How do you manage to schedule gigs?

[taliesin]

We moved out of the Google ecosystem and use Timetree.

Invalid Link Removed

We just note dates as NA - I don't really care why they're busy.

I'm the schedule enforcer and book most of the dates and so far the other members have been good about making sure it's up to date - they know if a date is open and I get an offer I take it.

So far so good.

 

[Danny C]

I work with an international touring drummer. When he gets a call and has to leave, we get a sub. He's way to good to replace so him having to miss a gig or 3 doesn't bother the rest. The guitarist loves to fly down south to see his grandchildren, we get a sub. The other guitarist has a vacation, we get a sub. We haven't had any issues for years. Everyone is respectful of each other's personal lives. All of us are full time career players and our area is filled with plenty of talent, so all works out.

 

[Hurricane Jimmie]

So Anyway, I'm in a trio and our drummer (and only our drummer) books our gigs. Me and the guitar player are too lazy and inept.
Whenever anyone is unavailable, we message the drummer with that date. Anything not identified as unavailable is open for booking.
Everyone keeps their own calendar.

This helps when a venue calls us and wants to schedule for the upcoming season, month etc. We figure that when they call, you HAVE to be available to schedule at that time. They've got a business to run, and music is seldom their first priority. As soon as the gig is scheduled, the drummer messages us with date and time. When we're at the gig, the drummer handles all the transactions with the venue.

If a gig is offered and someone is not available, then the others decide if they want to play it with a sub. And we'll play with a sub is someone is ill.
We always try to honor our gig commitments.

I've been in bands where things weren't this clean.

 

[JazznFunk]

Google calendar, everyone gets access to a band calendar and an unavailable calendar. If you didn’t mark the date as unavailable, you’re expected to show when a gig gets booked.

**As long as the gig(s) in question meet the criteria the band has agreed upon in terms of pay, proximity, time, etc. I ran into an issue once where gigs started getting 'pre-booked' based on the band calendar which fell outside of our agreed upon criteria - mostly 'road' shows which demanded more time away from home vs proper pay than previously discussed. If you're going to let one person run your life based on a Google calendar, it'd better be worth it, and it had better fit the bill that EVERYONE has agreed upon. If it's a working band paying everyones' bills at least in part (i.e. it's either a part time or a full time job), then this is a reasonable arrangement for sure. Open, clear communication among all members is key.

 

[JonathanPDX]

As others have said, a shared Google Calendar is super easy to set up and makes it simple to see blackout dates. Bottom line, it comes down to the purpose of the band:

If it's a hobby where friends are playing for fun when they have nothing better going on then of course you'll have a ton of schedule conflicts because this is a side thing for most, if not all, involved. Nobody is going to miss their kid's piano recital to go play some dive bar for a couple of drink tickets.

If it's a professional venture then you have to either coordinate with everyone carefully or keep a roster of musicians available to sub for those who are unavailable.

The issue isn't as much about the logistics, but really expectations. If everyone else is busy and you're the only one frustrated about having to turn down gigs then no calendar is going to solve that.

 

[Pocket Dave]

Works very well as long as everyone's priorities are the same. Some people don't feel the need, if the band is not a primary moneymaker, to have every aspect of their lives subject to the whims of the band and tied to a Google calendar, especially if stuff starts showing up that wasn't previously discussed. Ideally, whoever is booking the gig should still do one single check in to say 'this date looks good based on the calendar - please confirm 100% with me'. Tread carefully.

If everyone's priorities aren't the same, someone's not a good fit.

And where are the "whims" someone would have every aspect of their lives subject too? What's been discussed is simple transparency.

You want to be in a band? Take 5-10 minutes and block out your dark dates on a shared calendar. Otherwise, don't be in a band; You're just blocking gigs and insuring the band won't be taken seriously by prospective and existing customer bars.

Even if only playing out twice a month, telling a bar owner "let me get back with you while I check with everyone" has always been ineffective in my experience. It tells the bar owner to pump the breaks when every other band they deal with already has their schedule together and can help him/her cross booking bands off their to-do list and get back to the time consuming business of running a bar.

When dealing with bars with open dates, you want to close them while you've got an open channel. Salesmanship 101. Goes x2 for high-value-target bars.

You may not get a second chance, especially when prospecting new opportunities.

And relying solely on existing opportunities only insures your band a short shelf life.

 

[Fuzzbass]

Here's the one reason I still miss MySpace: each user had a static home page. I put my gig calendar on mine and kept it current. To check my availability, my BLs simply had to hit my MySpace page. No easy way to do this on FB that I'm aware of.

