How to Get Booked…

[Tele-beeb]

First @jakedog… I am not (intentionally) piggybacking, or spoofing your ‘How Not to Get Booked’ thread. I was literally (just now) going to look for a thread on how To Get Booked.
BTW thanks for the tip on how not to….
I am trying to get our band ‘Booked’ for outdoor ‘Concert in the Park’ styled gigs or outdoor amphitheater’s for this upcoming summer ‘23.
So, my question… are there steps or a format to finding and booking the outdoor gigs. I am almost at a place to create the event just so we can play.
Ideas are welcome.
Oh, we play an eclectic mix of Classic 60’s-80’s Rock, Southern Rock and Country. Not always the hits, sometimes deep cuts. We are musically two guitars, drums and bass.
Thanks ahead as suggestions will likely help.

 

[Flat6Driver]

Network.

Figure out who books that and ask them. My bands played at my local community summer concert series. One got $600 and the other $450 the next year. It was about 30 emails back and forth. Needed to have insurance, etc. But that was our community, every event will be different.

 

[Tele-beeb]

Network.

Figure out who books that and ask them. My bands played at my local community summer concert series. One got $600 and the other $450 the next year. It was about 30 emails back and forth. Needed to have insurance, etc. But that was our community, every event will be different.

Thanks Flat6driver, do you mind to expand on ‘insurance, etc’? Thanks!

 

[Cpb2020]

Have ready access to videos of any prior gigs (e.g., YouTube links) to send to the organizers.

Don’t just cut it off as each song ends, but include crowd reactions, where positive, following the end of each song.

 

[Cpb2020]

Oh, I’ll add to do your first few for free if you haven’t done any with this band. Our kids started at town festivals, food truck parks, etc. We also made it easy “all we need is an outlet”.

We told them no need to pay, that our kids just want to have some fun and like to bring live music to others.

 

[Flat6Driver]

Thanks Flat6driver, do you mind to expand on ‘insurance, etc’? Thanks!

They wanted some kind of insurance certificate for performers. I think if you search the web, you can buy a one day insurance rider pretty easy. One of our guys had one for his business (pro musician) so we used his.

 

[Tele-beeb]

They wanted some kind of insurance certificate for performers. I think if you search the web, you can buy a one day insurance rider pretty easy. One of our guys had one for his business (pro musician) so we used his.

Gotcha’ thanks… never thought of that…

 

[Junkyard Dog]

I am trying to get our band ‘Booked’ for outdoor ‘Concert in the Park’ styled gigs or outdoor amphitheater’s for this upcoming summer ‘23.

These are typically good gigs that include farmed out sound/stage/lights, reasonable hours, prompt payment, and even a contingency to be paid in the event of weather cancellation.

Keep in mind that there is some person at the community's rec department who has been given a budget to line up twelve (or whatever it is) bands, and their only instruction may be: whatever you do, do NOT book 12 classic rock bands. So, anything you can do to distinguish your band is helpful. I have had good results pitching the band as performing popular cover songs from a variety of genres that appeal to a general audience...something like that but more creatively worded.

 

[mfguitar]

The first step is always to find out who is responsible for booking the event. I would not be really disappointed to find out that most of these events will already be booked for the summer. The most popular acts grab up these choice events quickly because they pay well, are on off nights, and the hours are good. You will also find out that some have not started planning yet but most all have at least started preparation so please do not wait. Some communities will use booking agents so find out who they are and you will need to put some type of promo package together. Use social media to find out who has these events and it will usually lead you to a person that you can contact. Just like in the world of sales, you have to use all the tools available to reach prospects. Direct mailings, social media, and of course direct contact all work. Get to know the most popular bands in the area and ask that they consider you for gigs they cannot cover. Best of luck!

 

[Killing Floor]

Record 4 songs on a tape and mail it to every bar. Pro tip, record on both sides so they don’t have to rewind it.

 

[cyclopean]

Network.

Figure out who books that and ask them. My bands played at my local community summer concert series. One got $600 and the other $450 the next year. It was about 30 emails back and forth. Needed to have insurance, etc. But that was our community, every event will be different.

Are you friends with any bands playing similar material that are playing those kinds of gigs?

