Thinking of going to the USA?

• A: Introduction
• B: Touring with your band in the USA
• C: Performance opportunities at IBMA World Of Bluegrass for bands from outside the USA
• D: Appendixes
• Appendix 1: Official IBMA showcases, 2012
• Appendix 2: IBMA advice on After Hours showcases, 2011

For any bluegrass enthusiast from outside North America, there is absolutely no substitute for the total-immersion experience of seeing and hearing American bluegrass bands in their home environment. This effect is multiplied at a festival (and for many, it is further multiplied at festivals in the southern states).

For many of us, this experience (and perhaps the opportunity to jam with American pickers) may be all we want from a trip to the States. The bluegrass 'consumer' with a week to spend in the USA can probably hear and see more bluegrass at the IBMA World Of Bluegrass, held in autumn every year, than anywhere else in the world. (Virtually all of it takes place within the Renaissance Hotel and the attached Nashville Convention Center; you may wish to try the experience of other festivals held outdoors, typically featuring camping, vendors, kids' activities, and great bluegrass music.).)

However, IBMA's WOB also has unrivalled opportunities for making contacts with other people in all fields of bluegrass activity. If you are a band planning to tour in North America and can afford to make an advance 'reconnaissance and promotion' trip to lay the foundations for such a tour, the $6,000-$7,000 cost (for travel and related expenses) of going to IBMA WOB can be a sound investment, and the advice by Hannah Johnson of the Toy Hearts (UK) in section C of this document will enable you to make the most of the IBMA WOB experience.

The advice in the following section is based on practical experience of touring in the USA and applies to all bands, whether or not they plan to develop a higher profile through the route of appearing at IBMA WOB.

Much of the advice in the EBMA's brochure for US bands who are thinking of touring in Europe (www.ebma.org/touring-in-europe) is also useful for European bands planning to travel in the opposite direction. Here are some points to consider.

1 What you have to offer

Quite apart from the matter of being 'ambassadors for European bluegrass', any European band hoping to tour in the USA must first of all be very good. You are going to the homeland of bluegrass, and the quantity and quality of talent there mean that you have to measure up to extremely high standards.

You should be not only a very good bluegrass band but a distinctive one. Your repertoire should therefore include material that makes you stand out from other bands – whether it's your own original material, or material from unfamiliar sources that happens to work well as bluegrass. Songs that everyone has heard a thousand times should be played in a jam, not on stage. Songs in a language other than English can be another way to distinguish a European band, but be very careful. To attract potential music buyers and their audiences, you must be immediately acceptable as a true bluegrass band, with extra appeal. Keep the interpretation solidly bluegrass and include just a taste of your home culture or language.

2 Putting a tour together: festival bookings

(a) A festival booking is the anchor point for organising a tour. Lists of festivals appear on various websites and in the January issue of Bluegrass Unlimited every year (supplemented in later issues). Only the absolute top bands in Europe should consider big festivals – MerleFest, Grass Valley, Grey Fox, etc. Target the smaller, 'down home' festivals. Most of them have not yet hired a band from outside North America, but that will change.

(b) It is nearly impossible for a band to break even over a ten-day tour. However, with care and luck the chances of breaking even can be improved. For a four-piece band, flights to the USA, van rental, and food and lodging for a week, might be $7,500–8,000 or more. Even a small festival, if they like you, will generally offer $2,000–2,500 (possibly with rooms and meals on site). So a single festival booking could cover a quarter of the cost. Another festival for a contiguous weekend could cover half.

3 Putting a tour together: support gigs

Whether you get more than one festival booking or not, 'support gigs' within one or two days' driving distance of your booked festival(s) will be needed. Don't underestimate distances in the USA, and don't undertake journeys that you will find exhausting. Bear in mind that you may be travelling between states that are in different time zones, and allow for any time differences.

There are several possible ways of finding support gigs.

(a) If you are an IBMA member you can contact IBMA and get a list of local bluegrass associations, radio stations that play bluegrass, and other helpful information. Visit www.ibma.org. Also, look for IBMA's new 'Bluegrass Nation' project, which will be launching on the web in the summer of 2011 and will provide resources for touring bands and information about festivals and other gigs.

