What's the "Must have" for Getting Gigs & Band Management Candidates?

Something struck me yesterday about all the products I've successfully marketing for clients in my day business over the years and what these have in common the successful semi-pro bands I've worked with.


When success was achieved it was always driven by the belief that the product or band was "better" than the competition. Or at least, significantly different.


There have been times in the dim and distant past when I've marketed products or bands I thought were just "OK". The results were nothing like what was achieved when convinced about what I was doing. Now I don't get involved in marketing anything I wouldn't buy with my own money. Rouse the Crowd for example, is information my band and I were desperate for at one point.

When you think about it, success marketing something you're totally convinced about is no surprise really. People can tell when you're passionate about something versus when you're just going through the motions.

This passion for your music is something you'll want to see and hear from anyone you might be considering for band management if you're going down that route.

I reckon there's no one better to market your semi-pro band or act than you yourselves. Who should be able to get more enthusiastic about your band than you?

The starting point for getting passionate about your band is to understand how it differs from others in the same genre or your geographical area. The "alternatives" a venue might have to booking you for example.

The excersise of analysing the different elements of what you do musically and really understanding what makes you unique can (if you do it right), infect you with the positivity and passion you need.

This is how you end up playing more band bookings than you ever imagined.

"Guerilla" band Gigs and toys for the crowd

I had someone email last week about the merits of busking your music. There's no reason any band or solo artist who can play and sing a little can't get paid gigs. But some musicians do like to take to the streets for the experience while their learning.

The first paragraph of this creative approach to busking has a good suggestion for one type of location if you really feel you have to give busking a try at some point.

At the end of the article you'll see a tool this band now use for their audience interaction. We use musical instruments for the crowd on a smaller scale and they work brilliantly at getting the crowd really into a performance - if you do it in the right way.

I'll have to give some creative thought to their idea of "other weird objects" though...

What's talent got to do with getting band bookings?

Saw an interesting contrast between two bands over the last few days.

I went to see both halves of what used to be one great covers band as they played separate gigs close to where I live.

One of the two new bands had the guys who most people would say were the "stars" (if you can get stars in covers bands!)from the old band -including the dynamic front man.

The other band had the "journeymen" players, background musicians from the old band. Both had added a couple of new musicians to make up the numbers.

Musically both these two new bands were great, but the one with the wild frontman certainly had the edge in terms of putting on a show. The interesting bit though came when talking to the members afterwards.

The "band of stars" had been rehearsing material since the start of the year and had managed to put together one set of 10 songs. The gig I saw them play was their first together and they were doing it for no fee. They had no other gigs booked.

The other band had been gigging solidly since the original band split up. They played two sets and have gigs lined up well into the future. Crucially this band contains a couple of guys who not only know how to book gigs but who have the drive and determination to make it happen. Neither band has an agent or manager.

It struck me that like most things in life, success doesn't necessarily come to those with most talent but those who want it more - and who know how to get it.

Play Band Gigs for Free?

This issue was raised with me by a guitarist from Boston in the US this week. Should his band accept the offer of free gigs. "Trials" if you like.

His feeling was that they would be good exposure for his band and could lead to paid work at the venue in question and even elsewhere.

Exposure is King I agree. You get more gigs from playing gigs (ie people who see you book you for their venue/party etc) than many other means. But while I have no issue with the idea of "trial price" gigs at new venues , free performances are something else.

I've used the offer of a reduced fee for an initial gig to secure regular work at places in the past and talk about it in Gig-Getter for when price is an obstacle in discussions. In these cases you always need to get agreement that further gigs at the venue will be at your normal price.

Personally I wouldn't recommend any band get a reputation as being available for free. It will devalue how venues see you. It will cost you financially and it will make it more difficult for you to get your fees up to the levels they should be.

You might want to play the odd charity bash or band member's party but you've probably sweated for your gear and ability like workers in any industry. Why give what you have away for nothing?

How NOT to try to Get Gigs on the Phone

On the subject of booking band gigs on the phone, I've now just taken a call from someone trying to sell me replacement windows.

Here's how the call went:

CALLER: "Good Morning Sir, How are you today?"

ME: (while thinking "how quickly can I get rid of this person?) "I'm fine who is this?"

CALLER: "My names X from Y LTD, don't worry this isn't a sales call. I'm just going to ask to ask you a couple of questions. Now if you had to replace.."

ME: "Just before you carry on, you haven't asked me whether I've got time to listen or talk have you? If you had asked, I'd have told you I don't have time. Sorry, goodbye"

Now I'm not trying to offend the caller or be hurtful. But it amazes me that these people don't seem to respect the time of the person they're ringing.

If you've read Gig-Getter and you're getting your own gigs you wouldn't dream of ploughing into a sales pitch to a venue you've called without asking the person on the other end of the phone if they have a "moment" or "quick second".

Staggering really, but I suppose it makes it easier for those of us who do show some respect when they make a sales call....

Booking Band Gigs in "Hard to Get" Venues

If you subscribe to the Gig-getter newsletter you might have read something yesterday about the need to call venues back after sending out band demos.

I'd checked back at my own records from when I first started trying to get band gigs I discovered something which surprised me. The venues which I'd needed to chase most, to make the greatest number of follow-up calls to get the first band booking were the ones where we ended up getting the most repeat work.

These venues where it was most difficult to get hold of the person who booked the acts became the backbone of our gigging schedule. The places we played most regularly and most often.

Since I wrote this another thought has ocurred to me. Maybe there's a reason for this....

If it took me so long and so many calls to get to a "yes" and a date from the venue, maybe these were the sort of places that other bands gave up trying to reach. So, there's less (sustained) competition to get on at these places?

Not only that. If the person who booked the bands at these "difficult to reach" venues is so often not available, away from the premises and the phone, maybe he/she has a greater need to book bands for multiple gigs when he is available to talk...

I'm not sure this can be proved one way or the other but it's probably another argument for being persistent when you're trying to get gigs