Gig's- How do you get them?

1dgbass · #1 09-19-2010, 02:19 PM

Plain and simple, just wondering how you guys get gigs.
Emails, phone? Know people?

There's a couple place's in my town where we actually go there and give a cd and they still don't call back.
What do we do wrong?

Most of our gig's are through email.

Thanks for reading.

All and any advice would be appreciated.

Douglas

onionpuzzle · #2 09-19-2010, 02:26 PM

"knowing people" is one of the best ways.

Find other bands similar to you who are regularly gigging and offer to "open" for them. Let them know you will help promote the show to bring bodies in.

One aspect I have found over the years, is that a band THINKS it's good enough to gig out, but might have an exaggerated sense of self-goodness and not really be ready. I'm not saying that this is what's happening in your case....alls I'm saying is a band might think they are better than they really are and get surprised when no one will book them.

Make sure if you are giving a CD of your original material out, it is only an EP length, and put your best song first.

network network network

mboogiemanusa · #3 09-19-2010, 08:50 PM

My cover band starting first playing friends parties, BBQ's and biker benefit concerts for free first to get our name out there. We even played some backyard parties at our drummers house. This helped us get up a following when we got a break and were hired to play a local sports bar. One of our members had previously played there and kept it friendly with the owner. When another cover band got banned after the drummer had a melt down, we were given the opportunity to get our foot in the door. Now we are in regular monthly rotation at this place and couldn't be happier. We still do the occasional house party which helps increase our fan base and brings more folks to see us at our regular gig. By the way ......we are not in high school but in our 40's and 50's. ( yes older folks still like to party). If you can't initially get any club gigs......start playing some local house parties....even for free. Take a bunch of pictures of the crowd ...especially showing pretty girls dancing....club owners want to get the tail into their clubs. Get a mailing/e-mail list going and at least a pro looking myspace/facebook page if not a website. When you get a bar/club gig......you need to be able to bring a crowd if you want to be invited back. If fact, putting butts into the seats is your actual job more than playing great music. A local band that can draw a crowd is worth much more to club owners than a bunch of excellent musicians playing to an empty house.

NickInMesa · #4 09-19-2010, 09:46 PM

You need the whole shebang. Web site, photos, audios, videos, attractive song list and some word of mouth too.

You have several types of gigs, anyway.

A backyard party at your sister's house is a gig
A church service with your band playing Christian music is a gig
An open mic is a gig
A 30-minute set at the local "half of the door" is a gig
A 9-to-1 at a biker's bar is a gig
A wedding is a gig
A corporate party is a gig

There is always an opportunity to gig somewhere.

If you want to make is a semi-pro or even pro business, you need to be very serious about it, and work it from the ground up as an enterprise, which means a solid business and marketing plan and realize you will have to hire and unfortunately fire people.

wshines1892 · #5 09-19-2010, 09:55 PM

check your local craiglist, there's usually a community sort of deal for music and a events section that you can sometimes fish a gig out of.

faulknersj · #6 09-19-2010, 10:15 PM

The better your band is vs.your competition, the more gigs you will get.

The more marketable your band is, the more gigs you will get.

The greater the market demand for what your band does, the more gigs you will get.

The more heads you can draw to a venue, the more gigs you will get.

The more professional your web site, demo, video's etc...the more gigs you will get.

The longer a good band stays together as a unit and thus aquires more recognition,and word of mouth from the surrounding comunitty, the more gigs you will get.

Pretty much every guy in every band thinks their band is good...or even great. In reality, very few bands are good, and even fewer are great.

SeaBassSteve · #7 09-20-2010, 06:48 AM

Well, the way we got our gigs is quite simple really.
We played our first ever gig (ftr we are a covers band) at an annual church / charity fundraiser to around 500 people. From that we got 3 gig offers, 2 came through. Juts had our second gig (local pub) a few days ago, and got 2 more offers from that. Keep talking to people, have someone nice to do all chatting and stuff and your there xD

jdwinva · #8 09-20-2010, 06:51 AM

In the DC area there are a couple of booking agencies that control most of the rooms that bands play. If you are not "in" with one of them you are not really playing out much.

DiabolicLow B · #9 09-20-2010, 07:07 AM

We use to drop off our package complete with a 3 song CD to local bars and clubs and almost never got a call back, people just don't or won't bother to even give it a look.

One thing we started to do before we got our current agent was film a video of our performance and edit down to a 5-6 min video of about 20-30 seconds of our best songs and actually bring a laptop to the venue and ask to see the person that books the bands for 5 mins of their time and show them the video.
We got quite a few gigs this way.

