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Quick Tips for Getting More Gigs
By Rick | July 27, 2007
As with so many of the things we post, this is just common sense, but for beginners it may include the odd thing they haven’t thought of. Come to think of it, for the experienced it may include the odd thing they have forgotten or just no longer bother with.
If your gig diary is booked full until retirement age then fine, otherwise, check out the list!
- Cards: get some printed up. You can pin them on notice boards, hand them out at gigs and in pubs etc. Hear about someone getting married? Give a card to them or someone who knows them, and mention that you are great for weddings and that you have some room left in your diary
- Gig diary: always take it with you to gigs. If any member of the band takes a booking, get them to do it provisionally until it can be confirmed with all members and entered into the diary for everyone’s reference. Consider putting the dates online so band members can check them and/or download a copy
- Website: if you don’t have one, get one - a proper one, not that MySpace rubbish. Make sure it has contact details and email links or contact forms so people can get in touch to book your band. If they can see the dates you’re free (the online gig diary mentioned above) so much the better. Put your website URL on your cards
- Mention - light-heartedly - during performances that you are great value and that anyone with an event or wedding etc coming up should snap you up while you still have spaces in your schedule
- Playing gigs generates gigs. If times are lean, play a few free gigs for charity etc. Keep yourselves in people’s minds and keep getting in front of an audience that might contain paying punters
- Tailor your prices to suit the market and the environment. It’s no good charging an arm and a leg if there is a better, cheaper band playing on your patch. Also if the only gig on offer is a small wedding that is only offering £300 because that’s all the budget they have left, you’ll do yourselves no favours turning it down because “sorry, our price is £600″.
- Make a good impression at every venue. Be friendly, accessible, entertaining, punctual and professional. Repeat bookings are gold dust. They can be habit-forming. A regular gig makes life a lot easier.
- Be flexible. Learn a range of material, and be prepared to adapt your format and set up to different sizes of venue. If the venue is tiny, does the drummer absolutely have to bring the gong and the tubular bells? Could the guitarist get by with just one axe, and maybe the AC30 instead of the Marshall stack?
- If your artistic pretensions will allow it, put a couple of real crowd-pleasers into your set. Something that the audience can yell along with. If people go away with the memory of a great night, they make an effort to remember your name.
Topics: Gigging, Getting Started, Amplified, Acoustic, Uncategorized |