For musicians, Christmas can be a particularly busy season. From playing in bands at holiday parks, being booked for festive parties, performing in pantomimes or even entertaining the public whilst they go about their Christmas shopping, a talented musician should be able to make the most of any opportunities they come across.
For new musicians, keen to get a piece of the action, here are a few avenues that are worth trying to get more gigs and increase demand for musical services over the festive period…
Holiday parks
Holiday parks tend to become extremely busy during the festive period and places such as Butlins, Pontins, Haven and Centre Parcs often host multiple Christmas and New Year parties, along with other events across their various holiday parks.
As bands are usually booked months in advance for events such as New Years Eve and Christmas, musicians and bands should endeavour to contact holiday parks in September, if not before, to be in with a good chance of being considered.
Quite often, holiday parks will provide accommodation for their entertainment… and it’s not always a caravan!
Though some parks will have specific staff in charge of booking entertainment, others may use 3rd party entertainment agencies.
Some research online should be able to reveal which agencies are responsible for which clients, and then apply to be on their books.
Promoting your act online
As most musicians will know, establishing yourself online is extremely important when trying to get gigs… at any time of the year! Being active on social media, having a website and a profile on an entertainment directory (such as Last Minute Musicians!) will allow potential customers to learn about what you do and listen to your music.
As music venues across the country organise their seasonal parties, they will be on the lookout for suitable for Christmas Party Bands to entertain their guests.
Serious, professional bands should aim to include crucial information on their online website and in a profession Electronic Press Kit that can be sent to prospective agencies.
Bibliography
A short but comprehensive piece of text about the band, its members, history and experience. It should include notable gigs, support slots and venues.
Up to date repertoire
A comprehensive list of the material your band covers.
Current gig calendar
While it’s not a specific requirement, you can cut down on time-wasting enquiries for unavailable dates by listing your existing shows online. This can also help with promoting any public gigs.
Promotional videos
If you have any live footage or promotional videos, links should be included.
Technical requirements
While a full tech spec won’t be needed on your website, it is an important thing to include in your EPK.
Line up variations
If your band has a floating or variable line up, you should make this known to potential clients.
Corporate parties
Christmas is a popular time for corporations and businesses to book bands for events. Christmas office parties, seasonal product launches or events to entertain clients can all be sources of bookings over December.
The best way to secure corporate bookings is by getting on the books of an entertainment agency or by joining an entertainment directory like Last Minute Musicians.
The event organisers will then be able to search for bands local to them, or by genre, locate a suitable act for their theme.
The advantage of these gigs is that they often have a decent budget in place for entertainment and will usually pay top dollar.
Musicians for pantomimes
As with all theatre productions, musicians will be required to perform live multiple times a day.
Pantomimes are no different and those who already have connections in theatre pit work may already find invitations for pantomimes coming their way.
For those with little or no experience, getting in touch with the pantomime’s musical director is the best start to getting work in the pit.
Popular pantomime instruments include trumpets, saxophone, bass, drums and guitar.
As with any theatre pit work, musicians will be considered depending on their ability to sight read to a high level and play more than one instrument.
For the talented few, pantomime work can be great fun and can also lead to more, well paid work.
Busking
Whilst busking is not strictly seasonal, the Christmas season can be particularly lucrative, especially for musicians performing festive songs.
Not only is busking particularly useful for musicians practicing their repertoire, it can also be a great way to promote your band for local gigs.
Many bands have taken to the streets as an acoustic line up to advertise an upcoming show, and earn some extra cash.
Not only do the public enjoy a talented band performing everyone’s favourite Christmas hits, it’s quintessentially merry!
Do you find demand for musician’s increases over Christmas? Do you have any top tips to capitalise on it? Let us know in the comments below!
