Anyone else feel like your gigs are suddenly drying up?

[Kevorargh]

I seem to get my timing wrong, so I have no gigs lines up until January, and then that's for one place. I get we're a niche band ('80's covers), but I have people who tell me to contact them and then ghost me. Frustrating. Around here, booking is 3-4 months in advance assuming you can break into a place you want to play.

 

[EXCAV8]

I'm not too surprised, because it's a big group and expensive to book and summer is usually its busy season with town fairs and things/

Correct me if I'm wrong, but it sounds like you ARE surprised.

 

[hrodbert696]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but it sounds like you ARE surprised.

I'm a bit surprised at the sudden lack of gigs across the board. I'm not too surprised at BBNG, specifically, being slow in the colder months. Most of the gigs it gets are outdoor things. However, I did have some expectation that after filling 300-seat venues, there would be some follow up of some kind.

 

[marmadaddy]

I accepted long ago that it's a rollercoaster. I've had periods where I thought it was time to sell everything and I ended up busier than ever.

 

[pepj]

Dec has gone a bit mad. Pucked up 5 subs dates. Not great dates by any means.
And now Christmas is over..just NY to go, bookers are pretty active for 2024. I have high hopes it will be good. The band is banging so just needs a foot in...

 

[Ostie]

Original live music is booming right now

Not where I live. One of my projects is an acoustic trio with two other guys my age who write originals. They’re actually pretty good songs, and I enjoy playing them, but they’re always complaining that no one wants to hire us. The market here in mid-Michigan is one or two guys with acoustic guitars singing and playing 90s acoustic rock hits. They don’t want to do that. So they keep accepting farmers market gigs where we get paid ten bucks and a bag of tomatoes for playing to six people. I’m really over it.

 

[Egg250]

The band is banging so just needs a foot in...

Yeah. It sure helps to know somebody that "knows somebody". We're having similar trouble breaking in.

 

[TheArchitect]

I have two gigging projects (see sig), a Blues Brothers tribute (BBNG) and a classic rock bar band (Mugshot Monday).

Last fall through winter, BBNG seemed to have hit a new level. For the first time in the years I've been playing with them, we booked actual stage shows for ticket-buying audiences, and were able to bring about 300 people to each. We also play parades, did the massive Boston St. Pat's parade and then three separate Independence Day weekend parades leading up to July 4.

Mugshot got quiet over the winter just as BBNG was busiest, and in the midst of that our guitarist quit and we brought a new one on board. The summer schedule initially looked empty, then all of a sudden gig offers poured in - a posh private party for our biggest payday ever, Laconia Bike Week (two shows) for our biggest crowd ever, and a string of the usual bars and clubs. It was getting to the point that the Mrs. was getting annoyed that the band was taking up so much of my time.

Between the two groups, I had 17 gigs from May to September this year. Not as busy as some, but a good clip for me. Now, for the rest of 2023 to New Year's, I have three, including NYE.

Not sure what happened; I've never noticed such a dramatic dropoff before. BBNG had another stage show scheduled, then the theater canceled because they had planned on it also being a BBQ event and the fire marshal wouldn't grant a permit. Another fall club gig got moved to next spring. All that leaves for them is a Halloween parade. I'm not too surprised, because it's a big group and expensive to book and summer is usually its busy season with town fairs and things. Mugshot just doesn't have anything except a legion post gig and NYE. The singer of that group does the booking, and she's been frank that she hasn't been too active about pursuing gigs because the ones we were getting, it was them that approached her. But some new places she has been trying to get us into haven't been returning her calls.

The thing with Mugshot is that we're a good entertaining act, and get good feedback, but I also know the singer is inconsistent musically. She has friends who will spontaneously livestream a song from a gig and sometimes when I go to listen later, I cringe at how off-key she can be. She's not always bad, most of the time she nails it, but not consistently. I'm wondering if prospective venues that don't already know us are checking us out on FB and deciding to pass when they hear it.

Bottom line, I'm wondering how often the rest of you hit this kind of a slump, and if it's probably just a temporary thing or if I should be concerned and looking at other options.

If your not out actively pursuing gigs, someone else is. I would guess gigs are not drying up, someone else is getting them, and probably for less money

 

[pepj]

I played this weekends gig with another band as a sub. I was amazed at what they dared to charge. They are a 3rd tier band..