(b) Check the websites of other bands and see what venues they play. This is a legitimate and rational course of action, providing that you behave with professional ethics towards the bands from whose websites you get such information. Never do anything that would adversely affect them. Don't try to get a date that is anywhere near theirs, and never say anything, good or bad, about them to the owner or manager of a venue you found on their schedule.

(c) Make as many contacts as possible in the region where you'll be playing, starting with anyone you know who lives in the area, musician or not. They may know clubs or other venues that program folk music, country music, blues, or just acoustic music – all possible bookers of a bluegrass band – and may perhaps make a personal contact for you

(d) Use Google. If you've received an invitation from a festival in Pennsylvania, for example, look at a map and see what's within range of it. Then use Google to search for bluegrass associations in nearby areas. Association websites might have a list of venues, or phone numbers for association members. Get on Skype and call them up. A transatlantic phone call nearly always gets some attention. If you get the slightest interest, be prepared to follow up by mailing promo material or at least directing prospective clients to your website.

This has almost limitless possibilities. After Googling for associations, you can try phrases like 'Bucks County bluegrass live music', which may lead to names of possible venues. Many such associations will help you promote a gig in their local area.

(e) More contacts can be found on the many lists and forums for bluegrass music: bgrass-l, flatpick-l, mandocafé, etc. This is a process that takes time to develop properly. First, join and contribute to the list so you become known to the regulars – these are the people most likely to help you with contacts when the time comes. But don't ask for gig contacts before you've established a presence – this would correctly be seen as solely self-serving and a negative.

(f) When you reach the point of asking for gig contacts, and following up in writing, make absolutely sure that your message is in nearly flawless, idiomatic English. A potential booker will want to be sure that he's getting a straight-ahead bluegrass band that his audience will instantly accept, and – fair or not – poor English won't give him that impression.

(g) In most support gigs you eventually book, your remuneration will probably be based on 'the door' with no guarantee, and most club owners will not exert themselves to promote an unknown band. Promotion from a distance is not easy, but it will be largely up to you. So once you've got a booking in hand, try and get the word out that a never-before-heard band will be playing a special gig. The local public radio station might well be interested in interviewing a band from your country for their folk or roots music show, and this is a chance to get on the air ahead of your gig and promote it.

4 Visas, US immigration procedures, and tax requirements

 If you consider touring in the USA for a longer period of time you will need a work visa. There are different types of visa, which require different fees, and if you apply for a visa you should consider hiring an immigration lawyer. Each state in the US has a bar association representing the lawyers of that state, and these bar associations typically have a referral service that can be contacted for referrals to attorneys practising in that state who specialise in immigration issues. If you know a band that have been to the USA and can recommend a good lawyer from their own experience, so much the better.

Check with the US embassy in your own country. Many American websites describe the processes involved: for instance, those of the American Federation of Musicians (http://www.afm.org) and the CBS Interactive Business Network (http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa5434/is_200907/ai_n32424593/).

US immigration procedures and tax requirements are comprehensively set out in the website 'Artists from Abroad' (http://www.artistsfromabroad.org/). This is a complex subject, and is becoming more complex. Any information about it from older official sources may now be either obsolete or incomplete. You should take legal advice before acting and should be prepared for a lengthy approval process, and for up to 30% of any expected pay to be withheld, pending confirmation that you are paying US tax.

Do not attempt to avoid any of the requirements, or to give false or misleading information. As the 'Cautions' section of 'Artists from Abroad' says,

Do not circumvent the visa process! Is it really necessary to go through such a complicated process just to work for a short time in the U.S.? Yes. Even when no compensation is involved? Yes. In other words, just because a beneficiary will be performing in the U.S. for no compensation beyond expenses does NOT mean that an O or P visa is not required... O and P petitioners and beneficiaries who fail to comply with the rules take risks that can limit short-term options and impose long-term consequences on all parties involved.

5 CITES and the dangers of travel with vintage instruments

If you own a vintage instrument, be very careful before taking it abroad. The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) imposes restrictions on exporting and importing substances such as Brazilian rosewood, elephant ivory, and tortoiseshell. The USA and European Union are among the most stringent enforcers of these restrictions. Most countries in the CITES treaty also have further regulations of their own – for instance, under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) in the USA.

