no money up front bands have the potential to earn money and worse case scenario make zero, but never loose money or no money up front, we also supply a full backline and do great venues like - sugar club, the village and dorans, so if theres any bands out there looking to gig,
email - slatteryslivemusic@hotmail.com
or -0879741329
paddy

funky_buddah

Gigsmart is the shiznit. Look no further than the success of mikegotspiked to see that those guys know their ****.

wingzero

hmmmmm I deduce that all these posts are from gigsmartians.

here is a more unbiased truthful add.

GIGSMART : If your an up an coming band who plays what we want to hear we will give you a gig. We will give you more gigs provided you hang out with us and pretend to like everything we do. We will not give you gigs If your doing something worth while or original that we don't understand or like. If you have some success already or have good track record then we will latch on to you and become your management. With our help you will be anchored and never succeed any further.

So come on in and join GIGSMART. Sucess is only another life away.

As for mike got spiked: Mike Got Spikeds music sounds like incubus, rips off a bit of mr bungle. Its not that original and not really that out there. So I don't see the success there. They are a talented bunch of guys and put on a great show and the crowd ( their crowd ) like it. I don't think GIGSMART had much to do with helping Mike got spiked in anyway. Mike seemed to get their music done just fine themselves. So what do Gigsmart know about their sh!t? How did they help there? I'm sorry please tell me another blinding success story to prove me wrong here.

ElChupreNegre

Kudos to you Wingzero,I wondered when the voice of reason would appear

wingzero

The voice of reason is eternal. Its constant. No matter what cheesy advertising campaign or recruitment binge takes off reason will be watching. Reason can never be defeated. Reason is of pure logic. Its is the fabric of time and space. REASON IS GOD

And I am the reason. I say Gigsmart is another disgrace to ireland. Shame on them. ireland was once great. Now its capitaled by a cosmopolitan gay metro-farm. And these guys wanna try and help the voice of reason get through to the people. . HAHAHA me thinks not.

ElChupreNegre

Its simple really,bands just need to start using their own iniative and stop relying on the likes of Gigsmart.
Use the Golden Pages,go for walks and check out pubs, theres plenty of places to put on gigs without a pay to play system in operation.
Get together with a mates band and play a gig,you might get talking to another band at the gig,now you have 3 bands to play another gig, and the circle repeats itself...its that easy

You'll make a lot more enemies than friends relying on Gigsmart and you'll just wake up after one of their events with a sore ass!