Getting gigs

Getting gigs are not always easy, especially if you're in a band that hasn't played any at all. So what's the trick?



1. Finding the venues

• Well a good start is looking for bands with your same style in your area. See if they have a myspace page or some kind of website. Look at their calendars and see where they play.


• Well you most certainly have gone to a concert before, especially if you're a musician.


• Drive around and look at bars or theatres. Hop inside quickly and ask if they play bands and most importantly ask them if they host your style of music.

2. Contacting the venues

• Most venues have websites or a myspace page now. Try finding it and see if they have a contact number, email or a contact form anywhere. Send them a message talking about your band. An example would look like
  

  Hello, I am in currently in a band named [band name] and we're searching to play at your venue. We play a [music genre] style sound and we'd like to see if you have any shows upcoming with similar bands that we could play with. We are willing to play any time slot and we can bring in a crowd (insert a number of fans you can bring in if it's at least 25. Otherwise don't bother). Thank you.



• If they don't have a web site, try to find a flyer of the venue you'd like to play at. Usually at the top of the flyer it will say "Blah produtions presents..." or something similar. Try finding their website or a method of contacting them. If the venue doesn't do booking, most likely this booking agency (or production company) books some or all their shows.


• If all else fails, try physically going to the venue and speaking with one of the staff members directly. Ask who the booking agent or manager is and they'll almost always direct you to the right person.

3. Hire a booking agency

• Unfortunately, getting a booking agency is not that easy. You will most likely need to have played some shows and proove you can bring in a crowd before a booking agency will even work with you. Most likely, they will interiew your band and come to one of your shows to see the turn-out before working with you.


• Advantages: Guaranteed booking just about anywhere. They will probably set up tours for you. It may be regional, national or international tours even! They will also market your shows for you! The best way to find a booking agency is again looking at posters of similar artists and seeing if they have a production company. Most booking agencies work through record companies too, so check record label websites and see if you can find information on who does booking for them. If you're interested, see if you can find information on how to submit a demo while you're there.


• Disadvantages: You will most likely have to sign a contract. Also, you will probably either pay a set fee or a percentage of all ticket sales, or even both!

Please comment if you know any other ways.

Starting the Band

There's a lot of ways to really approach starting a band. The best way, from my experiences is by talking to friends who have similar tastes. Just hope that they know how to play the instruments you need, or are atleast willing to learn fast. If that doesn't seem to work to well, maybe they have a friend that knows how to play whatever instrument you need and they're looking to play music in the same genre.

Most music stores have a billboard somewhere in the store. Posting an ad on these billboards are another great method for finding local musicians. Just be sure you include the style of music you're looking at, some of your influences, and the musicians you need. Most importantly, be sure to include your name and phone number or a method of contact!

The most modern and popular method of finding musicians is using craigslist. I wouldn't recommend this method for the pure fact that there's a lot of flakes out there. If you do, be sure you post enough information that makes them want to be in a band with you.

Question's you may want to answer in your ads:

• Is this a cover band?
• Who are your influences?
• What musicians do you need (guitarist, drummer, singer, bassist, keyboards, etc)?
• Is this just for fun or is this for real?
• Do you want a record deal or will you go indie?
• Do you want to tour?
• What time and days do you prefer to practice?
• How many shows do you want to play a month?