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Marketing tips and self-promotion ideas October 20, 2009 A Clever Way to Make Your Live Shows More InteractiveLet me tell you a quick story that reveals an ingenious way to involve your fans in your live gigs and make your shows more personal ... I was all set to enjoy a mellow Sunday night this past weekend, when Pooki got an unexpected phone call. It was her son, Matt, letting her know that Mike Doughty was about to play at the Duck Room.
We've become big fans of his gravelly, low-pitched, half-sung, half-spoken vocal style -- therefore, the mellow Sunday night plans quickly went out the window. And I'm glad they did. It was an intimate show with perhaps a couple hundred people comfortably squeezed into the Duck Room basement bar. Doughty and his long-time touring partner Andrew Livingston put on a good, stripped-down show. But here's the thing I really thought was cool -- something I've never seen a performing musician do before ... Mike Doughty is a smart guy with quick wit who knows how to banter with a crowd. But instead of simply winging it or relying on well-worn stories, he asks for questions from the audience. But most of these questions aren't shouted out. He asks people to write them down on slips of paper he provides and to throw them into a jar on the stage. Every two or three songs, Doughty and Livingston take turns reading a short stack of questions and answering them rapid fire. The Q&A segments were very insighful and entertaining -- and made for a lot of funny moments. What a great way to personalize each live show (and he has a lot of them on this current tour with nearly one every night in a different city). Dozens of questions were read and answered that night. How do you think the fans who submitted them felt about playing a small part in the show? You can bet they told their friends about it and are now more likely to spread Doughty's music to even more people. Another smart thing he does is record each live show and make it available that night on CDs for anyone who wants to go home with it. That's how you involve your fans and make music personal -- as it should be! Have anything you want to add to this discussion? Please leave a comment on this page. Could You Use Any of These Resources?
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Doughty was the creative force behind the band 
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