Getting a Cruise Ship Gig.

This week I would like to direct you towards part one in a series I have been writing for Mike Moloney Entertainment's blog.  It is a series on getting jobs on cruise ships.  So enjoy!

Check IT Out Here!



Over the course of the coming weeks we will focus on how to get a cruise ship gig. This time we will aim towards live musicians like solo artists, bands, orchestra players, and DJ's, but many of the tips will work well if you are a comedian, magician, dancer, or juggler.

The first series comes from agent and marketing specialist Jeremy Larochelle of Mike Moloney Entertainment.


RULE 1: UNDERSTAND WHO YOU ARE COMPETING AGAINST

Cruising has taken off and the entire industry is global. There are ships in every corner of the world and crew from pretty much every nation on the planet. For musicians, this means you are competing against music majors from Berklee in Boston, North Texas State, Chapman in California as well as performers from the UK, Philippines, Poland, Germany and every other country on the map. To make matters worse the music business is crumbling, which has pushed many top players from places such as New York, LA, and Vegas towards the ships as well.

I am not offering this advice to dissuade you from thinking about performing on ships, but rather to alert you to just how important it is that you put your absolute best foot forward when you land an opportunity to present yourself and your musical capabilities.


RULE 2: KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE

No musician wants to talk about marketing, but let me enlighten you for a minute with the concept of demographics. Most cruise passengers are in their mid fifties.  Got it?  Now let's do a little math.

You normally adopt your musical tastes around the ages of 16 to 18, so lets use 16 to be safe.  Now take the median age of a cruise guest, which is 50, and subtract 16. Now subtract 34 from 2013 and you get 1979.

I know that is a lot of math, but it should show you something. Your average (current) cruise ship guest will enjoy music from the 70's and 80's.  This is why there is a growing trend of ships replacing trombonists with guitar players in their show bands. Their customers are no longer responding to Glenn Miller. They want to hear classic rock, pop, and top 40.

Now this will not always be the case. There are many ships that have jazz lounges and rooms set-up for Latin, and the pool deck is normally allocated for sounds from the Caribbean. I like to think of these as "specialized" rooms that need "specialized" acts. Which brings me to my next section, but first one last rule about being a cruise ship musician (especially a solo performer or band).

ORIGINAL MUSIC DOES NOT CUT IT! I hate to say it, but it's the truth. Cruise customers want to drink, party, and hear songs that remind them of their youth. Tunes they can sing to.


RULE 3: HAVE A PLAN

If you are thinking about seeking a cruise gig have a plan. What kind of performer do you want to be, or what kind of genre and style will your band portray? Now build everything around that image. Your music, your look, and of course your demo.

If you are a Latin band don't send your agent a ten-minute video of you performing Country music. And if you want to be a party band, don't send in videos of your group doing straight ahead jazz. Cruise buyers are swamped with submissions from around the planet everyday. They do not have time to analyze your playing and guess if you would be a good band for the room they have open. You have very little time (usually about two minutes) to show them that you are the right fit for the particular style of music they are looking for, so don't waste it.

I suggest that you discuss as a group your plans before you make your video. That way you can choose a good location, dress the part, and select tunes that mirror your style.

Next week we will talk more about your videos...

Visit www.mmec.com for more information and how to apply for cruise ship work.