Getting gigs

[splent]

How does one go about getting gigs?  I just wrote down a bunch of bars and places that are nearby, and plan on calling or visiting them soon.  Is there a better way? 

[Adami]

I think getting gigs is pretty easy, by doing it the way you're doing it. But getting good gigs is pretty hard.

[7StringedBeast]

My band gets gigs by going through promoter companies.  Basically the company gets the gigs at these places and then books the bands to fill the slot.  This is great for getting gigs at cool venues, but sucks if you expect to get paid.  Basically you need to bring 25 people in order to get paid, and the pay for 25 is usually like 100 bucks for the whole band.  So its great for exposure, and playing great venues, but not so good at making the band any money.

[icarus4321]

I think getting gigs is pretty easy, by doing it the way you're doing it. But getting good gigs is pretty hard.

At least in my area, this is correct.  You shouldn't have any problem booking gigs by contacting venues directly (especially if you are a group of talented musicians).  However, to book good nights/bigger venues, you'll need a following in your area and connections in the local music scene.

[Orbert]

We worked with an agency for a while, on the assumption that they would get us more/better gigs.  In theory, a reputable agency builds relationships with venues by insuring that the quality of acts is consistently high, and once you're in good with a decent agency, you'll soon be rolling in dough.  If you're good, of course.

In reality, we probably booked as many gigs ourselves, if not more, by just doing what you're doing, calling the place and sending them a disc (tapes in those days).  Our guitarist (also leader of the band) was brutal.  He'd drive by in person and practically force the manager/owner to listen to the tape.  If the guy didn't commit right away, he'd call them back in a day or two.  His philosophy was that if they weren't going to hire you, you lose nothing by pissing them off, so you might as well hard-sell yourself.  It worked, too.  We gigged pretty steadily for about two years, enough to quit our day jobs and do it full time.

[Adami]

Just two things to avoid, that whoever is booking my bands shows doesn't seem to understand.


Never play first, never play last.

[Infinite Cactus]

Just two things to avoid, that whoever is booking my bands shows doesn't seem to understand.


Never play first, never play last.

The truth this is. Another thing is, don't be afraid to ask, with anything. If they ask you "How much you do you want to get paid, tell them (obviously be somewhat reasonable). If they can't or won't pay it then you can negotiate something more comfortable. Most bars either have set amount they pay bands, or they don't have any idea what is normal. I know that around here now the big thing is taking a cut of the door/cover charge. It also helps to put together a little promo packet. It can be just a regular school folder with important info such as contact information, band name, a photo of the band, a list of places played, style of music, covers or originals, etc. You can make them super cheap and sometimes if a venue doesn't have time to look when you go in to book a show, you can leave it with them. It goes a lot further than business cards and its a lot cheaper too.

[Sir GuitarCozmo]

We go to the clubs and talk to the owners directly.  New places, we tell them we'll come in the first time at a discounted rate, then if they like us and want to continue to book us, we'll re-negotiate the price (still within reason).

[jonny108]

We go to the clubs and talk to the owners directly.  New places, we tell them we'll come in the first time at a discounted rate, then if they like us and want to continue to book us, we'll re-negotiate the price (still within reason).

Basically this.
I am in two covers bands.  One we have 5 people, the other 3.  We get more gigs for the 3 piece and we get paid more obviously.  Normally we get 200-400 per gig, for normal bars, clubs, pubs etc and pay more for functions (weddings, private party's etc).  So we advertise on facebook, a website, cards, flyers, info packs. Also do free festivals and charity gigs (people who see you might want to book you!)  Hand these into pubs, gain more recognition and they'll book you.   

[deadtotheworld]

Im guessing you have cut a demo CD?
There is so many things you can do to get your name out there. What is the name of your band? Are you a metal band with an extreme name? You could put people off before they hear a note - even Dave Mustaine has mentioned that he regretted the name Megadeth.

If you each throw in a few hundred quid and get a decent recording made, it costs buttons after that to burn CDs on your computer or whatever, so have a few with you at all times to hand out to anyone whos interested, clubs, bars, mates of mates... you never know whos hands it may fall in. Put your strongest song on as track one. We recorded 6 songs first off and where smart about which version of our CD we gave to each person... If its a rocking venue you may want to put on your heaviest track first, if you are showing it to a regular bar that usually plays middle of the road covers then you will give them a version of your CD that may start with the poppiest or a ballad song for example, because people are busy and they generally wont start skipping through a CD to find something they like, so that first minute of the CD is crucial.

Some people are impressed with bullshit like a nice cover on your demo. Its the music that should matter but if you have done a tasteful cover and printed it on glossy paper with a decent inkjet printer its gonna look more professional than if you ripped a corner of A4 off a sheet then scribbled your name on it and put that in the CD case. Put all your contact details on the inside when you open the cd case, emails, Tel, Mob, website etc - again you never know whos gonna end up with it and they may want to get in contact.

Now you can start targeting the venues etc. Try and enter battle of the bands competitions, you will probably do them for free but you just need exposure. Buy the sound guy a pint you gotta keep them on your side, you may have the best gear in the world but he can make you sound crap if you are an asshole!
Try and get out and see other bands - introduce yourselves and give them your cd, they may already have loads of contacts or gigs lined up, they may want a support act. Supporting a band with a short set is great.... you go in, destroy - like a short sharp shock! and then they have to follow you!!

Do you have a local newspaper? We contacted our free local newspaper (with a circulation of nearly 150k) and they came out to our rehearsal place did photos and an interview and put us on the front page of their entertainment section... they asked us about influences, our style, our gig dates that we had lined up and printed our contact number if anybody wanted to book us, it was brilliant and we got on a few local festivals and battle of the bands etc

If you make any money early on - you may want to get smashed, but its more sensible to get a few T-shirts printed with your band name on them and get all your mates to wear them to your gigs etc - if you can sell them to them thats even better... if you play a club and all the guys wearing your T shirts are all buying lots of beer - you will get asked back to that venue time and time again. You can buy cheap T shirts in packs in supermarkets these days and get prints done in local markets etc pretty cheap.

Get good at setting up quick. Packing away tidy and neatly is the key.... you pack your leads etc neatly the night before and they wont be all tangled on gig night cutting into your gig or soundcheck time unravelling leads is not cool - and your lead guitarist fiddling with all his stomps and patch cables for half an hour is a no no... if you mess around setting up too long you wont get asked back.

I could go on and on with tips about getting gigs and getting asked back to gigs and its all pretty straight forward and common sense - it may work - it may not work, you gotta pay your dues... you may be broke and gotta make the right decision between new strings or a nice cold pint once in a while, but hopefully it will all pay off!

Sorry for the long post - Im not Yoda or a know it all - but just trying to help! haha  If I think of something else important I will post it up.