An instrument that is being transported for personal use is not exempt from these restrictions, and could be confiscated if it infringes them. Moreover, even if you obtain a permit to take the instrument into and out of a country, this can only be done at specified ports of entry.

A systematic exposition of CITES and ESA, with downloadable copies of the related official documents and advice on action to be taken by musicians, is online at AcousticMusic.org (http://www.acousticmusic.org/CITES-and-ESA-sp-78.html).

Two articles showing the possible dangers for musicians:

Dwight Worden (IBMA board member), 'You can't take my guitar! What every traveling musician should know about CITES' in International Bluegrass, xxvi, no. 4 (April 2011), which can be read online at ibma.org/node/52.

John Thomas, 'A guitar lover’s guide to the CITES Conservation Treaty' in Fretboard Journal, no. 11 (fall 2008), which can be read online at www.fretboardjournal.com/features/magazine/guitar-lover%E2%80%99s-guide-cites-conservation-treaty.

[Editor's note: As explained below, the original text that makes up this section was prepared following the IBMA International Summit of 2008 for the purpose of informing and encouraging non-US bands to take part in IBMA World of Bluegrass. In this form, it has already been published on the European Bluegrass Blog. The version shown here has been slightly edited as a result of developments since 2008, and the IBMA documents shown as appendixes are those now on the IBMA website. You should check the IBMA website, www.ibma.org, for the current dates of World of Bluegrass and for any updates in the relevant information.

Additional notes:

In addition to the official and after hours showcases, informal jamming goes on continually in the Renaissance Hotel, and this can be a further exposure opportunity.

The 'International Affairs' after hours showcase has been hosted by the EBMA for several years, and will welcome the participation of non-US bands for as long as it continues.

[Further help may be obtained through the international representative on the IBMA board. This position is currently (2011) held by Rienk Janssen.]

My name is Hannah Johnson and I sing and play in the Toy Hearts bluegrass band from Birmingham, UK. In 2008 our band performed at some After Hours Showcases at IBMA and attended the International Summit Meeting in Nashville, Tennessee. During the Summit many salient points were raised, including the discussion of promoting and witnessing a larger International representation at IBMA World of Bluegrass in the future. After organising our band's trip in 2008 and having learned about applying for showcase slots, I volunteered to write a statement advising how bands can best go about making similar approaches. We made a return trip to World of Bluegrass in 2009, going through the same procedures.

Performing at IBMA really was an amazing experience and provided a truly unique opportunity for networking and making contacts. For any International bluegrass band considering applying… DO! You may not get much sleep, but you will have the time of your life! It is never too early to start thinking about applications.

IBMA World of Bluegrass is held every year around the end of September and beginning of October. At the end of each year's World of Bluegrass, the dates for the next year are announced and published on the IBMA website and in all subsequent issues of the IBMA's e-newsletter, International Bluegrass.

Applying to get involved in WOB, for me, felt a little daunting at first, but the application processes for both official and unofficial showcases are relatively straightforward and comprehensive.

Official showcases

Applying for an Official Showcase slot needs to be done through the IBMA website, and the selection of bands to appear on the 19 showcases is made by an IBMA Committee. The procedures and the deadline date remain the same from year to year. As an example, here are the instructions that the IBMA issued in November 2010 for WOB 2011 [see appendix 1].

After Hours showcases

These are run by individual hosts, ranging from booking entertainment agencies and instrument makers to bluegrass associations. It is a band's responsibility to contact these hosts and request a showcase slot. The process of applying for an After Hours slot is therefore a little more complicated and time-consuming, as it requires good organisational skills and initiative. All information regarding After Hours showcases can be found at [see appendix 2].

When applying for a showcase in 2008, I first took the list of hosts for 2007 and put each individual host into internet search engine Google. Once I had found the host's website, I went on it and took down all the contact information available – ideally, this is an e-mail address and a contact name. Once I had an e-mail contact list for as many hosts as I could find, I compiled what I call a ‘media promotional package’ to send to each host. The Toy Hearts media promotional package comprised:

• Main e-mail body: Who we are, what we do, why we are contacting the host, our achievements, all contact information.
• Attachment 1: Press photograph – This was a good-quality group shot from our new album that best represents our image.
• Attachment 2: An MP3 from our new album – A song that we felt best represents our live sound and style.

