Your Fear of Band Booking

You might know exactly what you need to do to get that band booking. You won't be alone though if you've been putting off making calls to potential gig venues.

 
We all sometimes make excuses to ourselves and try to put off having to  actually making the call or pitch.

The technical term for this amongst sales people is "Call reluctance" and here are a some tips for dealing with it when you're band booking.

 
1. Realise Band Booking Call reluctance is happening to you.
You'll find yourself making what seem perfectly reasonable excuses ("he probably won't be there if I call now" / "I need to do something else first" / "I don't feel 100% today" ) etc. The first step is realising this is happening - before you can put a stop to it.

 
2. Set appointments with yourself
You don't need to spend a lot of time in any one week to get band bookings. If you're doing it right an hour a week is all it takes to get some new gigs coming in regularly.

 
3. Use a script
We're not talking chapter and verse here but just some bullet points or reminders of the things you want to make sure you mention on the call. Whatever else you say, always check early on that the person you're calling has a few seconds to talk.

 
4. Remind yourself what's in it for them
One of the big lessons I learnt early on in my career is that if you focus on what you could get when you're trying to make a sale - its a recipe for stress and nerves. Instead, keep your mind fixed on what you and your band could do for the venue by playing there.

Give them new faces to freshen up things for their customers? Bring new drinkers into their bar? (even if all you take are a couple of cars full of friends to the gig). Give their regulars a night to remember maybe- (especially if audience interaction or the visual side of things are a part of what you do). 

Maybe you're going to offer a "trial price gig" for your first band booking at the venue you're calling or you've played in some name venues that might be worth dropping when you talk.

Keep in mind that ultimately any live music venue lives or dies on the strength of the acts it books. It they had the same band on every week people would soon stop going there. Fresh acts are vital to most band venues.

 
5. Think about what you'll do AFTER the calls
If nerves a re getting the better of you and you're dreading having to make the call stop and think for a moment. Remind yourself how good you'll feel about yourself when these calls are done. When they're out of the way for another week. Think about the euphoria of actually getting that booking, how you feel when you let the other band members know what you've been able to do etc.

If you're really struggling you can reward yourself when you've made those calls. Have that drink watch that favourite TV programme but only after you've made those calls.

More band booking tips

Band Booking and "Job" Security

A drummer emailed me this week about a side-benefit of becoming the band booking "guru" for your band.

He hadn't been in his band long, and as perhaps the least technically accomplished of all his band members (and the last one to join), he'd always felt a little insecure about his place. 

Learning how to get band bookings has changed all that.

I had to admit that this was something I wasn’t thinking about when I originally wrote Gig-Getter, making people more secure in their roles in a band. 

When I think about it though, I knew what he means.  When I first joined our band I had only recently learnt how to play bass and at the time, we had one date in the diary, several months ahead at a private party.

To try and get some bookings we invited numerous agents to come and see us at the rare appearances we did make. None of them ever showed up. We were all pretty disillusioned and soon on the verge of breaking up.  

Like my drummer friend mentioned above, I too realized I needed to do something about it and fast.

In my case, I put into practise what I’d learned over the years in my day career in sales & marketing. In a few weeks our gig diary was full for the year. After this other bands would ask how we managed it. We were no better than a lot of other bands, but a whole lot busier.

So Gig-Getter and then the free monthly newsletter were written and and launched as low-cost, quick and easy ways any part-time or amateur musicians could get band bookings for themselves.

You too might find something else happening when the band bookings you've made come rolling in. You can feel much more secure of your place in the band.

As the drummer who emailed me now says:
 

“I know now I could go to any band and offer them more than most drummers because of all the band bookings I know I can bring in”

Band Booking where no-one knows your name

It can be tricky to get a band booking out of town, where you might be unknown. 

All the more difficult if you're trying to arrange a schedule of dates as a semi-pro or new pro band.

One of the main obstacles for you here is the lack of a crowd draw we all have in areas where we're not known.

You can go some way to overcoming this via the profile and buzz you can build with things like:

 

Facebook for bands 

Networking though, with other bands and in particular "Gig-Swapping" with them, can get you plenty of band bookings where no-one knows your face. 

