Make Your Audience The Stars

Entertaining can be very rewarding, but it can also feel like a huge responsibility. When anyone takes the stage in front of thousands of fans, there's a job to do and a lot at stake.

Entertaining is as much as an art form as the music one plays. It takes many years to learn that when a true entertainer takes the stage, that the concert is not about the entertainer, it's about the people in the audience. The entertainer is not the star, the audience is the star.

For example, for many years you to take the stage and the first thing  that you do is to start blasting away and showing off your quick hands on the guitar trying to impress the crowds, your fellow musicians, and yourself. This works, to a certain degree. You should have a thick press kit of critics comparing you to the legends but the problem was that it didn't translate at all into good CD sales. The fact is, the better you get, the slower your sales.

What was happening? You're playing for your own pleasure expecting audiences to dive into that realm with you. Some do, but others became alienated because they just don't have the musical knowledge to go there with you. Also, you're playing from ego and not from the heart.

Many performers seek validation outside of themselves by showing off and many don't even care what the audience thinks. But, the truth is, most should care what the audience thinks and what the critics think. Because, bigger audiences and more press equals more gigs and more money.

However, seeking the approval of colleagues, media, critics, and fans can be self-absorbing and self destructive if you're not careful. You should care what the audience thinks but at the same time be conscious of not trying not to impress them.

While I have always possessed a natural ability and desire to entertain, I learned that I didn't really understand how highly choreographed and entertaining were supposed to be. Certainly I understood that lighting, good production and communication with your audience from time to time was a good thing. But, I learned that just by using a proven template for winning presentations I could up the ante quite a bit.

The difference in my career was dramatic. I changed almost overnight from self-absorbed and trained technical performer to an entertainer. And, the best part is my sales increased exponentially. And, I didn't have to give up change genres to become an entertainer. I just had to learn how to package it.

So, what's important to anyone wanting to make a mark in entertainment? First, learn the psychology of human behavior then learn how to lead an audience. Then, find and study a proven template for winning presentations. That will help you to overcome any limitations you may have. Entertaining is an art form that can be mastered if you get the right information from the right master entertainer.

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