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There’s a ton of information out there about how to promote your gigs,
but none of that matters unless you’re actually booking great gigs in the
first place. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll walk you through exactly
what it takes to get booked, how to find great gigs, and how to pitch ven-
ues like a pro. Let’s get started!
WHAT IT TAKES TO GET BOOKED Once you have a set together and are ready to
book shows, your top priority should be getting
samples of your sound together. Descriptions of
Start early to increase your chances music are often interpreted completely different-
ly from individual to individual. When a venue
Good gigs take time to organize – time not only gets your email about wanting to play, one of the
to promote, but also to secure the right date and first things they’ll want to know is what you sound
find the right bands to share the bill with. When like. When answering, there’s no substitute for a
trying to fill up your gig calendar, it’s a good idea recording. Even lo-fi basement demos are better
to expand your scope in terms of time frame. than nothing. This will allow you to play better
shows in the long run, as it’ll be much easier to
Venues, especially popular ones, have calendars match you with other similar groups.
that fill up quickly. Same with popular bands that
tend to draw well. The further out you start your
booking process, the more likely that the dates An active social media presence
and bands that you ideally want to play with will
be available. Start talking to people about shows Do you promote your shows, and if so, how? Ven-
at least three months in advance. This requires ues and booking agents will be checking into your
some patience, but the payoff is absolutely worth social media to see how active you are about pro-
it. motion, as well as how engaged your audience is.
Social media should not be your only means of
Recordings that represent your sound promotion, but it should be one of your top pri-
orities regardless. If you put up posters for your
What does your band sound like? If you’re a folk shows, make sure to take a picture or video of
band or acoustic singer-songwriter, you probably you doing so and post it around! Better yet, have
don’t want to end up in the awkward position of a competition among your fans to see who can
having your set sandwiched into a metal/hard put a poster in the most creative place, with the
rock night. But if the booker has no way of know- winner receiving a free CD or merch of some kind.
ing what sort of music you play, you can hardly
blame him or her.
“Linking to music is definitely number one,” says • a succinct and accurate description of your
Damon Hare of Triple D’s Productions, who books sound using genre terms or comparisons to
at some of Atlanta, GA’s best-known venues. other bands
“With sites like SoundCloud and Bandcamp at the • photos and links to social media accounts
world’s disposal, there’s truly no excuse to not
have music available if you want to be booked. • a particular date or a window of time during
I understand it’s hard for some folks to get their which your band is hoping to schedule
music recorded, but it’s still essential if you want • your plan for promoting the show via social
to get a show. We have to hear you first.” media, flyers, posters, etc.
This is the one we’re most perplexed by. “Do you Objectively think about your band: How many
have any dates next month I want to book my people will you draw? Is your set loud and abra-
band.” Yes, it’s often a run-on sentence. And no, sive? Or is it soft enough to suit a small, hushed
these people don’t say when, who they are, what setting? Once you’ve nailed down what exactly it
the lineup might be, or anything else. No infor- is that you can offer, you can narrow down your
mation, no questions – pretty much nothing. list of potential venues to only those that are tru-
ly appropriate.
Arguing about price
You weren’t convincing
If you’re looking to charge $10 at the door and the
venue owner says that’s too much, please heed Yes, sending an EPK is tremendously helpful, but
his or her advice. Make your case, by all means, you still have to tailor your inquiry to the venue in
but don’t forget that the owners or designated question. Before they even hear the music, they’ll
booking agents know the venue better than any- read your introduction. Make it a persuasive one.
one. And don’t get snippy about it. If all you did was introduce your band with no re-
gard for the club’s style or regular patrons, you
probably haven’t done enough to sway anybody.
The Facebook message
What is it that they’re looking for, exactly? A
This doesn’t apply to every venue, but many ven- promise that you can pull a sizable crowd carries
ues discourage musicians from sending booking a lot of influence. You can prove this with social
inquiries via Facebook messages. The venue’s media numbers, evidence of previous shows, or
email account is typically the primary place for a promotion plan that includes a massive push
booking and business unless its website states of a Facebook event combined with nicely done
otherwise – so in most cases, don’t waste your flyers and posters that you’ll strategically spread
time trying to reach out on social media. throughout the city. Really, a mix of all three is
your best bet.
STILL NOT GETTING BOOKED?
Offer to prove your draw
Your inquiry was too vague
In any case of rejection by a venue, there’s always
Did you include enough information about your this last-ditch option: offer to play for free. This
band? While this might seem like common sense, shouldn’t be a recurring event, of course. But