SERVICE USED: SEED FUND
BY: Christine Grace, Promoter in Comrie for Chris’ Gigs
FOR: Online Live Streamed Ross Ainslie and Tim Edey Gig Sunday 28th June 2020
“My name is Christine Grace and I run Chris’s Gigs in Comrie Perthshire, on a volunteer basis. I’ve been promoting small village hall gigs locally since 2004, the main objective being to bring good music to our village because it’s a 56 mile round trip to our nearest venue, in Perth. We use two local halls of different sizes which have capacities of 75 and 150 respectively.
I’ve been a member of the Touring Network now for around 4 years and have learned lots and made some very useful connections with other village hall promotors through it.
I heard about the Touring Network Seed Fund when Bronwen NIxon, the Development Co-ordinator called me to find out how things were going during lockdown. It struck me then that a good use of the money would be to commission an online gig, which would provide the musicians with an income and keep Chris’s Gigs profile raised.
The online Seed Fund application process was very straightforward and I heard within a few days that it had been successful.
I asked Ross Ainslie and Tim Edey, who should have performed in Comrie in May if they would record a gig for me and they agreed and they did it together, socially distanced. We put it out as a livestream on Facebook and Youtube on Sunday 28th June, after an extensive social media advertising campaign and I am delighted with the way it went. They are very popular performers and the dynamic between them and the informality of the recording and quality of the music made it very watchable, and I think that once people came in to the gig they were hooked into it and stayed.
Between FaceBook and Youtube we had over 300 watchers and the numbers stayed consistent over the evening. We entertained a lot more people than I would have been able to fit into my wee local hall.
The reach has been almost 24,000 with 6500 engagements and there have been nearly 100 more likes of the Chris’s Gigs page and 35 subscriptions to the mailing list.
We set up a PayPal link and the musicians have done remarkably well from it. My feeling is had we set up a paywall we wouldn’t have had the reach so I’m pleased with our decision not to.
The Seed Fund has given me the confidence to think about doing this again. It’s been a really useful learning curve and I now better understand the mechanisms of how to do it successfully. I know that I can help the musicians achieve a decent income from an online gig even without funding support, and I can offer my audience, and indeed a much wider audience something that they want. Thank you.
To re-watch the gig, head here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gNEVXnsk95U
ABOUT SEED FUND: Apply for up to £500 to help you take your practice as a promoter or performer in a new direction. Whether you’re looking to visit festivals, or showcase events, or to develop new partnerships – this easy to apply, quick turnaround fund is for you. Find out more here
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