Depending on who you are and who you know, booking a band to play your gig can be an intimidating thing. While some of us might have a bunch of mates in bands, for a lot of people it becomes a little bit more intimidating to book live music, as they’re left searching through bands on Gumtree or placing an ad and hoping for the best – but a small team of Aussies is hoping to change that.
While we see a lot of services being described as “the Uber of…” these days, the phrase definitely evokes a pretty pleasant feeling: that of plugging in where you want to go, seeing how much it’ll cost you, and making it happen. With a wealth of music talent in Australia hanging for gigs, the team behind Six8 are looking to bring that same feeling to live music, making it easier to find and book a band – and for that band to find a gig.
Rather than throwing an ad up online and hoping for a call, artists and bands can create a profile that not only lets hosts check out their music and social fanbase, but also makes it clear how much they’re to be paid. One-upping Uber, musicians can decide how much they need to be paid by setting a clear hourly rate – so no getting paid in “exposure” or a bar tab here.
On the other hand, if you need to find a band, you can sign up as a host and search for artists by location, availability, price range and, of course, the type of music, then book them in right away. Want to get a band to play your house party? It’s about as easy as ordering the pizza.
“People love live music,” says Keith Sue, whose appetite for live bands saw him take on the role of Six8’s Managing Director. “Right here in Australia, more people go to see live gigs every year than live sporting events… so it’s a big deal if we can give them the power to access artists directly.”
While dedicated music venues and established bands with booking agents might already have their well-worn routines in place, the idea makes a lot of sense for anyone looking to get live music going on a more casual basis, or for bands and artists who don’t have full-time management.
“I’m keen to help existing pubs, clubs, cafes, and restaurants to book artists in an easier way… they’re really important to the live music culture of a city. But for me it’s really about people like you and me. People who want an acoustic guitarist at their Sunday beach BBQ, a three piece jazz band at their wedding reception, or a Mariachi band for a romantic night!
“On the artist side, I’m really excited about those musos who are really trying to make it, but struggle to get gigs and get their name out there. There’s so much awesome talent out there that just can’t seem to access the people who want to listen to them… I’m really interested in changing that dynamic.”
One of Six8’s recent gigs brought neo-soul artist Soma Sutton to the cosy Ampersand Bookstore
The idea behind Six8 hinges on the idea that taking much of the hassle and uncertainty out of the booking process will encourage more people to book artists to perform at a wider range of events, whether it’s an afternoon set at a cafe or book store, an impromptu office party, or a Friday night acoustic set at a pub.
“I find it crazy that in 2017 I can be sitting my room in Sydney, click a few buttons on my phone, and book a house in Amsterdam to live in next week,” Keith tells us, “Yet, I have no idea how I’d book an artist who lives a suburb away.”
Being able to jump on the site and immediately see when and where you can book a band, hear their music, and know how much you’ll be paying, is all intended to make the whole process less intimidating – if you wanted to, you could book an entire mini-festival in one go, all with a few clicks.
“I really love what we’re doing here,” Keith says. “I love this idea that artists can be set free from all the barriers which prevent them from sharing their passion. And that everyday people, like you and me, can use their imagination to create new experiences with live music.
He and the rest of the team seem genuinely stoked about the prospect of getting more live music out there wherever they can, and putting new opportunities in front of artists, as well as the people who want to book them.
“The aim of the game is to bring live music into spaces where there previously was none, all the while creating unique experiences for performers and listeners,” he adds. “It’s damn exciting!”
Helping bands to book gigs when they travel overseas is another goal, allowing them to more easily connect with venues in other countries, and vice versa. The team’s eventual aim is to have built a dedicated community of eager bands, and people looking to book them, both locally and internationally.
“My vision is an international community that gives artist freedom to do what they love to do, wherever they want to do it,” Keith says, “and to allow people who love live music to really connect with them personally – hopefully in some really new and creative ways.
“This is why I like to talk about the community aspect rather than the platform,” he adds. “Not to sound all warm and fuzzy, but it’s a real vision of mine to break down barriers, including geographical ones.”
Bands who are willing to travel can set a bunch of different locations, each with additional travel fees, or can temporarily change their location if they’re traveling – bringing with them the reputation they’ve built elsewhere, like you would on AirBnB.
“The most important thing is your reputation travels with you. Your ratings, reviews, comments… they all move with you no matter where you go, so people know you’re awesome and can hire you.”
Hannah from All Our Exes Live In Texas gives her thoughts, along with a few other local acts featured Six8
To give everyone an idea of what they’re setting out to achieve, the Six8 team have started putting together a few unique pop-up gigs of their own, starting off by bringing the neo-soul stylings of Soma Sutton to the library space of the Ampersand Bookstore & Café in Paddington for an impromptu gig.
Next up, another free Sydney-based affair that packs New Orleans-inspired quintet The Low Down Riders, singer-songwriter Sam Newton and local duo Jack & Danie into the cosy Redfern bar Arcadia on Thursday May 25.
They’re the sort of breezy gigs in relaxed spaces that any business or venue could book on Six8 with very little fuss, and the sort of opportunities Six8 hopes to give artists, allowing them to pick up a few extra playing hours at that cafe down the road.
It’s still early days for Six8, with the platform steadily building steam and a roster of artists, but its mission – to make it easy for anyone to add a dash of live music to an otherwise quiet room – is one we can get behind.
If you like the sound of it and want to get on board, you can check them out here.