Once I had sent an email to each of the hosts on my list, I compiled three different response categories: Yes; No; No response – Contacts to chase.

For the hosts that didn’t respond, I would chase up with another e-mail or via another method, telephone, letter, etc. This can sometimes be tricky, as you don’t want to bug people; however, the worst they can say is 'no', so it is definitely worth it! Often the ‘no’ responses we had were so nice and friendly, inviting us to go to the suite to say hello anyway… We did, and made contacts for next year; so it really is worth the risk of possibly coming across as pushy or annoying. This also leads me on to another point, which is not to apply late! We weren’t sure exactly if we would make IBMA 2008 and so applied late – this made the job much more difficult. Many of the suites are keen to have international representation, and if you get in there early your chances will only be higher!

NB: The list of hosts will vary from year to year, and a new list will be posted on the IBMA website nearer the coming WOB date. You need to check this regularly, as when the new list is up, you will need to go through the process again for any new hosts.

I hope that this information is of help! For anyone that would like to ask any questions please feel free to email me at: hannahgjohnson( at )hotmail.co.uk and I will try my best to answer/help.

Making the most of your trip to IBMA World of Bluegrass

A big aspect for a lot of bands is raising the capital to afford travel, accommodation, and expenses while in Nashville. Last year our band incorporated IBMA WOB at the end of a five-week tour to help offset this, but I do understand that it can be a costly venture if completed as an independent trip. Bands should, before embarking on travel, weigh up the financial cost of attendance with the outcomes that can be made possible through maximising potential and being both organised and proactive whilst there. For the Toy Hearts, such potential outweighed the expense.

Certainly the contacts/bookings side of it is, we know, so very full of resources and should be stressed in any kind of pitch to encourage bands to go. In connection to this point and to maximise all the potential at IBMA for bands, I would also stress that a very proactive approach needs to be taken each day that you are there. A list of points is always very useful to have prior to attending, and the top of this list should be, I feel: What do I want to achieve out of attending IBMA WOB? Whether it be exposure of your band through showcases and/or booking your band for work (gigs, festivals, recording, marketing, etc.) in the next coming year or two through approaching the right people, establishment of such goals should then lead to further questions such as:

• Who would be the best person to speak to regarding my primary goal?
• How can I make contact with them?
• How will I get from them what I need?
• Are my goals realistic?
• What preparation have I made to help me establish how realistic my goals are?
• If I cannot achieve my primary goals, what are my secondary goals?

To this extent, by asking such probing and at times daunting questions, you will maximise the potential of what IBMA WOB has to offer. Each group should have different goals and I feel it is solely up to each individual band to establish them, as no one can really answer these questions for you. Study of the IBMA guide to the week's events will help and is essential to identify the program's meetings and workshops that are most applicable to your band – going to speak to the right festival and radio staff with professional packs, and pitching who you are and what you want.

Organisation like this can be both stressful and boring, as it is essentially business and most musicians (by and large) are not good at business, which is why they want to play for a living/hobby. Of course for hobbyists, such formal questioning is not so applicable and for them I would recommend spending their time jamming, watching the huge variety of professional standard shows/showcases, and visiting the exhibition hall. But for bands wishing to progress in music as a profession or career, I would say that if you are not organised in this manner or a manner similar, you will most probably not maximise potential.

Lastly, I would like to say that what I have pointed out is far from impossible. Last year (2009) the Toy Hearts had four main objectives in performing After-Hours showcases on six occasions at IBMA. These were to find:

• a producer for our third album,
• an engineer for our third album,
• a studio in Nashville to record our third album,
• session players for our third album.

These were by no means easy goals. However, in the following January, as I mentioned before, we recorded our third album, produced by a leading musician at an excellent studio, which we visited in person while at IBMA. Before we made such decisions, we showcased privately for other potential producers and visited other studios, all of which happened as a result of proactive planning and implementation. In the end we went with what felt most right for us. We also achieved hiring musicians who were either individually IBMA award-winners or members of award-winning groups, for instrumental and vocal work on the album.

I think this goes far in proving (and I do not want to underplay just how hard we actually do work to establish and achieve such aims, with regards to both music as well as business) that it is possible to make your goals happen and that IBMA can help enormously in facilitating them.

