Booking Your Band
You’ve brought together three or four of the optimum musicians in town, and they are jamming to your tunes. You’ve spent days and evenings writing and rewriting lyrics, and you’ve been working hard to optimum your sound. Lastly, following many months of practice, you are ready to reap the rewards of your hard work. But how do you begin?
As a new band, the idea of booking your 1st show can prove to be a daunting task. However, it does not have to be. By following these easy steps, you can turn a evidently overwhelming process into a productive one.
Making sure that the members of the band are all on the same page is an essential first step in the booking process. Agree on a number of concert per month that anybody will play. Put together a session of your best tunes and make a demo. Your demo ought to not include full-length tunes ; several short snippets of your strongest material will showcase your band’s strengths and will sell your band to potential Clubs with little or no quest. With your demo, include a photo of the band, a short statement about the music or genre that the band plays, and your contact information, including the band’s web site. Decide what Clubs you’re interested in playing and how much you will charge them for playing, if anything. Getting these details out of the way early will produce good communication among the band members, thus avoiding misunderstandings in the future.
Next, do your research. Scope out the Regional scene; find out who your competition is, which artists play where, what Venues cater to your specific sound, and who your target fans is. Talk to seasoned Regional acts; again and again times, your fellow performers will be your perfect sources of information. Getting to know your competition, your fans and your Regional scene will prove to be an indispensable tool when you are selling yourself to venue owners and booking agents. additionally, be open to anything. Limiting yourself to venues and bars will hinder your opening s of booking your band. Locate out about open-mic nights in your area, offer to open for other artists for free and find out about Regional fairs and festivals where your band could get some exposure.
When you are out and about checking out potential Clubs, ask for the names of the people responsible for booking performers at that location. Get their contact information and keep track. Use all of your contacts and, when calling them, be brief and to the point. Ask them If they have time to talk, and if not, when it would be a wonderful time to contact them. Ask for permission before submitting your demo. Be persistent, but not pushy, and realize that it will take some time to get that job. Once you do get the gig, be sure to discuss payment, if any, as well as what you’ll need to bring as opposed to what the Club will offer. Be professional and be honest.
With determination, a little know-how, and some clever self-promotion, you might land that 1st show and be on your way to success in no time.