Singer Songwriter Ginger Leigh on The Unstarving Musician's Podcast

Ginger Leigh, Hey Funky You, Singer Songwriter, Performer, Austin Austin area native Ginger Leigh is a life long entertainer and performer. She comes from five generations of music biz professionals. Her music is a blend of gritty, sassy rock and blues goodness. In our conversation for this episode 75, Ginger and I talk about touring, marketing, recording, performing, house concerts, charitable causes, and more.

I asked Austin Ginger if she plays house concerts. She does, and she loves them. She loves them for the same reasons I do. They’re more financially lucrative. House concerts are also a better way to build your audience and email list. House concerts are intimate listening rooms. Most venues are a place for socializing, where music is part of the backdrop.

Artists like Ginger Leigh see house concerts as an opportunity to diversify as an artist. They typically involve fewer musicians and less amplification. That’s less to hide behind, but less (as in less is more), can be liberating and sonically beautiful. Whereas full production shows can involve five to seven or more members, house concerts demand an adaptation where everything is scaled back and stripped down. This arguably also applies to acoustic venues like wineries and small theaters. These types of venues are often less lucrative than house concerts, but they are also a perfect place to scale back and diversify. This type of diversification enables musicians to reach new audiences. It expands our pool of opportunities.

Forgive me if you heard this one before…

In 2008 I worked with a rock band that predominately performed at restaurant bars and club venues. When real estate prices and other factors resulted in the closure of many restaurant bar and club venues, we diversified to an acoustic sound. This exposed us to an entirely new market in winery tasting room venues.

Ginger Leigh reminded me how important it is to proactively diversify ones sound. It will help keep you working, broaden your audience, and expand your repertoire. It will also help you grow as a musician. More than this, it positions you to market yourself to the house concert market. That’s more money, more fans, more doing what you love to do–make music.

Hear my chat with Ginger using the player below or your favorite podcast app.