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getting gigs.......

mattbass6945

mattbass6945

Jul 26, 2011
1,899
1,387
46
fort worth, texas
www.facebook.com
#1
ok, so every band i've been in, i've let someone else handle getting gigs. now, i'm in two bands and both are looking to me to do it. one is a 90's rock cover band, and one is an original hard rock/metal band.

so, what works best for you guys? should i scout out a booking agent? go to the clubs? use facebook or email? hit the phones? any help would be much appreciated.
 
#3
Do your new groups have recordings made and videos posted? If so, call up or swing by any of the clubs you used to play at with your other groups, and say, "Hi, I've played your place before with group XYZ, and I've got a new group that I think would be a good fit for your venue." Then be ready to share your stuff.

If this group hasn't gigged before, it can be tough to persuade venue owners to take a chance on an unknown. In that case it's probably easier to find an established band to team up with and do an opener.
 
#4
very cool, thanks guys. slowgypsy, i was afraid you'd say that! guess there is no such thing as a bad avenue to take.

i was just curious if one worked better than the other. this is my first cover band, and i expect to play a different setting with them. of course some places will overlap, but i figured they would serve two different purposes and was curious if you guys have had better luck with one way more than the other, or if there was a "standard" route to take?
 
#5
The cover group will definitely be easier to book. There's a market for that kind of band.

Regardless, you'll probably need to get some things established before you can really begin booking gigs. First, you're probably going to need to get some recordings done. They don't have to be amazing, but they need to be good and they need to show your band in a good light. Second, get a website up and going. It can just be Facebook for now, but you need a place where venues can check you out, hear your recordings, and see a few pictures of your band. Third, you need to call places and make some in person visits. It's best to do this once you already have some sort of pres kit done up, but you can even start this now just to get your face and name out there. Fourth, get a band email going. It's a small thing to do but it does make you guys seem more professional when they see, "for booking, please contact us at yourbandname @ suchandsuch .com.
 
#7
mattbass6945 said:
very cool, thanks guys. slowgypsy, i was afraid you'd say that! guess there is no such thing as a bad avenue to take.

i was just curious if one worked better than the other. this is my first cover band, and i expect to play a different setting with them. of course some places will overlap, but i figured they would serve two different purposes and was curious if you guys have had better luck with one way more than the other, or if there was a "standard" route to take?
Click to expand...

Sorry... couldn't resist :D

Marketing a band is like a jigsaw puzzle... you just have to start putting the pieces in place. No standard order to it, but a loose sort of order to placing puzzle pieces could be...

Band name, demo recordings, Facebook page, website, email address, press kit, video, etc.

That's the marketing end.... then there's the performance end...

Rehearse, rehearse, rehearse, get at least 2 solid sets worth of material, record your rehearsals and listen to what works and what doesn't from a musical aspect, video your rehearsals and see what works and what doesn't from a performance aspect, etc.

Also, do some research and know what your local market is, where are the venues that are appropriate for the music you play, who to contact at those venues, are there other groups in your area who are similar musically as perhaps you can open for them if they have a following and start building your own, etc.

At the end of the day, a little bit of luck and good fortune is really helpful, but mostly it's a matter of rolling up your sleeve (everyone) and just getting down and doing the hard work.
 
#8
Get a good Facebook and ReverbNation Page (even better is a website). splurge on some really amazing recordings. A studio that will polish you up. We spent $500 on two. Then just network. You can make a gig happen out of nothing. Often all you have to do is askk and be willing to work with them.
 
#9
well, we have one gig scheduled through a friend who has great contacts, but we want to not be dependent on others. this gig starts at 4pm and has several bands playing. may be a great opportunity to meet some people and make some contacts.

these are some great ideas. seems maybe i should start delegating some of these options to other band members and make sure there is an open line of communication so there is no confusion.


one of our guitarist has a recording set up at his home, so we will take advantage of that. will also check out reverbnation. is there any issue with putting up covers (copyrighted) music on a sight like that?
 
#11
I agree with getting recordings done. I prefer soundcloud to reverbnation because you can upload better quality files on soundcloud. My band received its first gig because I linked our soundcloud to a booker, who asked if we wanted to play at this lineup.

Also, it's a good idea to look at local street magazines and see if there are any events happening. Sometimes a venue will hold a weekly slot for bands of a certain genre, or for exposing new bands.
 

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