Google Calendar can work well if every member is diligent about keeping it up to date. But years ago I was in two different bands that used Google Calendar, and the redundant work was a bit of a pain.

 

[Crackle]

My band uses Wheresthegig.com. It lists every member's blackout dates. Provided everyone keeps it up to date, it is extremely easy.

 

[bassfran]

Power trios are the way to go....keep thing as simple as possible.

IME people don’t dance to endless guitar solos. When people don’t dance you severely limit the places you can work.

 

[Rockgeezer]

As others have mentioned here, we use a shared Google calendar. But…everyone needs to be of the same mindset, meaning if you don’t have a blackout day on a date, if a new gig becomes booked, you are obligated to be there. Only reasons for not being there are reasonable excuses including car wrecks, severe illnesses, death in the family or being in the hospital. Otherwise you will be there. All of us are long-time musicians, experienced pros who know the ramifications of bailing on a gig. We all rely on each other for consistent and disciplined attitude and approach to our projects. We routinely book ten to twelve shows per month and scale it back a bit during the summer here in southwest Florida due to heat but we typically have a fairly solid calendar booked as far out as eighteen months in advance. I am very fortunate that the current lineup in my two bands I’m part of consist of like-minded individuals that are considerate and respectful of each other. The Google calendar is the basis of a smooth running operation but ultimately it comes down to the individuals who make up the bands having the same understanding of the expectations.

 

[JazznFunk]

If everyone's priorities aren't the same, someone's not a good fit.

And where are the "whims" someone would have every aspect of their lives subject too? What's been discussed is simple transparency.

You want to be in a band? Take 5-10 minutes and block out your dark dates on a shared calendar. Otherwise, don't be in a band; You're just blocking gigs and insuring the band won't be taken seriously by prospective and existing customer bars.

Even if only playing out twice a month, telling a bar owner "let me get back with you while I check with everyone" has always been ineffective in my experience. It tells the bar owner to pump the breaks when every other band they deal with already has their schedule together and can help him/her cross booking bands off their to-do list and get back to the time consuming business of running a bar.

When dealing with bars with open dates, you want to close them while you've got an open channel. Salesmanship 101. Goes x2 for high-value-target bars.

You may not get a second chance, especially when prospecting new opportunities.

And relying solely on existing opportunities only insures your band a short shelf life.

I realize the lens you see this stuff through, based on past posts. All business, all the time, music as a full time job. Punch in, punch out, get paid and go to the next. I get it. But not every band is the same setup of 'rotating cast' working band functioning as a job. If it is, that's awesome. Go get it! If I were in the same type of band, I would have the same mindset. I wouldn't want to deal with a flaky coworker at my day gig calling out all the time on a whim, or surprising people with dates off that they didn't know about far in advance... emergencies aside. Subbing someone in at my particular day gig isn't a thing, and in the bands I've been part of in the past - mostly originals focused deals - subbing someone in for those was more difficult as well. There was more to prep and communicate if it did become necessary.

I'm just sharing 'war stories' from a band I was in years ago where one member started doing stuff that we hadn't all collectively agreed upon, then got mad when we pushed back. And it's a fact that not every band is a 'working band' on the same level as other bands. It's crucial that collective expectations and goals be decided upon before giving this much control to one person. The band in question was one that wasn't easily subbed in on either, as it relied heavily on a book of originals, some often complex. It was RARE when we'd have to sub in someone, so it was a little different dynamic.

The approach we used back then, even with the Google calendar in play, was to say to a venue owner 'pencil us in as a hold, and I will confirm with you within 24 hours'. We lost maybe 1 gig as a result of that approach. If a venue isn't able to give us 24 hours (at most) to verify availability and confirm, then that makes me question their professionalism as well. People hired us, with our mix of originals and other unique/quirky covers, and rarely gave us any push back. If they want you badly enough, they will be willing to work with you and give you that time. YMMV though.

We worked PLENTY, with few to no issues, until the goals and criteria started getting muddied by one member who steered the band in the direction THEY wanted, and they controlled the calendar. Transparency AND clear communication are always key, as are the aforementioned discussions about the collective goals of the band being met to give that freedom to book autonomously on behalf of the whole group.

 

[fishdude101101]

Hi
Am wondering how people here manage there gigging schedule with them and there bandmates.

I am in a band and we have done a couple of gigs but it's turning into a minor nightmare trying to agree dates that everyone is available, half of this month is booked up as holiday, most of August also booked up as holiday.

We have already turned down a few gigs in the past couple of months due to people being away, am wondering how other bands manage it this time of year when everyone is booking there holidays.

