The original Thriving Musicians logo. That's Rockstar.
I played to an empty room for months.
I was the entertainer on a major cruise line, and I blamed everybody: the cruise director, the music director, the passengers. Down the hall, a piano bar player I'll call Rockstar had a packed house every night. He was the top seller of bar revenue on the whole line, the most charismatic guy I knew at sea, and he became my friend. One night he sat down in front of me.
He kept asking. I was confused, then frustrated, until I got angry. Then he pointed: "Look at that bar... Empty seats."
"What does that bar do??!"
I thought my job was to play the songs well. I didn't get that I set the mood of the room. Building the excitement was my job: my setlist, my tempo, my mic skills. That question changed how I play every gig. The free lesson is that night, and you get to answer him yourself.
I'm James Grande, a working musician. jamesgrande.com
- 20+ years performing as a paid musician.
- Performed at Lincoln Center for a large-scale corporate event.
- Worked with over 20 booking agencies in the last five years.
- Moved from bar gigs to higher-end private and corporate events by marketing my act online.
- Two years as a cruise ship soloist.
- Booked the music for a beachfront tourist-destination restaurant with multiple venues and live acts seven days a week in season, so I've read the other side of the inbox.