How to Network, Prepare a Package, and Plan for First Band Gig

Put together a package:

Decide the name of the band, the genre of music, and basic contact info needs to be included in the package.

Usually booking agents want to know:

• What kind of music do you do - originals, covers, or a mix?

• How many people in the band? Where have you played before? How many people do you usually bring to a gig? Create a bio for the band, and include it in your package and on your website.

• What or how are you looking to get paid? Cover tune bands usually make more money than all original acts. Sometimes the venue will pay you an outright fee, and other times they will give you a percentage or a cut of the bar. Sometimes bands get free soda and coffee, and even food. Negotiate it up front.

Include the following band promotional material in your package

• Include a photo and at least 3 songs for the agent to listen to before they will commit to booking.

• Depending upon the place you are trying to book, they may have you send them a link to your web site, or they may want you to mail them a package. This should include a demo CD of studio quality.

• Reports Satvik Tantry, How to use YouTube for your bands video, MySpace and Facebook virtual experiences make it easy for bands to promote and share their music. Twitter accounts make it easy for bands to take it all on the road too! Just like Danny Gokey is doing with his country tour.

• With the availability of I-Phones, I-Pods and I-Tunes, plus all sorts of apps on Apples' latest inventions provide a host of applications for band members and performers to use to help them learn new music and collaborate on the old stuff through looking up chords, lyrics and even "song" recognition software such as Shazam.

Where to book and how to get your band's name out there?

• Depending upon the genre of your music, there are all sorts of outlets to promote your band:

• Business cards, Bio's and flyers can be put up in music stores, churches, grocery stores, Laundromats, community centers and libraries.

• Review the local advocate or other social events calendars in the news and see who is booking bands and build an address list; solicit them via email and provide them with a copy of your "virtual package".

• Look for TBD's or N/A and tell the bar or booking agent you will be available last minute on such and such a date if they decide they want somebody

• Go to open mics and get your name out; Bar owners and agents talk about solid performers

• Network with other bands to be an opening act;

• Network with other musicians on Social Networking sites,

• Start your own gigs

• Tell friends and family you are available for private parties and events

• Join My Space and Facebook and network with others, and ask them to pass the word along -use your web site to make it easy

• Enter contests

• Send your package to towns and cities for festivals if appropriate

• Send your package to larger companies for picnics and events

• Send your package to Caterers, and Entertainment Agents

What to think about before the first gig?

• What's the back-up plan? Murphy's Law (by Norman Rubin) explains the origins of Murphy's Law, and believes me, Murphy's also rules in the music industry. Plan for extra strings, extra drum sticks, extra cables and cords.

• Decide who's doing sound and how is it going to run, off the stage with a board and a snake, or on the stage and one of the band members running it, or will you have a sound crew.

• How many mics will you need? How much space will you have to set up and what do you need to worry about packing up, traveling and setting up. How long is it going to take and will you have a sound check during the show?

• What are the acoustics like in the room? How many people will be there? What about power constraints? Are you bringing lights or a slide show? Do you have posters to put up in the area before the event

• Do you have copies of the set list? How will you handle down time between the songs? Who is the band's spokesperson and who will do the collections for getting paid?

• What will you wear and who is going to meet whom when and where to load up and set up. Who has the set list, and what is going to be promoted during the "dead air" times.

• Choreography or on stage movement restrictions?

Just a side note: many band members struggle with alcohol, drugs, relationship problems, gambling, time management, egos etc.

If the band really wants to make this work, they need to discuss band rules around "morals, ethics, and whatever other "Must Haves/Must not haves" that will get in the way of the progress of the band. Do it when there is no conflict so that everyone agrees on the rules and write it down.

Agree to it, and then go with it. Being in a band is like being married - it is a long term relationship without benefits (unless you are lucky like me and happened to have hired the drummer and then later on, married him). My brother is my bassist, and one of my best friends (now ex) husband is my guitarist. After 13 years of being together, believe me, we've seen a lot of bands come and go. We have stuck together; and I've been blessed with a lot of happy memories working with a great bunch of guys. I hope your experience is all that, and more.