I would like to think I can offer help in the department. I play in a successful 80's new wave/pop tribute band. We have only been playing out since December and we are playing A room's and have been offered gigs as far as April 2012, including New Years Eve 2012 in a 500 plus capacity room. One club is paying $500 to a DJ to NOT show up so we can have more stage time. That's on top of the heavy advertising they are doing including radio.
Please note I am not bragging, just trying to establish my self as a reliable source. Now I will not take any credit for the thought put behind the band, but I will reveal what we have done to get to this point in a short amount of time.
To create a short list of things that we did right would be,
- be a focused, most bands play music from many genres, but we are finding success for being a 80's only dance band. We don't do the hair metal stuff for better or worse. We play a few songs that bands usually do ( Tainted Love, Pump It UP, Rebel Yell) but we make a name for ourselves by playing songs like ( Here Comes the Rain Again, Blinded Me With Science, Rock Lobster)
- we are a seven piece band with 3 lead vocalists. I think this is very important because it allows us to cover a lot of songs that are never out of anyone's range. Most bands with one or two singers may be forced to sing songs not in their range, which sometimes will lead to a bad response.
- presentation, we rehearsed for almost a year and recorded a live demo before booking our first gig. So we made sure the band was tight and had something to present to club owners. This industry is 99% about presentation. From the name you choose to the Font you choose for your logo to the way you dress and act on stage. So you need to keep that in mind when trying to book your band to someone that has never heard of you.
- stage show and crowd interaction/participation. This is big IMO. Our male lead singer will dress up for certain songs and will run out in the crowd. Take a look at out Blinded me by Science and Burning Down the house videos on our Reverbnation page. This is 100% up to the front person or persons. My advice would be to find the right front man for the job then build the band around them.
- Talent and networking, our band consists of experience pros, most have 20yrs of full time experience besides me, I'm da baby haha!! Check out our videos on our page by clicking in my sig. Those were taken from our 1st, and 2nd shows. We had over 200 paid at both shows with only using Facebook and calling friends. We chose a venue that was close to our home base so friends could make it out easily. Don't neglect the need to network. But its important to make sure your product is ready before you try and get people out to your show.
- Consistency, once you play show one you should have 2-6 already booked. Cover bands can only gain steam if they are playing out constantly. We took some gigs that were under our price mark and at smaller venues just to get established.
- know your market, who is it that will be coming to your shows? We try and focus on the 30 and older crowd since they like and are into 80's music. So try and figure out who you crowd is and cater to them.
I hope this has been helpful. Best of luck!!