The specifics are going to change based on what kind of scene you’re playing in.

Does you local city have some kind of public arts program?

Maybe find out what it would take to get permission to use one of those spaces? Or just get a generator and go for it without asking for permission? If you have a PA system all you really need is power if you go that route.

 

[cyclopean]

The first step is always to find out who is responsible for booking the event. I would not be really disappointed to find out that most of these events will already be booked for the summer. The most popular acts grab up these choice events quickly because they pay well, are on off nights, and the hours are good. You will also find out that some have not started planning yet but most all have at least started preparation so please do not wait. Some communities will use booking agents so find out who they are and you will need to put some type of promo package together. Use social media to find out who has these events and it will usually lead you to a person that you can contact. Just like in the world of sales, you have to use all the tools available to reach prospects. Direct mailings, social media, and of course direct contact all work. Get to know the most popular bands in the area and ask that they consider you for gigs they cannot cover. Best of luck!

I met the person doing generator shows in Tompkins last fall, and they were already booked up until autumn 2023 in October of last year.

 

[cyclopean]

Record 4 songs on a tape and mail it to every bar. Pro tip, record on both sides so they don’t have to rewind it.

As the person who just got a tape pressed, you may also want to have a bandcamp or SoundCloud and have that URL printed on the tape or promo materials on the off chance that the person you need to sell on this does not have a tape deck.

 

[Killing Floor]

As the person who just got a tape pressed, you may also want to have a bandcamp or SoundCloud and have that URL printed on the tape or promo materials on the off chance that the person you need to sell on this does not have a tape deck.

Off chance

 

[cyclopean]

Off chance

I have three and I’ve bought a whole bunch of tapes from touring and local bands in the past five or so years.

 

[johnny k]

Every band has got some guy who goes to every shows and know every one in the local bar scene. At least when in the former bands i played with.
I am not that guy.

 

[Jakedog]

Record 4 songs on a tape and mail it to every bar. Pro tip, record on both sides so they don’t have to rewind it.

How to get booked? Here’s a few easy pointers:


Not to be a naysayer, but what on earth would anyone play a tape on? I can’t even think of how I’d record a tape, or find an actual tape to record on. Anyone who dropped a tape or CD at my bar would never get called back because it would probably get lost before we found anything we could listen to it on. Or a Time Machine to take us back to the 90’s.

Here’s how the bar works, and how most bars work these days:

1. Get the email. Or however the booking person wants to be contacted. Don’t try to come in and talk to us at work. We’re doing other things most of the time and even if you’re super nice you’re going to frustrate and annoy us. It is totally acceptable to come in and ask how to contact the person in charge of booking. But be aware that that person is also in charge of bartending, stocking, sweeping, bouncing, answering the phone, hiring, and running sound. Be patient.

2. Keep it brief. You don’t need a six page bio and complete history and background of all your members. You definitely don’t need an equipment list. We don’t need to see a list of all the other venues you’ve played. Don’t waste time on all this stuff because nobody is going to read it. If you have significant highlights like playing the Ryman, or the main stage at a festival everyone has actually heard of, include that. If you’ve done a whole tour as support for an artist we’ve actually heard of, that’s good to know as well. Stuff that literally every other band in your state has done, we don’t need to know.

3. Provide links to audio/video and all social media presence. Audio is definitely mandatory, video definitely helps. The social media aspect is so I can see you have a presence. No way am I going to book someone who wants a fat guarantee and has nothing but a Facebook account with one blurry picture and 56 followers in a small town an hour away. If you’re an original act and you don’t have any music on streaming services (Spotify, Amazon, Apple, Tidal, etc) that’s a red flag. You can get Distrokid and upload unlimited content for $20 per year.

Don’t send files. Send LINKS.

4. Do not offer to play for free. You will never hear back from me. I don’t read any further if I see that. It reeks of desperation and basically just says “we suck and no one will book us so this is our last resort.”

5. This is just personal for me- Don’t send posed promo pics in front of a brick wall or on railroad tracks. On second thought, do. We laugh at those a LOT.

