Bram Bessoff, Founder and President of Indiehitmaker, was recently brought on by Carnival Cruise Lines, in an amazing opportunity that features his Live Music Production workshops & talks. Held at Carnival Studios’ brand new state-of-the-art facility, Bram led a two-day program with dozens of ship artists to bring their live shows to the next level by teaching them how to capture and engage audiences to create highly memorable passenger experiences.
Carnival Cruise Lines recently opened the doors to their new project, Carnival Studios, a 44,500 square foot production space designed to help every artist in the fleet hone their live performances. Three years in development, Carnival Studios encompasses eight dedicated music studios along with five full-stage studios. With everything in place, Carnival now needed someone they could count on to help their artists reach new heights in live performance.
Bram met the directors of Carnival Studios at the 2016 CD Baby DIY Musicians Conference in Chicago where they all saw the opportunity. Carnival knows that great live music plays a critical role in creating favorable experiences and life-long memories for their passengers. So when Carnival wanted a live music production specialist to help their artists put on the best, most engaging performances possible, they knew to call Bram.
Originally meant to take place over the weekend of September 8th-10th, the trip was canceled due to Hurricane Irma. Rescheduled for November 3rd & 4th, Carnival Studios, a Cat 5 rated structure designed to withstand the impact of any storm, stood as a testament to the resilience of Miami as the show went on aside the wreckage left in Irma’s wake.
Remnants of Irma near the port where Carnival Studios Artists board the fleet ready to perform.
For the first day of the weekend, focused on acts who had yet to embark, Bram was able to work with and see results from a wide variety of musicians and singers during break out sessions with string trios, horn sections, five-piece & ten-piece bands, ensembles with multiple vocalists, and even a latin percussion troop. The main goal was to not only enhance the passenger experience but help the artists develop their personal careers as well. Bram focused on lessons to pivot passengers from a transient moment into a fully engaged audience for the entire show.
Having a strong vision for your show and knowing how to love your audience were two of the most important aspects we worked on at Carnival Studios. Artists learned how to capture and engage audiences and create an emotional connection, even when performing a cover song, to turn passive observers into fans.
– Bram, Live Music Producer Founder & President, Indiehitmaker
Applied to the context of performing on a cruise, this helps the acts take control of transient moments, i.e. when a person might be just walking by with no intent on stopping to truly listen. An engaging performance could be the difference between a momentary observer and a long-term fan.
Day two was focused on “what it means to love your audience” and included the artists already out on ships were brought from port to Carnival Studios specifically for Bram’s talk. The day involved a “live performance makeover” where Bram brought one of the acts up onstage, had them perform a song, and then work-shopped it live in front of an audience of over 150 of their peers. The response was incredible, with performers and audience wowed by how much a performance from the same band playing the same song can change in under an hour. Followed by several more breakout sessions, the weekend was deemed a smashing success by Carnival Studio organizers and artists.
We at Indiehitmaker are grateful to Carnival Studios for this opportunity to demonstrate our live music production abilities and want to make sure every artist understands you need a strong vision and strategy both online and onstage to build great momentum. Get a free kick-off session when you register for either Dropkick plan, get started now.
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