Networking is still most effective when done face to face. Whilst befriending someone on Facebook may give you a foot in the door, it doesn’t give the opportunity to truly hit it off with someone and construct a valuable friendship. Numerous musicians make the mistake of attempting to befriend everyone they think they should know, forgetting that they’re more likely to make a good impression and memorable to others if they relax and be themselves.

Arguably the best and most popular way to network is through attending local gigs. Just by showing your face and supporting live music you will meet more like-minded musicians and promoters who may be willing to work with you, opening doors to new opportunities while enjoying a night out. Supporting your local music scene is very important and your presence at gigs will not go unnoticed by both the bands and promoters who will appreciate you taking an interest in their work.

Even when you’re playing at your own gigs it’s extremely important, (not to mention polite!) that you stay to watch all other acts playing. Bands and musicians who either leave the gig early, or fail to watch other bands can quickly gain a reputation in the local music scene and may find themselves short of an audience at their own gigs.

A lot of musicians jump head first into making music and networking, trying to work as hard as they can to make themselves successful. Whilst this is good, many forget exactly why they’re doing it in the first place. More often than not, musicians complain of not being paid enough, not selling enough CDs or their goal of reaching No.1 in the charts. Whilst these are definite cases for debate, it’s crucial that as a musician you remember why you’re playing music. Nobody has forced you to play in a band, or even turn up to a gig. You began doing it because you enjoy it; forget that and you may as well forget everything.

There are assortments of varying factors to take into consideration when trying to arrange gigs, not just in your local area but also across the country. One of the main factors is networking. Conversing with other bands and musicians when it comes to popular venues and good promoters is always a good place to start when looking for shows as a band. Networking effectively works wonders for new bands and can result in being offered a show or being able to support a bigger band at their next gig. It’s important to make the most of every opportunity that comes around so being a ‘yes’ man can definitely have it’s advantages.

Assuming you are talented at your craft and have a good promotional technique, it shouldn’t be too difficult for you and your band to get a gig opportunity, after all, there are plenty of occasions or events that lead people to look for live music. If you can play guitar or the piano then keeping an open mind about where you play is a must. Talented musicians should look in to playing background music at weddings or perhaps in a restaurant whilst guests are eating in order to gain experience in front of an audience and become more accomplished at their instrument. Cocktail pianists are highly sort after in many areas, not just in the entertainment industry but also the restaurant business and other industries throughout the UK. Similarly, jazz guitarists are often in high demand and feature as sophisticated entertainment in upmarket wine bars or restaurants. Many musicians also make a living out of standing in for band members when they are ill, these musicians are known as ‘deputy’ musicians or ‘dep’ for short and can benefit from being available at short notice to cover in case of emergency.

A popular way for new bands to get gigs in their local area is to attend and perform at local open mic nights or jam nights. This is a great opportunity as it allows you to meet new people while showcasing your talents to an audience. If the landlord is impressed they may ask you to perform on a regular basis, and it’s not uncommon for bands to receive gig enquires after performing at open mic nights. Ultimately, it is all good practice so any chance to play should be embraced!

Creating a demo CD or MP3s of a selection of your bands music is imperative to finding gigs and increasing your fan base. You are not going to be booked for any gigs, regardless of location, unless somebody can listen to your band and decide if you’re suitable to play at their event. Another bonus is that you can let potential followers of your band hear your songs before making it to your show, meaning they will be familiar with your material and more likely to join in with a bit of audience participation to get everyone involved in your performance.

Experience in the music industry is just as important as who you know and your expertise at your instrument. There are plenty of gig opportunities for bands and musicians regardless of genre or style, and with good connections you are likely to build an ever-expanding network to get your band off to a good start.

The record industry is broke, nobody is buying cds, people aren’t going out to see live music less and less. If you want to survive in such a climate then the only thing to do is…

Diversify

Just because you are a blues guitarist (as an example), it doesn’t mean that you can only play at blues clubs between the hours of 1.30 and 3.30am. OK, so that’s quite an extreme example, but the point remains valid. You have a skill, your craft as a musicians, and if you want to make more money then you have to use that skill to its most profitable end. We would suggest that you try to get some gigs at weddings, corporate events, functions and private parties. Approach an entertainment agency and see if they will add you to their books.