Good luck and don't give up!

mboogiemanusa · #10 09-20-2010, 08:29 PM

There are lots of ways to hustle gigs. Always be promoting your band. Have all band members carry business cards at all times and hand them out at the drop of a hat. You can order free business cards from Vista Print on line. Regularly go do some research and check out the other bands at the venues you want to play at. Hang out and be seen hanging out at the clubs. Give your business cards to the bartenders/waitresses/manager. Advertise your services on Craigslist - new band looking for gigs. If your an original showcase band.....find another showcase band and offer to open up for them and try to steal their thunder. If your a cover band....offer to play a local bar on a week night for free to get your name out there and foot in the door. If you can draw a decent crowd during the week than you have a good chance of getting booked on a weekend for pay. A demo is cool but most bar venues only listen for a few seconds to make sure your not thrash or rap/hip-hop. What you have to prove to club owners is that your music will go over well with the regulars and most importantly draw your own good size crowd to the establishment. If you don't have a posse yet.....play the party circuit until your good enough to make a few fans.

mboogiemanusa · #11 09-20-2010, 08:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by faulknersj

The better your band is vs.your competition, the more gigs you will get.

The more marketable your band is, the more gigs you will get.

The greater the market demand for what your band does, the more gigs you will get.

The more heads you can draw to a venue, the more gigs you will get.

The more professional your web site, demo, video's etc...the more gigs you will get.

The longer a good band stays together as a unit and thus aquires more recognition,and word of mouth from the surrounding comunitty, the more gigs you will get.

Pretty much every guy in every band thinks their band is good...or even great. In reality, very few bands are good, and even fewer are great.

What he said........also go out and see other bands....check out the "working" competition and see how you rate against them........get on their mailing lists/facebook/myspace pages. You would be surprised how many gigs and venues you can learn about from other gigging bands. Most clubs around here book a couple months out so keep that in mind.

Blah114 · #12 09-21-2010, 12:19 PM

offer to do a FREE show.. end to end..or for drinks for band.. if the club likes you after that.. you're in.. that's the best way without an agent or referral. bring a load of people to the free show... let the club know you can bring a ton of people.. get business cards with your site.. hand out to the club.. once you get into one club's rotation.. it will be easier.

Rocks · #13 09-21-2010, 04:37 PM

Most club owners don't give a rats backside about a CD, they don't even care how talented you are. They only care about one thing and that is the cash register at the end of the night. A few photos of your band playing where they can see a good sized crowd speaks a lot more to them than a CD.

mboogiemanusa · #14 09-21-2010, 06:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rocks

Most club owners don't give a rats backside about a CD, they don't even care how talented you are. They only care about one thing and that is the cash register at the end of the night. A few photos of your band playing where they can see a good sized crowd speaks a lot more to them than a CD.

I've had lots of bar owners and club bookers ask for CD's but don't go out and spend a bunch of money at a studio to create one. Most bookers are only going to listen to a few minutes to make sure your not a thrash/punk band when they are looking for a classic rock or top 40 dance band. If possible.......get a small digital recorder like a Tascam DR-07 and record one of your live performances like at a party. Make sure the mix is good enough to hear vocals clearly and most importantly, make sure a decent size crowd is screaming and clapping after every song. This is basically how my cover band does it.....we give bookers a live demo CD with lots of drunks hooting, screaming our name and clapping after every song. Works well because bookers hear all the drunks having a great time on our demo. Remember that your primary job is not to play music or be entertainers but to put butts into the seats.

Nashrakh · #15 09-21-2010, 06:51 PM

Three ways... first, knowing people. Then, dropping demos at bars and restaurants.
Lastly, word of mouth... which, to my surprise, got us the most gigs yet. Somehow, people always come up to us and want us to play. Most often at weddings or parties.

Since we just started out, only the bigger gigs got us any real money... but hey, we managed to pay for a very nice PA just by playing a handful gigs... we're not commercial anyway.

KillerQuebec · #16 09-29-2010, 12:41 AM

Step by Step Instructions:

First: Get a band together that DOES NOT SUCK

Second: Make up a myspace page with some pictures and demo tracks

Third: Make a 1/4 page or 1/3 page flier with a picture of your band, your rates (which should all be higher than you actually willing to work for), your setlist and phone numbers of contact members and band website and email. If you have played anywhere, list those places.

How?? Open Office and Adobe Acrobat and take it to Kinkos. color front and back four on a page is about $.70 each, Black and White is about 10 or 20 cents each on heavy stock.

Fourth: Fill up your gas tank with gas.

