How to Get Your Music Heard on Gig Night

How to Get Your Music Heard on Gig Night

How to get Your Music Heard

When you're trying to get a band booking or a gig for your solo act, there's more to it than simply convincing the venue owner to give you a shot.

Of course understanding what you need to say and do to actually get your band booked will play a huge part in your success. But
if there's no-one there to see or hear you play the gig how are you going to develop that all important fan base?

And, why would  a venue give you a repeat booking if the bar (and tills) are empty on your big night?

 You need to go one stage further than just getting the band booking - even when you play great shows.You have to understand how to get your music heard - and that means a crowd on gig night.

 

How to Get Your Music Heard on Gig Night

So in case you're one of those musicians who believes all the band has to do is to get gigs then turn up on the night and rock out -you'd better think again.  If you've ever played to an empty house  you'll know you've got to work at getting an audience. Especially with a new or unknown band playing out of town for example.

 

How to Get Your Music Heard  on Gig Night- 5 Tips

1. All band members need to invite people.
Don't leave this aspect to one or a couple of band members. Even someone with few (or any )friends might have family or acquaintances they can invite on gig night when you're starting out.  If they're really strugling think about making them chiefly responsible for actioning some of the other points  below.

Remember, how to get your music heard successfully on gig night involves trying to get some "extra faces" for the venue and their tills. You should be trying to create some sort of buzz that you can only get through enough people in front of you when you play the gig. Don't be ashamed to offer to give your close friends lifts to the gig when you're just starting out or struggling for a crowd.


2.  Flyers/posters (aka"low cost advertising") are essential for any band booking

Pre-dating the internet, posters and flyers are two of the of the more traditional ways to try to get people to your gigs. As far as posters go, create your own with a consistent "branded identity". Put them up in the venue itself as well as where you can (legally) around the town ahead of your forthcoming band booking.

With flyer, some enterprising bands I've worked with will visit shows of similar genre bands to their own and distribute flyers to the people at the show or punters queuing outside..

More ideas below:

How to get Your Music Heard via Flyers



3. Write and Distribute Press releases
Done well, Press releases don't just build your audience numbers on gig night - they'll boost  your band's credibility in the long run. Hit local and national music press and don't forget the local "rags" as well. More people will see the latter rather than the dedicated music press.

More on Band Booking Press releases


4. Take advantage of free internet gig-listing sites.
If you're serious about learning how to get your music heard on gig night, put the heading above into Google and contact all relevant sites.


5. Publicise the band booking with Social Media
Make sure you're using Facebook to make an "event" of the band booking and Tweet things like your set-lists, pictures of rehearsals or other gigs, the venue as well as full details (and a map) of the gig and how to get there


How to get your music heard with Facebook

More info here:
How to get Your Music Heard on Gig Night Tips

The Best Live Bands and Band Booking Covers

Do the Best Live Bands  play covers?

Whether you play original or covers, when you're one of the best live bands in your area - you know how to get your music heard.  

Sometimes, despite the criticism I get from some quarters for suggesting it, this can involve original bands playing covers.


There. I said it.

Again....


A recent survey of Gig-Getter readers and subscribers revealed that over 50% of the best live bands (ie those that gigged most frequently) as semi-pro and amateurs play both covers and original material at their gigs.

Not only that, but you're pursuing super-stardom for your band, think of some of the biggest pro bands on earth that you know. How many of them included a cover or two in their original sets and maybe their first album? More than a few.
Here's what I've learnt from some of the best live bands around the world I've worked with about band bookings and covers:

Why some of the Best Live Bands play Covers (at least to start off)

1. Playing covers AND original material will increase the number of gigs you can get

2. Even the most anti-covers band mate can get creative with a cover song by adding their own identity to the version  your band does.

Finally, and this is something some of  even the very best live bands miss out on- you don't need to pick an era to focus on. In fact the more band bookings you want to be playing, the wider your choice of material should be. If you want to be "out" regularly and frequently you'll need to have a lot of songs in your "portfolio" and you could for instance, consider having a 60's set, 70's, 80's, right up to present day.

 

Best Live Bands - Covers Only

For those of you actually in covers bands, again the very best live bands like to have dedicated genre sets for certain places. Classic rock, punk or whatever. You can and of course mix these sets up when the type of venue or occasion calls for it. This way, providing all band members are too precious about what they play, you can be ady available for any type of booking...

More about how to get your music heard despite playing covers

Below is a posting from Harmony central about the most marketable era or type of covers for bands to play when they want to maximize gig numbers.

http://acapella.harmony-central.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2077423