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April 24, 2013
Dear Musicians,
I’m still puzzled as to why career management courses are still missing in some of today’s most prestigious Universities. It would be a shame and huge waste of time, effort and money, to not be able to apply the skills acquired during a music education.
Many musicians make poor decisions when it comes to managing their career. In fact, many of them may not realize that they are in charge of managing themselves. Musicians that may have been guided along by parents, teachers, student advisors or friends, may not realize that they’re in charge of their own career once school’s over. Coming to this realization is thus imperative to kick-start a successful career.
Perhaps it would help musicians to view their music career as a business. A business that needs representation, a business that needs to be marketed properly, a business that needs to stay up-to-date, a business that needs to maintain professional working relationships with other professionals in the music industry.
This translates into being pro-active with job hunts and interacting in a professional manner with other persons. Being on time for rehearsals and gigs, possessing proper phone manners, handling scheduling in a professional manner, being helpful and fun to be around etc.
This is not supposed to be a how-to article on career management, this article is supposed to merely awaken those that believe that gigs will magically appear out of nowhere regardless of how they interact with their surroundings. To give you an example; we organize a lot of auditions for those interested in cruise ship work. For some reason, a large number of individuals don’t have the decency to cancel auditions if they can’t make but decide to “no show” instead. Whether you want to believe it or not, this will hurt your career.
So take a moment to reflect on how you manage your career currently and if there is room for improvement.
Good luck.
April 12, 2013
Dear Musicians,
On a recent cruise I noticed that some of the entertainers don’t seem to apply themselves much to their performances and this may be understandable to some degree. Playing some popular requests over and over again could drive anyone nuts.
A piano/vocalist rattled down some of the songs as if the goal was to get to the end as quickly as possible. A caribbean duo barely added much interest to their keyboard sequences, and a guitar/vocalist didn’t even bother to add a proper ending to his midi sequences and just stopped the latter after he felt he the song should end there.
I absolutely understand the challenge you’re faced with when you have to perform three to four sets of 45 minutes each per night, 7 nights per week, but I believe that it could be of benefit to the musician if he or she put a bit more energy into the performances. more info
February 7, 2013
Dear Musicians,
On our “jobs & auditions” page we list the type of entertainers we need year-round. At the very moment though we have a more urgent need for the following:
- Piano Vocalists
- Guitar Vocalists (acoustic only, no sequences)
- Male Vocalists to front cover bands
Call or email us with questions.
Email: info@oceanbound.com
Phone: 450-714-0964
June 28, 2012
Dear musicians,
Entertainment departments at cruise lines have specific ideas of what kind of entertainers they want to see on their ships. They do collect comment cards from passengers and decide from those cards what works and what doesn’t.
So, they don’t, generally, like to experiment much with the type of entertainers they hire.
We do get a lot of calls, however, from people that think they should absolutely be on ships because of the uniqueness of their act, and because they’ve been told by cruisers they would be great on ships.
I don’t doubt that some people may find it entertaining to listen to bebop played on a garden hose but cruise lines aren’t going to go for that because it won’t fill their lounges on a regular basis.
Some examples aren’t as ludicrous as the one I just mentioned though, for example, if you are a piano/vocalist, you would certainly be a candidate. But if you are a piano/vocalist who performs Elton John songs only, you would not be considered because your repertoire would appeal to only those that like this particular artist.
The bottom line is that you should stick to the job descriptions we’ve outlined on our website and try to adjust your act to what the cruise lines are looking for. Trying to get them to change their entertainment program to accommodate your particular act is a losing battle.
March 21, 2012
Dear Musicians,
When you’re at sea, it can be days or weeks before you arrive in a port with a music store close by.
It is thus really important to make sure that your instruments are in good shape and that you have some basic maintenance tools with you.
Here are some malfunctions that keep coming up: more info
January 26, 2012
By now, most musicians know that it has gotten much more difficult to get a job on a cruise ship simply because the demand is smaller than the supply. Knowing how to keep your job is thus more important than ever before. Some of the bands that don’t get re-hired may be puzzled as to why they’re not offered a job, after they have “successfully” finished several contracts. The answer may not even be related to the quality of the band. Some of the best-sounding bands may not be the most successful bands on ships.
The answer may lie in the fact that “successful” may mean something different to the band than it does to the cruise line. more info
November 25, 2010
Dear Musicians,
Came across this beautiful rendition of a Neil Young cover. Enjoy.
Song: Harvest Moon
Artist: Cassandra Wilson
Album: From soundtrack to “My Blueberry Nights”
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August 5, 2010
Dear Musicians,
Tim Redman, bandleader of his band “Retrospect” has put together a library of backing tracks for songs that him and his band have been performing on cruise ships for a number of years. Tim is offering to sell these backing tracks to those that are interested in adding relevant songs to their repertoire.
As you may know, most cruise lines prefer to hire smaller cover bands rather than larger ones. If you’re hired as a 4-piece band, it’s difficult to make the songs sound full and complete. These backing tracks will help you achieve that.
The tracks were produced on a Macbook Pro using Logic 9, a Motu 828 FireWire audio interface, with various synth plug-ins. The tracks have keyboard parts on them. Some have percussion, and some have extra guitar parts. Tim can send more samples if required, as well as samples of specific songs if needed.
They’re $9 each. Tim may also be able to create new tracks for you for $15 each.
Click here for a list of the tracks for sale.
Here are some samples for you to check out.
April 20, 2010
Dear Musicians,
In this 21st episode of our podcast “Music on cruise ships” I’ll discuss the details of a cover bands’ job with bandleader Tim Redman. You’ll get insider tips on repertoire, equipment, life on a ship and much more. Feel free to contact us with questions via email at info@oceanbound.ca or via phone at 450-714-0964.
Thanks Tim for your help.
January 29, 2010
Dear Musicians,
This is one of the funkiest songs I know. Get ready to shake it. (Yes another song for Steve Gadd to shine).
Artist: Al Jarreau
Album: Roof Garden
Song: Roof Garden
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