Thanks

Real simple, make a band calendar. Anything not marked off is free to book. Should be marked off minimum 6 months in advance. If people can't do this, replace them. If I have to find a sub for someone constantly, or have to rebook/cancel gig because you can't be an adult and fill out a google calendar, I don't want to lay with you.

Our current guitar player struggles a bit with it. We'll book a gig and he'll say "I have something going on that weekend"....and I say "why didn't you mark it off" so he ends up doing the gig for now. He also doesn't really answer texts in what I consider a timely manner about gigs so we default to the calendar.

When there's been issues I always ask "what would you do in my position"

 

[Bullitt5135]

We have a shared google calendar for the band. All gig dates/times/addresses are put on there. Members also put on their scheduled vacations/blackout dates as far ahead as possible. Works very well.

Exactly this. There also needs to be a general agreement on how frequently the band wants to gig and rehearse. If people are flaking out on that understanding, you may need to rethink the plan and/or your personnel.

This year, my cover band decided to cut back on gigs in July and August. We used to take any offer that came along because we were actively trying to get a foothold in the local scene. That effort paid off and we can now afford to be more selective. My bandmates have kids and summer plans, so it's understandable that they don't want to gig every weekend like we've done in the past. Not to mention, most of our summer shows are outdoors, and the heat can be unbearable. If a gig comes along that's too good to pass up, we also have various subs we can call on.

 

[Altitude]

The most professionally run bands I’ve seen run like the following, and there are few of these:

- If you’re in that band, you are available unless you are on vacation. Like a normal job.
- The bands have qualified substitutes on call. They had to pass an audition too. If you have to miss a gig, you make arrangements with one of your subs. The bandleader does not.
- If the band doesn’t keep the subs on call, you are expected to as a player. You never want to strand the group on a booked gig; you have a couple people you can call who can cover a gig for you if you have an emergency.

Most bands operate in more of an opt-in situation. I was in one that ran a Google calendar and gave everyone access. We were supposed to mark our unavailable dates and the bandleader or booking agent would book wherever nobody showed a conflict. Sooner or later though, someone forgets to update the calendar and a gig gets booked when they aren’t available. In that situation it should be the missing player’s responsibility to arrange a sub. Should be.

As many have said, if you have people not updating the calendar and stranding you to find a sub often, those players should be exited. But the reality I’ve experienced is that most people operate that way, which makes it hard to decide to fire a dude just so you can spend three months searching for a replacement who will probably show the same behavior.

If I were a bandleader I might require every member of the band to keep a sub list on file and would audition the subs together with each permanent player. Part of the reason you get the gig is that you have a decent sub network.

 

[fishdude101101]

As others have mentioned here, we use a shared Google calendar. But…everyone needs to be of the same mindset, meaning if you don’t have a blackout day on a date, if a new gig becomes booked, you are obligated to be there. Only reasons for not being there are reasonable excuses including car wrecks, severe illnesses, death in the family or being in the hospital. Otherwise you will be there. All of us are long-time musicians, experienced pros who know the ramifications of bailing on a gig. We all rely on each other for consistent and disciplined attitude and approach to our projects. We routinely book ten to twelve shows per month and scale it back a bit during the summer here in southwest Florida due to heat but we typically have a fairly solid calendar booked as far out as eighteen months in advance. I am very fortunate that the current lineup in my two bands I’m part of consist of like-minded individuals that are considerate and respectful of each other. The Google calendar is the basis of a smooth running operation but ultimately it comes down to the individuals who make up the bands having the same understanding of the expectations.

Same. And if somebody can't handle the google calendar, then I don't wanna work with them anyway

 

[Pocket Dave]

I realize the lens you see this stuff through, based on past posts. All business, all the time, music as a full time job. Punch in, punch out, get paid and go to the next. I get it. But not every band is the same setup of 'rotating cast' working band functioning as a job. If it is, that's awesome. Go get it! I wouldn't want to deal with a flaky coworker at my day gig calling out all the time on a whim, or surprising people with dates off that they didn't know about far in advance... emergencies aside. Subbing someone in at my particular day gig isn't a thing, and in the bands I've been part of in the past - mostly originals focused deals - subbing someone in for those was more difficult as well. There was more to prep and communicate if it did become necessary.

I'm just sharing 'war stories' from a band I was in years ago where one member started doing stuff that we hadn't all collectively agreed upon, then got mad when we pushed back. And it's a fact that not every band is a 'working band' on the same level as other bands. It's crucial that collective expectations and goals be decided upon before giving this much control to one person. The band in question was one that wasn't easily subbed in on either, as it relied heavily on a book of originals, some often complex. It was RARE when we'd have to sub in someone, so it was a little different dynamic.

