Booking Your Band a Show
As either a new or established band, one thing is constant; getting a gig is a difficult and frustrating process to work through. We'll go over a few of the basics, and the not-so basics, of getting your band a show.
Approaching The Club
Before approaching a club about getting your band a gig, there are several things that must be taken into consideration, the most important being the appropriateness of your band to play that particular venue. Trying to book your metal band or your hip-hop group at the popular indie venue doesn't do you or the venue any good. Make sure the music you play fits, at least vaguely, with the music that is being featured regularly at the club.
Probably the second most important thing to take under consideration is the size of the club. Before approaching the preeminent venue in town, your band should establish themselves at the smaller clubs first and build your following before taking your show to the bigger places in town.
With all that being said, you still need to get a show *somewhere* and there are a few no-nonsense guidelines you can follow to try and get the ever elusive First Gig.
Contact the venue and ask how they like to be approached. Do they want a link to your Electronic Press Kit, your website, your myspace or facebook pages (or eventually your Rock Show USA band page), or would they rather have a press kit sent through the mail? Your press kit (either actual or virtual) should include a short bio, a CD or mp3s of your music, and pictures of your band. Do not send mp3s or jpegs in your initial email, and don't send your press kit through the mail as your introduction to the club.
Go out to shows and become friendly with bands that you really like. Find bands that your band might go well with and approach them about any possible opening slots they may have coming up.
Getting Ready For Your First Gig At The Club
You've jumped over the hurdles and dove through the hoops and finally got your band a gig. Unfortunately, it's not enough to book the show and sit back and wait for the night of the show to arrive because the hard work has just begun.
This may seem silly, but the first thing you need to do is CONFIRM your gig. Anyone who's been in a band for any length of time knows it to be true and that what was discussed as a possible show can mean two different things to the band and the booker. It happens so often that a band thought they had a gig, only to see the calender for the club go up with no mention of their band that confirming can't be stressed enough. Talk to the booker and get all of the specifics, the date, set times, other bands, etc.
Once booked, go to the club and see a show or two before your own show and introduce yourself to the booker/promoter and, if it's appropriate, do the same to the sound person and bartender. Get a feel for the vibe of the club and take notice of what the bands did on a particular good night at the club.
Look at the venue calender and make sure you are listed correctly (make sure your band's name is spelled right) and that you're booked on the correct date.
Use the web with your band's website, myspace and/or facebook pages (and soon your Rock Show USA band page) to advertise by sending bulletins and invites. Send out personal announcements through your email contacts list or go old-school and use your mailing list to send out postcard announcements of the event.
Use flyers and posters at the club to reach the people that actually make a habit of going out and seeing live music. It is imperative that you reach these people and not just your family and co-workers that may come out to see you once or twice but don't make seeing shows their primary form of entertainment.
Contact the local weekly and make sure your show is listed in their music calender. Send in a photo and bio in case the paper would like to feature either in the local weekly round-up.
If you're a touring band, send flyers and posters to the club and set up street teams in every city on your tour to do the ground work for you.
Check out the Rock Show USA article on Creative Band Promotion here.
The Night Of The Show
The gear is loaded and you've pulled up to the venue for your show. What's next? The first thing is to pick one person and make them the point person for the evening. This is more than likely a band member, but can be your manager or merch person/roadie, but just keep in mind that this is the person representing your band. Be courteous and friendly to the staff (duh!) and act happy to be playing the club.
Find the booker/promoter and introduce yourself, find out how the club is run (load in, sound check, set time and length, etc.) and what they need and expect from you. Introduce yourself and the band to the sound person as this relationship is invaluable. Introduce yourself to the door person and inquire about drink tickets and guest list spots (sometimes you'll get them, other times you won't). Again, just be friendly and happy to be playing their club.
Be prepared to be flexible with the club. Different situations arise at every show, so be willing to bend for the sake of the show. Work with your sound person to get a good on-stage mix and good stage volume. Sound check and set times can change, so roll with the punches the best you can. That being said, don't let anyone at the club bully your band. Don't let a sound person decrease your on-stage volume so much that you can't hear yourself over the drummer or let the headliner make you, as the opening band, play last to a near empty house. Be flexible but stand up for your band when you need to. Just remember that no one is working against you at the club and everyone is just trying to make the best show possible.
Make sure your crowd shows up early and stays late. Having your crowd show up for your band and leave as soon as you finish will not endear you to the club. A good night at the club is a strong show from beginning to end, and a full house for the whole night will make your band remembered as being part of a great night. Putting set times on flyers and promotion is a big mistake. If you're an opener it's fine to encourage people to come out early, but also encourage them to stay late. If you're the headliner, make a point of trying to get people out to see the opening band.
Money Money Money Money Money
It all depends on the situation, of course, but this is a business after all, so the booker/promoter will not be offended by you asking about the money. Just be tactful and ask the procedure for getting paid at the end of the night. If you're a touring act and have a guarantee, make sure your figure and their figure is the same. Each venue is unique as far as pay-outs are concerned, so check if you'll be getting a set amount, a percentage of the night's door, if you can earn points (a percentage paid after a certain minimum is met), or if you can expect a percentage from the bar.
We all want to, and deserve to, be paid for our work as musicians. For a band just starting out (and even established bands), be prepared for meager pay-outs and instead try focusing your attention on merch sales to grow the band fund. A band should have realistic expectations about how much they should get paid. For instance, if you're playing to a near-empty house, you'll be going home with near-empty pockets.
After The Show
The most important thing as far as getting future shows, and what all of your hard work has gone into up to this point, is to leave a great and lasting impression. The club will look at several things including how well you played and went over, how well you drew and what your crowd was like, and how easy you were to work with.
Once you've played, follow up with a possible gig a couple months down the line. You are now on the club's radar when the touring acts are coming through and need a local opener.
If you've built your following locally, try branching out by swapping shows with an out of town band, which is one of the best things your band can do to grow beyond your home town. A club is more likely to help facilitate a show swap if they know you can carry a show on your own since the out of town band will probably draw next to nobody. Clubs are also interested in bringing in bands that are headlining draws in their own home towns in hopes that they will become a major draw in your town as well.
Good Luck
Playing live can be one of the most exciting and satisfying parts of being in a band and with hard work and a little luck, you'll be playing your first gig at your favorite club in no time.