Musicians Needed Adverts

Responding to adverts for musicians wanted is a great way to get extra paid concerts. Check out some forums and gumtree posts from clients looking for performers for specific events, like a product launch or corporate party. Often the person who is booking the artists has never done it before and is not a professional event planner. They just want to find a suitable band and book them with confidence that they turn up on time, play well and look the part.

Register with different agents

Often, agencies specialise in providing music for certain functions. Some are focused on weddings, others on corporate work. Search around for some agents who specialise in the new areas that you would like to get in to. Registering with an agency however, is pointless if you have bad demo recordings and photos. The most important two things that you need are quality audio clips and good looking photos. If you don’t have these then you know where to start!

Sign up to our entertainment directory

Do you want more gigs? If the answer is yes, then please consider signing up for our entertainment directory. Visit the register page for more information.

Expand your coverage

If you are working primarily in London then you might want to consider looking for work further afield. Likewise, bands from the North could also look for gigs in central London. Its all about expanding your client base. Yes, it will involve more traveling but you can always offset the extra time involved by charging a slightly higher fee and expenses.

Promote yourself online

Do you have your own web site? Do you have a facebook profile for your band? If the answer is no then this should be fixed immediately. Most customers now find live music online, you really need a presence on the we to be able to compete in the current market. You could also consider using google ad words to advertise yourself to google’s vast customer base.

Other interesting and useful Twitter plugins include TwitterFeed, and TweetDeck which can automatically follow your MySpace updates. TweetDeck currently has over 1.3 million followers on twitter and also allows you to schedule tweets. Another site that lets you do pretty much the same thing is TweetAdder (automated Twitter marketing software & promotion).

You may also be interested in Hashtags.org – the defacto standard for hashtag information. The # symbol, called a hashtag, is used to mark keyword or topic in a Tweet. Any Twitter user can categorize or follow topics with hashtags. More information about twitter for musicians is available from the makeitinmusic.com site.

Firstly, make sure you have all of your contact details plainly visible on your website. A phone number really is a must! When someone is planning a wedding they usually feel more confident if they have spoken to someone directly. The wedding day is such an important (and expensive!) event in people`s live that they don`t want to leave anything to chance and the reassurance of speaking to a band member directly will make them more likely to book you. A telephone conversation also gives you a chance to chat about a first dance song and arrange anything that you may need (dressing room, refreshments) with the client.

A full and in-depth repertoire list is also a must. Customers will usually want quite a wide range of songs at their wedding. It’s just one of those events where you are almost definitely going to have a massive range of ages, tastes and backgrounds when it comes to the guests. You need some slow songs to play for the first dance alongside more up-tempo songs to dance to. If you can play a wide range of styles then make sure you tell your customers! It’s also a good idea to let your client know that you are flexible and perhaps don`t mind learning a couple of songs that they particularly want that aren’t in your repertoire list at the moment.

Another key feature for your bands website or directory profile is a video clip of your band performing live. There is nothing more accurate to show how your band actually looks and sounds during their performances. People are now used to watching videos with low quality audio so don`t be put off if there is some background or audience noise on your video. As long as it shows your band off to their best abilities then it will help you get more gigs. Have a look at these wedding bands – they are all pretty successful and most have a you-tube video clip.

Get yourself registered with some sites that can connect you with customers who are planning weddings. We would recommend signing up for a listing with Last Minute Musicians. They get over 23,000 unique customers visiting their site every month and they are mostly people planning events like weddings. You can register here for a free or enhanced listing. The more enquiries your band recieves, the more likely you are to get some quality wedding gigs this summer.

If you have played gigs for impressive sounding clients in the past then definitely advertise this on your website! A good example for this would be a big corporate event that you may have played. If Marks and Spencer have booked you for an event in the past then customers will feel much more comfortable booking you. The same goes for celebrity weddings. Basically, anything that you can do to make customers trust you should be done.

The same is true for testimonials. Find some previous clients and ask them for a quick quote. Customers really do want to see that you are experienced and you have done a good job at similar events in the past. There is simply no better way to do this that to feature testimonial quotes from previous clients. It is a good to idea to asks customers in the future to give you a quote as well. The more testimonials the better!

Finally, make sure that you have good quality photos and audio clips which accurately represent your band. At the end of the day the first thing that your customers will do is look at the pictures and press play on your audio player. Then they will start reading the rest of your site and make their decision. If your pictures and audio are not up to scratch then most visitors will just bounce away. We hope that you have found this post interesting and you will come back to visit us here at How to Get Gigs.

Take a look at this example:
Example

Will post an update on this topic soon…