Getting Gigs: The Independant Musician's Guide

So you are a solo artist or a member of a band and you're ready to start performing. Good for you. Assuming that you have the equipment you need (PA System, amp(s), Microphone(s), etc), this article will show you how a new artist or band get be good at getting gigs.

The Demo

You need to make a demo CD. Do NOT make your demo a full blown professional recording. Multi tracking in your home studio is fine but do NOT go crazy with the overdubbing. I've seen bands that were three piece use a demo where the ONE guitarist is playing rhythm guitar AND lead. And the ONE singer is singing all lead AND background vocals. Needless to say, if they got the gig, the club owner was usually very disappointed. If you're a 4 piece band and do a multi track demo, Don't place parts in the song that you can't do live. Feel free to double track your rhythm guitar or your solos (if you're that good) to give them a fatter, fuller sound but if you don't have keyboards in your band, do NOT put keyboards in the demo. Even a couple of microphones strategically placed 30 feet from the band during practice will be sufficient in getting gigs.

Make A Deal

Keep in mind that you are a new artist or band. You're going to have to work twice as hard at getting gigs. The club owner doesn't know you and has no idea how many people you can draw to his club. He is taking a risk. If he agrees to pay the band $300, plans to charge a $3 cover, and only 5 people show up, he's not going to sell much food or drinks and will loose money. Be prepared to play for little money. You may have to agree to work for the door or you may have to take less money but in the long run, doing this will make you good at getting gigs.

Benefits

Now I don't mean health, dental, and vision coverage. I mean performing for a cause. If your neighborhood is hosting and event to help a cause like raising money for a child who has cancer, offer to perform at the event as a donation. Go as far as to putting out a tip jar and donating your tips to the cause. You'll be helping out someone in need, and get the word out about you. Word of mouth is a very powerful tool in getting gigs.

Relationships

Get to know the club owners and/or booking agents and you'll have a good chance at getting gigs. If they book entertainment acts, buddy up with them. Make sure they have your number in their cell phone. Make sure they have your email address and all other contact information. If you're a solo acoustic guitarist and another solo acoustic artist had a gig but had to fly home for a family emergency, you want the club owner or booking agent to think of you and call you for a last minute job.

Community Events

Find out who books entertainment for the events in your community and get to know them. If you can do that, and you or your band is good, it's an excellent tool for getting gigs. It's possible that they won't give you the time of day though. If that happens, make your own community event. I worked in a band once and when we were starting out, we got together with the merchants at a shopping plaza, put up a flatbed trailer and some long extension cords and hosted a free concert. The merchants were up for it as it brought traffic in their stores and it was great exposure for us. We ended up getting gigs from that performance. A few of them. Community events are a great tool in getting gigs. Check with your city office before you do that though. We ended up getting a $50 citation because we didn't have a permit with the city. HOWEVER though, we ended up getting gigs, 4 of them from that one performance.

If you're a new artist or band looking to break into the music scene, 6 months to a year of practicing these tips, will get you a good following and you will be getting gigs. Good luck.