MANCHESTER ACADEMY AND THE UNSIGNED GUIDE ANNOUNCE THE LAUNCH OF ACADEMY UNSIGNED GIGS.

Are you in an unsigned or emerging band and would like to play at Academy 3, following in the footsteps of Oasis, Radiohead, Coldplay and The Darkness? If so, read on.

In association with The Unsigned Guide, mcr:music announce a new series of regular unsigned events at Manchester Academy 3, Oxford Road. If you play on an Academy Unsigned bill, you will get:

* Monitor Engineer
* FOH Engineer
* Lighting Engineer
* Backstage dressing room
* Official Academy tickets

PLUS

* A full page on this website, featuring a photo, brief write up and link to your band’s website. (manchesteracademy.net receives 30,000 hits per month so plenty of people will be reading about your band.)

* Your gig will be featured with other Manchester Academy shows on 25,000 Gig Guides, in all local listings and advertisements in City Life and Manchester Evening News. Your band name will be featured alongside all the other touring bands currently treading the boards at MUSU. Manchester Academy will also display posters in all three of their music venues.

HOWEVER, IF YOU WANT TO PLAY MANCHESTER ACADEMY UNSIGNED

* You must be prepared to operate like a professional band and work to strict sound check/stage times, observing strict curfews along the way.

* You will be expected to undertake the promotion of your gig just like a promoter has to. Sell no tickets and gigs fail badly. These gigs must be economically viable and that requires bands to put the effort in where ticket sales are concerned and you may be required to pre-sell your tickets. However, hard work pays dividends and this is true where the Academy Unsigned gigs are concerned. If you attract an audience of 100 people you will be guaranteed to earn £250 on the night from your gig.

If you are inviting music press or industry representatives such as record company A&R, then this is the perfect venue to do just that. All Academy technical staff working on the Academy Unsigned gigs have produced shows for the some of the biggest touring acts and you know that you can rely on there being a great on-stage mix, out-front sound as well as a tour-quality lighting show. This is obviously the best way to perform in front of the industry, particularly if there is a potential deal in the making.

Further more if you have worked to develop your audience, you will be playing in front of several hundred people which means the industry representatives there to see you know that people are into your music and that you can pull a decent crowd in your home town.

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO PLAY AN ACADEMY UNSIGNED GIG CONTACT MCR MUSIC

Josh Binks josh@mcrmusic.co.uk
0161 233 1881 / 07507 682922