The Band’s tale:
Booking gigs is easy. It’s getting a person to come that’s hard. So here’s how it works:
You look around at coffee shops and little bars that no one goes to and the owners are thrilled to have you come and play. But they can’t afford to pay you. You go and tell everyone you know to come and bring friends. The first gig you play you get 50 people to come. Then you’re thinking “This is so sweet! I love playing for a packed little house! And I made three hundred bucks selling CDs!” So you book again.You get pumped for another show and another $300. This time 20 people come. It’s a little disappointing because you don’t have the feel of a packed house, but you put on a good show and have fun playing your tunes–knowing that the crowd loves you because these 20 people bought your CD at the last show. So you don’t sell anymore CDs but they love you give tips so you end up with $26 and you had fun.You book again but his time you advertise, put up posters in music stores, churches, colleges, and you’ve only spent $15 on the posters. Now you’re ready to make another $300 on CDs.You show up at your gig and the place is quiet. You talk with the owner of the place for a half hour and decide to start playing just to practice hoping that car-fulls our people will show up late to your 2-hour show. You know college students are never on time anyway. After you’ve played through a couple songs 2 cars enter in the parking lot and in walk one groupie from the first two shows and your parents.
Ry Edwards – www.myspace.com/ryedwardsmusic
You look around at coffee shops and little bars that no one goes to and the owners are thrilled to have you come and play. But they can’t afford to pay you. You go and tell everyone you know to come and bring friends. The first gig you play you get 50 people to come. Then you’re thinking “This is so sweet! I love playing for a packed little house! And I made three hundred bucks selling CDs!” So you book again.You get pumped for another show and another $300. This time 20 people come. It’s a little disappointing because you don’t have the feel of a packed house, but you put on a good show and have fun playing your tunes–knowing that the crowd loves you because these 20 people bought your CD at the last show. So you don’t sell anymore CDs but they love you give tips so you end up with $26 and you had fun.You book again but his time you advertise, put up posters in music stores, churches, colleges, and you’ve only spent $15 on the posters. Now you’re ready to make another $300 on CDs.You show up at your gig and the place is quiet. You talk with the owner of the place for a half hour and decide to start playing just to practice hoping that car-fulls our people will show up late to your 2-hour show. You know college students are never on time anyway. After you’ve played through a couple songs 2 cars enter in the parking lot and in walk one groupie from the first two shows and your parents.
Ry Edwards – www.myspace.com/ryedwardsmusic
————————————————————————————————————————————————
The AR’s Tale:
What I hear artists say is the hardest thing (about booking shows) is getting people to attend! Sometimes bands are great about getting fans or friends to one show… the trick is find those fans who like you enough to come to your next one AND bring someone who wasn’t at the first one. Then turn that new person into someone who brings someone to the next one. Tough. And you’re up against things like weather (just ask the members of Boston Molasses Disaster (www.sonicbids.com/bostonmolassesdisaster), whose last show was canceled due to a blizzard), time slot, etc. But concentrate on the people you know who like you so much they’re willing to bring someone new. Those folks are KEY!
Benjy Kantor, Artist Relations Manager at Sonicbids : www.sonicbids.com
Benjy Kantor, Artist Relations Manager at Sonicbids : www.sonicbids.com
————————————————————————————————————————————————-
gigDoggy’s Tail:
Some bands get along fine just doing the usual flyers /posters / word to mouth routine, others promote actively through social networks. Lots do both. Many bands get in touch with the local media and press, radio stations, music associations, local promoters, booking agents and what not. All of these techniques are tools that a band can use to get some buzz. But in the end, the best promotion strategy for any type of band is to tour and the tools should serve that goal. Sharing and swapping gigs with other bands is indispensable because fans of each border will communicate and get the word-to-mouth going.
GigDoggy, http://www.myspace.com/gigdoggy
GigDoggy, http://www.myspace.com/gigdoggy
For more quotes on band promotion:
