Why can't we get more gigs?

ninerfan · #1 07-26-2010, 08:12 PM

We just started gigging a couple of months ago and this is my first time doing most/all of the promoting. The vast majority of my emails are going unanswered. I'm hoping you guys could help out with what we are lacking (beside talent). I've seen some pretty bad bands at all of the places I am contacting, but somehow they got booked and we are overlooked. FWIW every place we've played we were invited back.
So I email booking for the venue or send a message on myspace saying we are a new, local, original rock band looking to play at their place. I give links to our myspace and facebook and say that I am looking forward to hearing back from them. And then....... Nothing. I give our facebook because we don't have much activity on myspace since I set it up after everyone stopped using it. Anyway, the links I give them are http://www.myspace.com/hoynymusic and http://www.facebook.com/pages/Hoyny/174287448969?ref=ts . Are the links too ghetto? Are the recordings not good enough? Is it just hard for original bands to get gigs? Do we just suck?
I would really appreciate help from you guys on how to get more and better gigs!

dystopiate · #2 07-26-2010, 08:22 PM

i didn't check the links, but here's my first piece of advice. Don't tell them that you're new. New makes booking think you're going to draw zero people, might not show up, might expect the unreasonable, etc.

Tell them what you expect to draw for a given night and let them know who they can contact at the other venues you've got a good relationship with should they want a referral. Also, try to get phone numbers if e-mails aren't working for you.

Joe Nerve · #3 07-26-2010, 08:23 PM

Don't know why you're not getting any gigs, but I liked yer stuff.

Specially squirtgun. Big smile on my face. I hear lots of influences, curious is Lou Reed is one of em?

Pandafist · #4 07-26-2010, 08:31 PM

Venues want people to come to shows. Your emails may be worded in a way that leads them to believe booking you wouldn't bring in any business.
That or they just don't like your music.

I'd start asking local bands with a drawl if you can open for them vs. continuing to contact venues first.
Sure to help.

Just my 2 cents

MNAirHead · #5 07-26-2010, 08:32 PM

Are you looking for paid or volunteer gigs?

MNAirHead · #6 07-26-2010, 08:33 PM

MY space.. it's tough to read and the pix are garage band looking.

countrybass007 · #7 07-26-2010, 08:34 PM

Our band gets all the bookings we want, and everyone has been done by going to the venue and talking directly to the person who handles the booking. We may finalize via E-mail or phone, but face-to-face has worked best for us. We just landed a monthly Fri. night booking by this means, and we're booked well into 2011. As you get into some festivals and such, all from being heard in clubs, they can turn into yearly gigs. It all takes alot of time and legwork to keep a band busy.

elgecko · #8 07-26-2010, 08:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ninerfan

Is it just hard for original bands to get gigs?

That might be it. Are you trying to get gigs at places that usually run cover bands or showcase type venues?

MNAirHead · #9 07-26-2010, 08:35 PM

Facebook is better.

Still looks as if good visuals and writing may be the culprit.

mikell128 · #10 07-26-2010, 08:45 PM

Talk to them in person if possible. If not then try to reach them by the phone, any type of internet contact can go easily ignored.

For 99% of venues it comes down to will you make them money. They want to get the impression that your band will bring them revenue so just act confident when talking to them. Tell them what type of music your band plays and what type of crowd you can bring. There's the exception of certain places that just want some music but for the majority of places they want to know if you can make them money

ninerfan · #11 07-26-2010, 08:47 PM

I know our recordings need work done with the mixing. I also know the vids need work. It was the 1st time using the camera and it was a pretty cheesy bar, but I thought the performance might help show what we can do. I can appreciate we need better pic's, but we need better gigs to get better pic's. Is it better to take down the ones we have? I put them on our facebook so the friends that come to the gig can see pics from that gig.

MNAirHead · #12 07-26-2010, 08:54 PM

It's totally garage band to have a large pile of uncropped un watermarked poorly lit pix.

IT costs about $75 to have a photographer (not a friend or cousin) show up out doors and speed snap 300-500 pix in a half hour.

You then get a pronounceable name, logo and primary website.

I can't stress how much packaging works... much of it is just a little time with a youngster who knows how to run software.

Yes---- take down anything questionnable... 3 stellar things are better than a mess of question marks.

Then .. speak in reality - not internet.

mikell128 · #13 07-26-2010, 08:56 PM

Also, I played mostly as original band for a while until we started playing longer gigs where we mostly play covers, with originals mixed in. To establish yourself as an original band is tough but playing these longer mixed gigs is a good way to get noticed and then to also let other venues know where you've played.