Here's a great post from Gig-Doggy to get you started on out of town band booking:

Gig Swap

More about networking with other bands here

Should You Reduce Your Band Booking fees?

With the economy struggling should you be reducing your gig fees to get band bookings?

I've been asked this many times over recent months and my answer is still the same. Getting all the band  bookings you want isn't about cutting your price until a venue accepts your offer.

There's one argument that says the less you charge for playing gigs the more work you'll get and to some  extent it's true. Offering to play for a temporarily or one-off reduced gig fee will often secure an untried band a gig at a new venue. If you want to be taken seriously though you don't just want to be known as a "cheap" act. 

A lot of venues will ultimately associate a band that's very cheap with one that's lacking in quality no matter how good you seem to be. 

The point to remember here is that while a one-off "trial price" can be a good place to start for a new band or an established one in an area you're unproven or unknown, you need to get your price up to your full levels for subsequent gigs or you'll be stuck at the bargain basement level with the no-hopers. 

Keep in mind that your gig fee, no matter how high, is only too expensive to the venue if they're not making enough of a profit on the night. 

You can charge more than any other band in town but if you fill the place to the rafters with the type of punters who drink the place dry (but don't trash it) and the venue still turns a decent margin on the night, no venue will care how much you cost them.....

Tips on setting band booking  gig fees

Tips to bring and keep a crowd at your band booking

What won't stop your 2012 Band Booking Success

Here's two facts about band booking that took me a long time to understand and which might surprise you.

1. Not having the best gear doesn't need to make any difference to the amount or quality of band bookings you get.

2. Not being a great musician, singer or band doesn't really matter either.

Years of working with semi-pro and amateur musicians around the world have taught me that what makes the biggest difference in terms of level of gig-getting is determination to succeed. To decide exactly what you want in terms of gigging and then keeping going until you achieve it - no matter what other people might be saying to you.

When I look back, I became a regular at the Hard Rock Cafe when I'd been a bassist for under 12 months.I was still playing a 2nd hand Musicman copy and a battered old Peavey amp bought off someone on Gumtree. 

Since then I've seen plenty of other average acts with mediocre equipment get themselves out from in front of the bedroom mirror and onto the stage (or at the very least, into the corner of a few local bars with their guitars and mics...). 

Makes you wonder what you might do with a little talent and some good gear!

Band Booking Tips and Articles

Band Booking from Your Sofa

If you've been playing in a semi-pro gigging band for any length of time, you'll know that the early days of January can be quiet in terms of band bookings.

If you don't have much lined up after this month though for 2012 there's still plenty you can be doing to get gigs. Even from the comfort of your living room and sofa.

Start by spending some time thinking about exactly how often you want to be out playing band bookings in 2012.  

 Fully commit to this, your band booking goal.

Assuming you're in a band (rather than a solo artist) agree between all band members things like:

- Maximum numbers of gigs you want to be playing every week or month

- Nights of the week you'd prefer to be out

- Geographical locations (ie Towns) you want to target (or avoid) for your band bookings

- Minimum gig fees you'll accept for any booking

- Types of gigs you want to play/avoid (are you interested in corporate work where the money will be better but you might have to smarten up? Maybe you'd actually prefer to stick to playing bars where you can turn up in jeans and a tee-shirt?)

This will all help focus your efforts when you start pitching your act for band bookings this year. Something you'll want to get into later this month.

More band booking tips here

Your 2012 Band Booking Decision

Last year I remember saying:

band booking success starts with a plan .

The bands I work with that enjoy the most (and quickest) long term success getting gigs are those that spend some time in advance working out a plan of action. 


This plan of action should include what you want to achieve gigs-wise and how you're going get the gigs.


As far as band booking in 2012 goes though, there's something that's actually more important than you having a plan. 


With band booking, what makes the difference between really successful semi-pro bands and the rest, is their desire and commitment to achieve their gig-getting goals. 


Any musician can say they "want to start gigging" or "play live more often". You can spend as much time as you like planning and then pitching your band and act to venues. Without real commitment to succeed no matter what the chances are you'll give in before you get what you want. 

Making the decision that nothing will stop you getting all the band bookings you want is what will keep you motivated through the early part of 2012 while you're finding your gig-getting feet....



Band Booking ebook