Quick tip 132 Booking shows for beginners

By far the best way to promote your band is to get out and play a lot of live shows. For most of us this also is one of the main reasons why we got into music in the first place. There is nothing like the adrenalin rush you get from playing a live show. And this is where all your hard work in the rehearsal room finally gets shared with a real audience. So it is time to get booking your first shows.

The simple fact of the business is that you need to earn your credentials, no one is going to hand them to you. So don’t expect to get paid in the beginning of your gigging life. Just aim to play as many shows as possible to get the experience and to get your name out these. Most towns have venues that are welcoming for up and coming bands. Find out who does the bookings for the venue (usually either quick visit, or a call to the venue is the quickest way). Then make sure you have one good quality video. This has been my most useful tool in booking gigs in the past. Write a short email acquiring the venue about the possibility to play and include a link to the video for them to check out in the email. Don’t include video files, just a YouTube link. From my experiences of booking shows, this has by far been the most effective approach.

Oh yeah, also make clear with all the members of your band what dates and times you are available to do shows. If the offer comes, you want to be able to grab it, and deliver on your promise. Bands that regularly cancel shows will pick up a bad name for them selves very fast.

J.P.

The author J.P. Kallio is a singer songwriter
To get EIGHT of his songs for free go HERE