My band has a little press kit, a CD with just some live tracks that are each just audio recorded with a little $10 recorder that records into my ipod with a little mastering on each track(just quick mastering I did, nothing really professional). I put that in a cd case with a cd cover that I just print out and put inside a blank cd case and a flier that says the types of music we play and places we've played in the past. It's a great way to get gigs and has certainly made an impression of professionalism on those I've given it to.

ninerfan · #14 07-26-2010, 08:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mikell128

Talk to them in person if possible. If not then try to reach them by the phone, any type of internet contact can go easily ignored.

For 99% of venues it comes down to will you make them money. They want to get the impression that your band will bring them revenue so just act confident when talking to them. Tell them what type of music your band plays and what type of crowd you can bring. There's the exception of certain places that just want some music but for the majority of places they want to know if you can make them money

That's the rub. I want better gigs, but I don't want to be a pushy salesman for the band. I understand it's a business and they're in it to make money, but we can't keep calling all of our friends and have them come out twice a month to see us. We need places that people already there so we can develope a fan base outside of our friends. How many people does a small to medium size bar expect you to bring in?

John Bigboote · #15 07-26-2010, 08:57 PM

Consider a name change, to Me So Hoyny.

HTH,

-jb

P.S.: I'd ditch that photo you're using. Either get a glamour shot done, or get a better action shot. I'm not saying that will get you scads of gigs, but it wouldn't hurt.

ninerfan · #16 07-26-2010, 09:22 PM

Should I use Facebook, Myspace, neither, both? I like the way our facebook is for our friends, but does anyone use myspace anymore? I would like 1 for our friends and fans and 1 to promote the band.

MNAirHead · #17 07-27-2010, 05:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ninerfan

Should I use Facebook, Myspace, neither, both? I like the way our facebook is for our friends, but does anyone use myspace anymore? I would like 1 for our friends and fans and 1 to promote the band.

I struggled with this...

For as little as it costs to have a website.. get your own and only link to Myspace and Facebook.

Myspace is for bands.. facebook is risky to only have 100 "friends"

It took me about 6 months to give a private website a whirl... now it's much much more pro -- we've booked gigs just because of the site.

MNAirHead · #18 07-27-2010, 05:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ninerfan

That's the rub. I want better gigs, but I don't want to be a pushy salesman for the band. I understand it's a business and they're in it to make money, but we can't keep calling all of our friends and have them come out twice a month to see us. We need places that people already there so we can develope a fan base outside of our friends. How many people does a small to medium size bar expect you to bring in?

How many people.. 20-50

===

That being said.. everyone I know that sings and sells wins the gigs and has a bank account from gig money.

I can understand not knowing what to say in a sales scenario (there are books and CDs) --- selling is probably more important to a band than Bass playing.

I once had a geezer tell me "have practice space, buy a PA, sell like mad, sing like a canary and play bass if you have time - you'll win ever bass gig .. then if you want to kickem in the shorts, own a fretless, upright and fender." I believe he was right - I still don't play the fender though.

**Eric Perry** · #19 07-27-2010, 05:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MNAirHead

It's totally garage band to have a large pile of uncropped un watermarked poorly lit pix.

IT costs about $75 to have a photographer (not a friend or cousin) show up out doors and speed snap 300-500 pix in a half hour.

You then get a pronounceable name, logo and primary website.

I can't stress how much packaging works... much of it is just a little time with a youngster who knows how to run software.

Yes---- take down anything questionnable... 3 stellar things are better than a mess of question marks.

Then .. speak in reality - not internet.

Quote:

Originally Posted by MNAirHead

I struggled with this...

For as little as it costs to have a website.. get your own and only link to Myspace and Facebook.

Myspace is for bands.. facebook is risky to only have 100 "friends"

It took me about 6 months to give a private website a whirl... now it's much much more pro -- we've booked gigs just because of the site.

Yep to all of the above.

Kenner · #20 07-27-2010, 06:07 AM

Maybe on your vids and pics, concentrate on showing more of the people who come to see you and the fun they're having.

Some venues don't really care about the music (as long as it's not offensive). They're more concerned with being a place where people come to party and have fun. We have a couple of people who take pics os us on a regular basis. One girl might take 20 "keepable" photos. Another one who shows up once in a while will take about 150 pics, of which we might keep 10.

Like stated earlier, never say you're "new". It's tough to find rooms where there are built in crowds who are going to be open to new original music.

Market yourself cleanly, speak well, and be honest.

As far as the website goes, we have one, but it's a page to allow you to view myspace, facebook, youtube, blah, blah. Just the promo pic of the band, nothing more.

It does generate alot of activity for us. 782 views on facebook last week and over 11,000 views on myspace since the beginning of 2010.

I agree also that you should find some other bands that bring in the peeps and see if you can open for them....even if it means "opening" is playing last.