The approach we used back then, even with the Google calendar in play, was to say to a venue owner 'pencil us in as a hold, and I will confirm with you within 24 hours'. We lost maybe 1 gig as a result of that approach. If a venue isn't able to give us 24 hours to verify availability, then that makes me question their professionalism as well.

We worked PLENTY, with few to no issues, until the goals and criteria started getting muddied. Transparency AND clear communication are always key, as are the aforementioned discussions about the collective goals of the band.

You may think that's my lens, but you might want to walk in my shoes before you say for certain.

I've applied the shared calendar approach to some very part-time bands I've been in too. It kept the peace, got us most of the gigs we went after, and minimized time wasted going back and forth, because there are always other priorities in life over wasting time.

You say you may have only lost one gig asking a venue for 24 hours to confirm. Can you tell how many venues have put you on slow-cook or last-call because they had to spend the extra time waiting for a confirmation?

Even if not, it doesn't change the fact that you're in the minority for asking them to do so when there are so many other time-consuming priorities to running a bar.

Here's a perspective on my lens that you may or may not know. I take pride in what I do both as a contractor and musician, partly because I try to show, through action, respect for others' time and priorities.

If band members can't meet me halfway with a simple shared calendar so that I may continue trying to stake my meager reputation on this simple principal, no harm, no foul; They're just not a good fit.

 

[Fuzzbass]

I'm juggling more bands than ever and so are my bandmates. Even so, most of my BLs use the old-school method of pinging members for availability on a per-gig basis. Context: mainly bar gigs; I'm not in the higher-dollar world where booking agencies are often involved and every minute counts.

Notable exception: a band that has multiple players for each position (aside from lead vocals). The BL books a busy schedule for each calendar year, but only staffs it a few months at a time. This is for a few reasons:

• Not everyone plans vacation/family time so far in advance
• Some members have a higher commitment to another band, so they won't accept gigs more than a couple/few months out from their side project(s)
• The above reasons are valid enough, but the BL also doesn't want to do all that staffing work at once!

 

[JazznFunk]

We routinely book ten to twelve shows per month and scale it back a bit during the summer here in southwest Florida due to heat but we typically have a fairly solid calendar booked as far out as eighteen months in advance. I am very fortunate that the current lineup in my two bands I’m part of consist of like-minded individuals that are considerate and respectful of each other. The Google calendar is the basis of a smooth running operation but ultimately it comes down to the individuals who make up the bands having the same understanding of the expectations.

And in that case, it makes perfect sense to run the band that way. That schedule is tantamount to part-time or almost full-time job. Sounds like you run it cleanly and all expectations are communicated and clear.

 

[JazznFunk]

You may think that's my lens, but you might want to walk in my shoes before you say for certain.

I've applied the shared calendar approach to some very part-time bands I've been in too. It kept the peace, got us most of the gigs we went after, and minimized time wasted going back and forth, because there are always other priorities in life over wasting time.

You say you may have only lost one gig asking a venue for 24 hours to confirm. Can you tell how many venues have put you on slow-cook or last-call because they had to spend the extra time waiting for a confirmation?

Even if not, it doesn't change the fact that you're in the minority for asking them to do so when there are so many other time-consuming priorities to running a bar.

Here's a perspective on my lens that you may or may not know. I take pride in what I do both as a contractor and musician, partly because I try to show, through action, respect for others' time and priorities.

The shared calendar approach works as long as everyone's expectations and goals for the band are clearly discussed beforehand. How the band is run as a 'business' dictates those goals, and those expectations will change. YMMV.

The band in question I left 12 years ago because of the schedule/booking conflicts and lack of respect for the goals of the band. We went from being bandmates with equal creative input and clear communication, to one r 2 bandmates suddenly treating the rest of us like employees. That's when it started to fall apart. I had to sub someone in 4 times over the life of the band while I was in it (almost 8 years) and the venue(s) in question that we worked in - bars, back in the day for the most part - always rebooked us without hesitation because we got butts in the seats and on the dancefloor... even as a mostly originals band.

Showing respect for others' time and priorities extends to your bandmates as well, through clear communication of expectations and goals, especially as the bandleader.... and it doesn't have to be devoid of compassion and grace. That's what I've been saying throughout this discussion.

 

[-Stingray]

If you don't want to go the Google Calendar route, there is an app called "Band" that does it very well (and has an integrated messenger app too).