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This month has been really busy, even though it's traditionally the 'summer slump' when less session work comes through. When musicians are supposed to be out at festivals and relaxing in the sun rather than camped out in the studio, I guess it's a testament to the British summer(!).

I spend a lot of time advertising and it's really important to put the work into attracting clients. It may not be glamourous, but it's part of the job. Online Session Drumming is very rewarding, but the work at this grass roots level is about getting yourself in front of as many potential clients as possible, and it's a real mistake to assume that you can just build a website, sit back and wait for the work to come in.

"I spend a lot of time advertising and it's really important to put the work into attracting clients. It may not be glamourous, but it's part of the job."

YouTube is a great place to attract people, and lots of clients get in touch saying they've seen some of my remix videos. These are the folks who want 'you' and want your input on the tracks and are often the most fun to record for, because it's a chance to use your own creativity rather than just copying the guide tracks.

Another awesome source of clients is Google. While there are lots more Online Session Drummers advertising on Google than when I started 4 years ago, there's still enough work to go round and I get a fair few enquiries each week just from people stumbling across my site in a Google search. Once people find you, it's really important that your site is interesting enough to make people stick around, and I always tell OSDs to include a video really prominently on the first page so as to 'hook' people. The beauty of a video is that a potential client can judge in seconds if you are going to be the right player for their music, and if your sound fits with what they're looking for.

"There's no shortcut to getting a good list of past clients, you just have to do each project as well as you can and do your best to make sure the client is happy."

As well as attracting new clients, repeat business is a big part of what I do, and it's always nice to hear from old clients who come back for more. Having a good list of past clients can be great for 'filling the gaps' during quiet spells when new clients aren't coming in as fast as you'd like! There's no shortcut to getting a good list of past clients, you just have to do each project as well as you can and do your best to make sure the client is happy. If you do your job well, they'll be back.

The great thing about recording for repeat clients is that you already know what they like and they already know your style, so it's usually pretty quick nailing the tracks. This week a covers band that I record for came back for some more tracks. They use my drumming for their live gigs, and getting bands like this as clients is awesome because they get a bunch of tracks recorded each time, so you can really get stuck into the set. I usually allow a day or two and just do the whole set so the sound is really consistent and I can make sure my playing flows from tune to tune. This sort of work is the real bread and butter of online session work; larger projects for repeat clients.

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