6. Do some research and know your venue. These are extreme examples that would never actually happen, but will give you the general idea-

If you need $10k, have special dietary requirements, and need RV or bus parking, a 40 seat dive in the city with 20 parking spaces is probably not the right room for you. Likewise, if you’re a band that specializes in pre-Colombian Portuguese Death Metal, Bob’s Country Bunker is probably not your best bet.

7. Be willing to accept that if nobody is ever reaching back out to you, perhaps it’s not them, it’s you.

8. Favoritism exists. If I have several blues and classic rock bands in my rotation, that all have similar set lists (and let’s face it, they all do), and they’ve all been working for me for a long time, and they’ve all been filling the room, and we now have a rapport and relationship, why in the world am I going to replace them with someone who does the same thing who is unproven and who I don’t know? What exactly would the point of that be from a business perspective? Does it suck? For new bands it sure does. But that’s how it goes. Give me a reason to book you. Being just like everyone else won’t do it.

 

[Killing Floor]

How to get booked? Here’s a few easy pointers:


Not to be a naysayer, but what on earth would anyone play a tape on? I can’t even think of how I’d record a tape, or find an actual tape to record on. Anyone who dropped a tape or CD at my bar would never get called back because it would probably get lost before we found anything we could listen to it on. Or a Time Machine to take us back to the 90’s.

Here’s how the bar works, and how most bars work these days:

1. Get the email. Or however the booking person wants to be contacted. Don’t try to come in and talk to us at work. We’re doing other things most of the time and even if you’re super nice you’re going to frustrate and annoy us. It is totally acceptable to come in and ask how to contact the person in charge of booking. But be aware that that person is also in charge of bartending, stocking, sweeping, bouncing, answering the phone, hiring, and running sound. Be patient.

2. Keep it brief. You don’t need a six page bio and complete history and background of all your members. You definitely don’t need an equipment list. We don’t need to see a list of all the other venues you’ve played. Don’t waste time on all this stuff because nobody is going to read it. If you have significant highlights like playing the Ryman, or the main stage at a festival everyone has actually heard of, include that. If you’ve done a whole tour as support for an artist we’ve actually heard of, that’s good to know as well. Stuff that literally every other band in your state has done, we don’t need to know.

3. Provide links to audio/video and all social media presence. Audio is definitely mandatory, video definitely helps. The social media aspect is so I can see you have a presence. No way am I going to book someone who wants a fat guarantee and has nothing but a Facebook account with one blurry picture and 56 followers in a small town an hour away. If you’re an original act and you don’t have any music on streaming services (Spotify, Amazon, Apple, Tidal, etc) that’s a red flag. You can get Distrokid and upload unlimited content for $20 per year.

Don’t send files. Send LINKS.

4. Do not offer to play for free. You will never hear back from me. I don’t read any further if I see that. It reeks of desperation and basically just says “we suck and no one will book us so this is our last resort.”

5. This is just personal for me- Don’t send posed promo pics in front of a brick wall or on railroad tracks. On second thought, do. We laugh at those a LOT.

6. Do some research and know your venue. These are extreme examples that would never actually happen, but will give you the general idea-

If you need $10k, have special dietary requirements, and need RV or bus parking, a 40 seat dive in the city with 20 parking spaces is probably not the right room for you. Likewise, if you’re a band that specializes in pre-Colombian Portuguese Death Metal, Bob’s Country Bunker is probably not your best bet.

7. Be willing to accept that if nobody is ever reaching back out to you, perhaps it’s not them, it’s you.

8. Favoritism exists. If I have several blues and classic rock bands in my rotation, that all have similar set lists (and let’s face it, they all do), and they’ve all been working for me for a long time, and they’ve all been filling the room, and we now have a rapport and relationship, why in the world am I going to replace them with someone who does the same thing who is unproven and who I don’t know? What exactly would the point of that be from a business perspective? Does it suck? For new bands it sure does. But that’s how it goes. Give me a reason to book you. Being just like everyone else won’t do it.

Pretty sure I was joking about the tape.

 

[Jakedog]

Pretty sure I was joking about the tape.

Thank goodness. I thought you had to be, but it’s hard to tell in print sometimes.

 

[cyclopean]

but what on earth would anyone play a tape on?

A tape deck. What else?

What musician doesn’t have a tape deck?