How do you (effectively) book your own gigs?

[cassius987]

I have always struggled with this--never being in a band with a manager, one of us is always booking the shows. In the past I've gotten spoiled with charismatic bandmates that do this with aplomb. Not me, I believe I fall in the "nice guy"/"punching bag" realm and booking agents rapidly pick up on and take advantage of that.

My other problem is being new to Denver. In my home town, I felt like a big fish in a small pond and peddling influence was not hard. Here it's a whole new ball game in a much bigger pond.

How do you solicit yourself to a venue in a way that makes you look attractive, not desperate? How do you negotiate decent contracts for shows, i.e. pay, and other amenities?

Here, if you don't make yourself look good (no matter how good you actually are), you either get totally ignored or put on a weeknight show that no one is coming to. We are lucky to have gotten weekend slots at a few places lately that all went really well. How do I channel this momentum into more good gigs?

[TattooBass]

im no expert by any means.
Depends on the venue and such. Bigger venues you may want to try getting ahold of the promoter of that venue. Give him a simple promo pack or shoot him an email with a link to your website. Maybe suggest yourself to play with some of the upcoming bands at that venue. Dont bug him about it, but let him know you are eager to play his venue. Also most promoters its about what your band can bring to the venue. I.e how many people is your band going to bring through the door.
Most bigger venues have a steady booking so they arent constantly looking for locals unless its to open up for a show.
Smaller venues that book fewer national acts, are usually easier. B/c they tend to rely on regionals/locals to play. With smaller venues it generally just takes a simple promo packet or website to get booked.

One suggestion I can honestly say, Treat your band like a business. When you start treating your band like a business and have that frame of mind. things change. It doesnt hurt to find a "manager". But just make sure you dont sign anything to binding to that manager if youre a smaller band. Bc you never know your band could take off and go onto bigger and better things.

As far as pay goes, tell a venue what your guarantee is, see if they bite or tell them youre negotiable. That you will bring XXX amount of people to the venue. Bc they are going to want to see a profit. NO venue would want to pay a band $500 thats only going to bring in 10-20 people. BC they are going to lose money.

Some tips on getting into bigger venues, offer to open for a national and play for free. Because if you do well and draw a good crowd in for your band. That promoter is going to be impressed to an extent. Its all about working from the bottom up. You play as an opener, then support, then direct support, and then you get headlining gigs.

I work for a guy who owns a venue and im good friends with the promoter and booking agent. Thats how my band got to be direct support and headlining gigs. I have played with countless nationals and regionals, played in the club and in front of thousands of people. Bc the promoter knows when my band plays we bring 100+ people.

Dont hound them, just make it known you want to play their venue. Also find out who the competing venues are. Some clubs dont book bands that play at the competing clubs.

[Ubersheist]

There's whole books written on the subject. Just keep at it. I can't claim to be an expert, but below are a few suggestions. There's a myriad of ways to get good gigs, so there'll surely be as many suggestions.

Your best bets for good gigs are probably through contacts. Since you're new to town, well, that sucks. Keep in contact and on good terms with the club bookers for the few good gigs you've had so far. Other then that, seek out opportunities to personally meet people who might book your gig. Easier said then done.

As far as soliciting venues, first is to have an audience that'll come see you, which is something that's built up over time and needs constant attention. Next, let people know you have something to offer. Get a decent website and keep it up to date, and be active on twitter, facebook, etc. If you have a good following, gigs will come to you.

Also, at the gigs you've had so far, I hope you've been collecting email addresses or something so that you can tell people when you're playing next. I also hope you've been keeping on good terms with those clubs, too. If not, keeping the momentum going will be much tougher.

[Phalex]

Originally Posted by TattooBass

One suggestion I can honestly say, Treat your band like a business. When you start treating your band like a business and have that frame of mind. things change. It doesnt hurt to find a "manager". But just make sure you dont sign anything to binding to that manager if youre a smaller band. Bc you never know your band could take off and go onto bigger and better things.

This right here. My band is a business. I'm not a good sales man either, so that job is delegated to the drummer who is a sales and marketing executive, and to a lesser extent the singer who's just a fast talkin shyster!

Businesses have people that sell. They also have people that do the heavy lifting (My personal forte).

[Ubersheist]

Originally Posted by Phalex

This right here. My band is a business. I'm not a good sales man either, so that job is delegated to the drummer who is a sales and marketing executive, and to a lesser extent the singer who's just a fast talkin shyster!

Businesses have people that sell. They also have people that do the heavy lifting (My personal forte).

Yup. This.

The last band I was in, we had a licence, tax ID, business accounts, etc. We had self-imposed minimum hour requirements each week. I am also a terrible salesman, although I did book a few gigs here and there. My main task was the social media thing... answering emails, keeping the various websites up, posting on facebook, twitter, and myspace (when it was more happening). We'd each put in a minimum of 10 hours a week outside of practice towards these things.

[TattooBass]

Originally Posted by Ubersheist

Yup. This.

The last band I was in, we had a licence, tax ID, business accounts, etc. We had self-imposed minimum hour requirements each week. I am also a terrible salesman, although I did book a few gigs here and there. My main task was the social media thing... answering emails, keeping the various websites up, posting on facebook, twitter, and myspace (when it was more happening). We'd each put in a minimum of 10 hours a week outside of practice towards these things.

National bands are a business. They dont hang out or have band practice when they arent touring. They live in different parts of the country and rarely talk. Then come together to write and record rehearse and tour.
If you effectively want to do something professional with it. Treat it like a business.
UBERHEIST - you guys sound like you were on track.

BTW, im no expert or claim to be. Im just relaying knowledge that was bestowed upon me from club owners, booking agents, and national bands. One of my good friends is the singer for a well known national band.

[Ubersheist]

Originally Posted by TattooBass

National bands are a business. They dont hang out or have band practice when they arent touring. They live in different parts of the country and rarely talk. Then come together to write and record rehearse and tour.
If you effectively want to do something professional with it. Treat it like a business.
UBERHEIST - you guys sound like you were on track.

BTW, im no expert or claim to be. Im just relaying knowledge that was bestowed upon me from club owners, booking agents, and national bands. One of my good friends is the singer for a well known national band.

Yeah... except the guitarist/singer didn't really want to take it as far as the rest of us, the drummer was nuts, and the economy force me to move... Could've been good...

We did start to have some steam going right before things fell apart. We we getting a few good gigs that payed pretty well, some minor media exposure, and a few songs played on indie/college radio stations. We even got a few bucks in ASCAP residuals/royalties - not much at all, but it was still good for our morale to see those mini-checks come. We could also see how it would have kept moving forward in the future. It just wasn't fast enough for some, too fast for others. Oh well...

[/rant]

[billiam5billion]

Play wherever you can and don't break up. It gets rough but every time it does, refer to the first rule-Play wherever you can and DON'T BREAK UP.

[Stumbo]

~Gigs
Getting gigs
Keeping track of gigs/rehearsals

The "art" of closing the deal
Gig pay
Advertising your band
Business cards