Fifth: Dress nice and bring the best looking people in the band and or bring along some hotties.

Sixth: Go to every place in town that has live music. You can find out where these places are by looking in the local music or alternative newspaper or other local band websites gig listings.

Walk in the door of these places with the following in your hands; the promo fliers, a "month-at-a-glance" calender, and a pen.

Ask whoever greets you if they have live music there. For those of you that are sales challenged , say these exact words; "Do you have live music here?" If they answer in the affirmative, then ask; "Who do I speak to about booking a band in here"

Most of the time, that person will not be there. But write down their name, phone number if you can get it, and what is the best time to reach them. Leave the flier and make an appointment in your calender to contact that person at the right time.

When you actually get to talk to that person, they will realize that you are kind of for real. You have a flier, a website with a demo. All they really want to see is your set list and your picture. Believe it or not, I never got a good gig off a demo.

Seventh: When you talk to the decision maker, they will inevitably try to blow you off. Be firm, but pleasant. Let them know that you have a very good band. Every place you have ever played has booked future gigs. You are professionals and know how to gauge a crowd. You play a good mix, and most importantly, you don't run people out of the bar. All you are trying to do is get one gig so you can get into the rotation. Any popular music places will be booked out three months in advance and you will be booking something at least three months out. You may have to go back and see them again to remind them to get you in there. If they ask you if you have a following, tell them you have a large following of "dedicated drinkers and designated drivers." I throw in things like "if you don't like us, don't pay us" and "once we play here, you'll want to book us every other weekend."

Another thing I do when they start getting dismissive is to mention that we are already booked solid for the next two months, "I'm not looking to play this weekend, I'm just here booking out the next quarter and a few open dates." That sort of wakes them up and let's them know that we are an "in demand" group. It's also cool to open up the calender and let them see all those dates filled out. It just adds credibility.

Eighth: Go back again and again and again and repeat step Seven until you have a gig booked. Many times they want to hire you but have a ton of other more important things going on. Half these places are in constant ownership and management flux. Until they run you out of there, keep going back. Stop in at all crazy times. you just have to be persistent. You will get the gig.

Remember, if you are any good they will hire you once or twice a month at least (how often to work at any venue is a real issue for me and worthy of a separate thread). So in the end you only need to land 4 to 6 venues to be fully booked every weekend (if that is your thing), or less if you want to work less.

Now obviously this is a lot of work. And it's really only worth it if you are serious about playing out, because this takes a lot of time and effort. But if you are a good band, and you get these gigs, you are pretty much set forever once you get into the rotation at these venues. They are always looking for good bands. Other bands are either flaking on them or moving up and out of that circuit if they are any good.

You don't need connections. Any connections you have today could be gone tomorrow, so you need to know how to get out there and get 'er done!

Also, it's OK to fib a little bit. Just be able to deliver when the time comes.

Ninth: DO NOT SUCK, and get more work.

Rinse & Repeat.

Good Luck

KillerQuebec · #17 09-29-2010, 01:05 AM

And never play for free unless it's at a Brothel and you are getting some serious freebies.

NickInMesa · #18 09-29-2010, 09:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KillerQuebec

And never play for free unless it's at a Brothel and you are getting some serious freebies.

You've never done charity gigs?

jgroh · #19 09-29-2010, 09:55 AM

My singer has been handling most of our bookings. She has a lot of contacts, is very outgoing, and is very easy on the eyes. Most times these guys that are booking are tripping all over themselves to listen to her lol

She has just been taking a pack consisting of a CD with 4 songs on it (covers), a couple of letters of recommendation from previous clubs, photos and business cards. We also direct alot of people to our website (which I designed). Nothing is better than going to the bar/club/whatever and talking to the person face to face.

Unfortunately, our problem right now is that scheduling conflicts both in the band and with the clubs has created a lull in our gigging schedule, but we are working on getting gigs signed up asap.

Richland123 · #20 09-29-2010, 10:11 AM

I not only a musician and book all of our shows, I also book bands for events I am involved with. If you are giving out a CD, it really helps if it is a live recording (that is what we use) to show how you actually sound performing and not tracks doctored up in a studio. If you can sound great live, it tells the person hiring that you can actually do the job.

Follow ups are a must and chasing people is the worst part of the booking process but you have to understand that not every contact will result in a gig.

Be professional in all aspects of dealing with owners and managers. Also, assure the person hiring that you can perform the type of music suitable for the venue, you will show up on time, start on time, take short breaks, dress appropriately, and nobody in the band will be drunk.

In addition, never guarantee that you will pack a place.