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Thought I'd jump into this thread as I just discovered it, but I've been doing standup for a few years now. Toured the east coast, performing at some colleges and conventions. While I was having a fairly steady stream of paying gigs, it was never really enough to replace the 9 to 5, and the road life/dedicating my entire social life to standup just didn't appeal to me. As was mentioned earlier, it can be really trying and bottom line was, I didn't work nearly as hard as some other folks (two shows a week vs guys who were doing three to five shows A NIGHT.) It's more of a pastime than anything at this point. Here's a video of one of my jokes: http://www.rooftopcomedy.com/watch/IAintAfraidOfNoGhost Anyway, before I left for a new city, I recorded a 50 minute cd that I plan on distributing but I was wondering if anyone else has done this? What's the best way to market an album? Once I get the album cover finalized, I was planning on submitting it to iTunes and charging around $5 for it.
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Mar 15, 2013 01:29
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| # ¿ Apr 24, 2024 01:31 |
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Palmtree Panic posted:
Barking? I've never heard that term before. I just got accepted into a comedy festival in NYC, this'll be my first one. Anyone have any experience in the festival circuit?
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May 19, 2013 18:35
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So I released my first album, now up on iTunes and Amazon: "That's What You Get For Being Different" If you have the chance, give it a listen: http://www.amazon.com/Thats-What-Being-Different-Explicit/dp/B00D4QUZV6/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1370642662&sr=8-4&keywords=Evan+Valentine
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Jun 7, 2013 23:05
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Smerdyakov posted:I've been thinking about doing an album pretty soon but I know a bunch of guys who have done it and they've all reported pretty rough numbers. It's definitely an accomplishment to have an album's worth of polished material out there, but the online market for comedy seems pretty cutthroat. The local scene godfather here has done 2 albums and just gives them away for free because he doesn't want to go head to head with famous comics filmed specials that are at the same price point. I wonder if he's right though, because if there's a local fanbase I can definitely see it working out, but this is all theory on my part--What's your experience been like for sales/promotion on your album, if you don't mind me asking? I didn't really ever think I was going to make enough to live off my album or anything (My friend, Mike, recently released his album through Comedy Central and he's #6 on iTunes, but its his job and he works all the time. It's really more just a hobby for me). I just have been marketing it to friends and family at first, then at every show I do, I make mention that you can find my album on iTunes or Amazon and so even when I'm doing an open mic or something, I usually get one or two new purchases, so essentially I'm getting "paid" to do free shows. I've already made back all the money I put in production costs (Recording costs, partnership fees, etc etc). It also looks great on your resume and for clubs when they see that you have an hour worth of material you've crafted.
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Jun 9, 2013 23:45
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The Laughing Devil in NYC is being sold.  I have a show lined up there in October, so now that's probably not happening.
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Jul 14, 2013 01:08
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Greek Tragedy posted:OY. Tanked like the titanic last night in a local competition. I had this whole Oregon Trail (the video game) bit ready and the dude right before me did an bit almost exactly the same. it's a pretty common thing here, so I'm not mad or anything but goddammit it threw me off and I just rambled for a few minutes to silence and crickets. Bombing happens. It's always going to happen no matter how good you get (I mean Dave Chappelle "bombed" recently and he's considered one of the best of the best.) I kind of look at them as learning experiences, it shows you what works and what doesn't for a specific audience. I know I will look over a crowd before I start and see if they're skewing more towards the older generation, then change my setlist accordingly. Protip on Pop Culture References, NEVER assume that everyone in the audience knows what you're talking about, even for the most basic of things. You may know everything about Oregon Trail and it was a huge part of your childhood, but there's more people who have never even heard of it before and they just aren't going to get the joke unless you map out what the game is and how it was significant to you. I'm kind of surprised that someone before you had an Oregon Trail joke. What's the premise of the bit?
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Sep 2, 2013 18:46
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Those books? Throw them the gently caress out. Reading books and taking classes and all that poo poo doesn't work. You're essentially becoming someone else and you need to find your own style, find what works for you. If you want to "make it" in standup, you really need to think about what that's going to entail as a career. Its not luxurious (its actually pretty lonely on the road, and it is not a stable career by any means) and doing it as your only job to start is really dumb. I know you said you have money that will last you for a bit, but you will absolutely POSITIVELY need a day job. You can still go to mics at night while working and your day job may even give you an opportunity to write more material since you'll be experiencing more than just sitting around your apartment waiting for mics to start. Buy lots of notebooks, carry them with you everywhere. Reality time! I have friends who have Comedy Central specials and their albums are some of the top comedy albums on iTunes. Standup comedy is their only job and they are barely making ends meet (though the ones who used standup as a springboard to get writing gigs are doing pretty well) Also, 2 mics a night is too little if you're trying to make a career of it, go to as many as you can possibly handle. LA has numerous mics, many of which though won't let you just walk in, you'll need to get in touch with whoever is running it and then you'll be given a spot maybe a few weeks down the road if you're lucky. Starting out? Get ready to eat a lot of poo poo. You'll need to establish yourself and that can take a year(s). You really have to put the time and effort in. Sorry to be all fire and brimstone, but just want to let you know what you're in for.
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Sep 21, 2013 03:29
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Karl Ontario posted:I have an upcoming open mic this Friday and I'm thinking of opening with a bit about how Batman really took being an orphan hard. Do you think that is too alienating to the crowd, or that by this point everyone pretty much knows Batman's origin? I have a Batman bit as well and I find it usually works fine, it works even better when there's a Batman movie out/coming down the pike but still. You could start by saying "I was watching Dark Knight the other day" or something along those lines as EVERYONE'S seen it at this point.
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Jan 11, 2014 00:56
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Greek Tragedy posted:Any of you Comedy goons in/near Washington DC? Used to live there and will visit once in a blue moon and its probably one of the best times for comedy that DC has ever seen right now, so you're in luck. There's a few different factions of people who runs shows that you can look up (LYGO, Cool Cow Comedy, and Underground Comedy DC to name a few) and contact who have mics and showcases set up. The Arlington Cinema Drafthouse is a great venue for paid showcases in their Green Room.
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Jan 26, 2014 23:49
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| # ¿ Apr 24, 2024 01:31 |
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I'm trying out for Fox's Laughs tomorrow. Anyone else do this? I know there's been some controversy with this one.
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Nov 3, 2014 03:59
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