[Editor's note: You should check the IBMA website, http://www.ibma.org, for the current dates of World of Bluegrass and for any updates in the information given in these appendixes: for instance, the amount of fees charged, details of application requirements, etc. For any further information, contact info( at )ibma.org.]

[Source: https://ibma.org/node/305]

'Performing the Showcase at IBMA could possibly be the most productive 25 min. gig you’ll ever play'. – Wayne Taylor, Wayne Taylor & Appaloosa

The premiere opportunity to introduce your talent and new music at IBMA’s annual World Of Bluegrass conference comes in the form of 'official' showcase performances which connect the music industry assembled with the latest in our music.

Showcase acts join a very select list of artists over the years which have used these performances to lift their careers, secure important bookings, build label relationships, gain broadcast/media exposure and other music industry connections. These performances are in a high profile time slot on a full professional soundstage before hundreds of event producers, broadcasters, record labels, media and others are in attendance.

Including these opportunities, the selected artists receive considerable savings (60+%) on attending the events and additional benefits:

• High profile performance on featured showcase stage with full sound stage/lighting
• Exclusive time slot not in conflict with other convention activities
• Featured profile in conference program
• Priority access to 'Gig Fair' appointments
• Scheduled consultation in advance of events on maximizing showcase opportunities
• -Complimentary booth space during business conference (value $600+)
• Complimentary conference registration for all performing members of group (value $1360+)
• Complimentary professional membership for all performing members of group (value $300+)

The value of booth space, conference registrations and IBMA membership alone adds up to more than $2,000.00 for a band!

WHO SHOULD APPLY?

These unique opportunities are especially designed to introduce any one or all of the following to the bluegrass industry:

• Emerging talent capable and willing to broaden their market
• Established bands who have significant changes in their act
• Artists who have significant, new recorded product.

The juried selection process involves a fair, but subjective evaluation based on the information presented by each applicant and taking into consideration every applicants entertainment value, level of professionalism, potential appeal and quality of work. There are generally in excess of 100-150 acts which apply and, depending on the number of acts which apply, the selection process takes approximately three months. IBMA makes the full selection criteria available upon request.

Artists should be available to perform and take advantage of the benefits offered during IBMA’s Business Conference scheduled for Sept. 26-29, 2011, in Nashville, Tenn.

APPLICATION PROCESS:

Any act wishing to apply for an official showcase should submit the following:

• Five complete promotional packages for each act making application, including five CD copies of a representative recording of the act’s work (please remove any shrink wrapping)
• Complete contact information on the group
• A $25 application fee, payable to IBMA.

Submission must be postmarked no later than January 14, 2011 and received at IBMA before January 20, 2011.

Artists are not required to be IBMA members to apply for the showcase opportunity, but are required to submit a $25 fee to help defray selection process costs. If invited to perform in one of the 19 official showcases, the acts will pay a discounted fee of $900 for the full benefits package, which is more than 60% off regular rates.

Send all submission packages to: IBMA Talent Committee, 2 Music Circle South, Ste. 100, Nashville, TN 37203, USA.

[Source: www.ibma.org/events.programs/wob/afterhours.asp]

The After Hours shows and hospitality functions that take place throughout the week are hosted by various groups, organizations and companies. They're valuable as an informal means of presenting talent and focusing on different products and services for attendees.

The 'hosts' of these After Hours events select, coordinate, and book the talent they want to appear directly. IBMA does not coordinate talent for After Hours functions and does not comp any tickets for participants of the After Hours functions.

After Hours presentations are part of the overall event, are ticketed, and do require some type of conference registration to attend or participate.

Want to PLAY in an After Hours room?

If you are an artist looking to book your act in after hours rooms with other hosts – it is up to you to contact hosts and form those relationships. Below is a list of the After Hours hosts that presented after hours events in 2010. Some of these hosts may be planning on hosting again in 2011 – some may not. Applications to be a 'host' will not be posted or accepted until May 2011.

Again, it is up to the artists to reach out to hosts, form relationships and make those connections.

Want to HOST your own After Hours room?

Artists, companies or organizations wanting to host their own After Hours room can download the After Hours Guidelines and Application in May 2011. Upon submitting an application for space, you are agreeing to the terms set forth. Applications will be accepted as long as meeting rooms remain available. Contact jill@ibma.org if you have additional questions or needs.