Question - I’ve never put on or played a gig before and I’m trying to figure out how to pack out a room?
Answer -Not a simple straightforward answer because there are so may publicity and marketing avenues to explore however lets assume we are dealing with a shoestring budget.
The easiest way to decipher the answer to this question is to consider the following -
Where are you or your band at in your career? In other words - how far down the line have you gotten in relation to being able to build a “reputable” following?
If you are a young band starting out and the monetary value associated with your band is practically zero, then you have absolutely nothing to loose and you should play in whatever room your amplifiers will fit into. In some other posts, I even prescribe the crazy idea of trying to get gigs on Monday nights….
Are you sick and tired of booking your own shows and trying to do all the leg work yourself?
Most bands I speak with always say the same thing - “If only we had an agent and a manager, we could concentrate on the music and being a better band!”
While this holds true and there is without doubt some general disconnect between musicians and business, there are definitely clever ways and means to creating a booking agent contact and trying to get them to book your band properly.
First thing first though, you will never make any sort of booking agent contact unless you understand the following principles -
Without doubt, one of the silliest gigs and tours mistakes I ever made in my music industry career was when I was 19 years old. I put up some money to help tour a guy called Alex Patterson from a group from the UK called The Orb.
What a mistake that was….
As some read this headline, most artists and bands are probably wondering why the hell playing rock gigs on a Monday night would be beneficial in any way to their career?
I can hear them all saying right now, is this guy out of his mind?
Why would I or any band want to play rock gigs or any gigs for that matter on a Monday night in front of absolutely nobody? Where’s the logic in that?
It’s one thing to try and book a whole bunch of gigs, however managing your time and schedule is just as important.
Some may call it planning for the future, however in the world of live music and touring it’s known as Gig management.
Music booking agents, or otherwise in the music business as just “booking agents” are a very rare breed of people. At first glance, they can appear like your best friend but behind the scenes boy are they complicated to figure out.
I have personally spent plenty of time in offices with music booking agents, learning analyzing and listening, and have signed multiple bands that I’ve managed to multiple agents over the past 10 years, and the one thing that constant shines through is one very simple strategy to attract the ideal agent for your band.