 

[brianrost]

My 2024 calendar is starting to wake up, just got a gig in mid-July booked today. 18 total already booked between Jan. 6 and July 10. I hope they keep coming, maybe I’ll do better than this year.

 

[Pocket Dave]

61 Booked for 2024 so far.

 

[jeffbrown]

As a mere hobbyist who enjoys going out with the missus to hear live local stuff - our usual night is Thursday - (at a venue or two YOU might know hrodbert - one in Goffstown...) we see one or two performers with loopers, etc. who play about 6p to 9p. The money cannot be great. Occasionally a 3fer with percussion, but it seems when the band is done, people bail. A local "name" band on a Friday or Saturday *might* hold 'em longer, but still. Some few come expressly to hear the band in question and then hang, others just leave when the music is done, not so great for the bar. There's practically no room for dancing/more room for more tables might = more $$ on food, I guess? And yes, food and drinks are getting more expensive all the time. An appetizer, two salads, two drinks, and I'm shelling out $70 ++ with a good tip because the staff is excellent.

Another perennial issue is, too often, the music being just plain way too loud for these smaller rooms, and that's off-putting as well. Case in point - we went to the afore alluded-to watering hole last summer, went in, heard the seriously unreasonable volume, and went right back out. We weren't the only ones, either. The owners and staff know I'm a kinda regular, and losing business must sting.

I'm not so terribly familiar with other local venues, but I do get the sense from others that live stuff isn't nearly as frequent as in the even not-too-distant past.

YMMV

 

[51PRI]

2024 is looking slow for us so far.

 

[pepj]

Musical chairs here with personel changes because people hang out to end of year to leave.
So that in itself is a shake up and refresh.
Lots of bookers have woken up and decided to book up 2024.
I think it should go well..

 

[Pocket Dave]

The 61 I've got booked for 2024 so far are much less than this time last year for 2023; I lost a weekly Thursday gig this Fall, and am still looking for a steady weeknight replacement gig or two.

 

[Jefenator]

This is the third roughest winter I've had, after the COVID lockdown & the '08 housing bubble.
I don't expect things will snap back either, unless I roll up my sleeves & start scaring up some gigs myself. (I've been pretty spoiled all this time just letting BLs call me...)

 

[Lance Bunyon]

Another one of our venues closed for good last week. End of fiscal year, time to admit defeat.
This makes 5 or 6 clubs which have gone under since the middle of Sars COVI II.
We play multiple locations at a few medium franchise places, otherwise the age of the urban mom and pop bar is over, Johnny.

 

[Pdaddy1978]

Not really gigging anymore, but even when I was,the pickings were getting pretty slim.
Here in this part of Cali, if you can play Mexican music ( Cumbias, Rancheras, Norteno..etc.) you can gig 7 days a week. And I have several buddies who do.
Country gigs? .....some .....but much,much less than before.
Blues and Classic rock? ..... fuggetaboutit.

 

[Marko 1]

Lots of places, mostly bars that used to have live bands just don't do much anymore.

(I actually hadn't gigged in a years, but my band trailer did make for a nice little garden shed. )

As a new band starting out early last year after everyone who's still doing bands was already booked up, thanks mostly to the guitar player who was aggressively hustling, we managed ~14 gigs and were well-liked, so we're getting re-booked for this year at those places and a couple new ones so far.

We seem to work out pretty well at what some call the "antler circuit", which I love mostly because of the very civilized, built-in crowds.

Four retired guys who will be happy enough with one or two gigs per month, things are looking pretty good already.

 

[TomB]

Lots of places, mostly bars that used to have live bands just don't do much anymore.

(I actually hadn't gigged in a years, but my band trailer did make for a nice little garden shed. )

As a new band starting out early last year after everyone who's still doing bands was already booked up, thanks mostly to the guitar player who was aggressively hustling, we managed ~14 gigs and were well-liked, so we're getting re-booked for this year at those places and a couple new ones so far.

We seem to work out pretty well at what some call the "antler circuit", which I love mostly because of the very civilized, built-in crowds.

Four retired guys who will be happy enough with one or two gigs per month, things are looking pretty good already.

Hah! I never heard of the Antler Curcuit but am pretty familiar with “Critter Clubs”