Tuesday, April 23rd, 2024 Win a Pair of Tickets to The Struts 
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The difference between gigs and shows

Before we provide recommendations on how musicians can navigate their career we need to establish some definitions. Some musicians are writing their own songs & trying to get to a point where they can headline tours. Others are perfectly content playing cover songs in a bar. This post will help define what types of performances you are playing so that our recommendations on how frequently you should play and how to market your events make sense.

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Complete Guide to Booking and Promoting Shows

This guide is intended for musicians that are interested in learning how to book & promote their own live events with aspirations of building a long-standing career.

Cover Bands

 Bands that primarily play other people’s music are called cover bands. This includes bands or artists that play other people’s songs in your local bar or at weddings. This also includes artists like Badfish (a Sublime Tribute Band).

Gigs
 For the purpose of reducing confusion, we are referring to a gig as any performance where your band is not the primary revenue generator or reason someone comes to a bar/venue. This includes weddings, tailgate parties, etc.. It also includes performances in bars where there is no cover charge. We explore different types of promoters in another blog post. The person booking talent in these situations is interested in selling alcohol, not tickets.

Gigs are a great way to establish yourself in a market and to get better at performing in front of people. The Beatles famously played clubs in Hamburg for two years (1960-1962), often 5-6 hours a night. George Harrison said that “Hamburg was really like our apprenticeship, learning how to play in front of people.”

Shows
 We are referring to a show or concert as any performance where there is a hard ticket, meaning someone purchases a ticket to see you play. Your check comes from the box office, not the bar. In our blog post about different types of promoters we discuss a few different types of people you will work with in these situations. These promoters are interested in selling tickets to events and have relationships with agents.

Most of our advice is geared towards artists that are trying to build a career playing original music in venues where alcohol is not the primary revenue generator. If you are making a living playing gigs then you may still be able to get some useful information out of our posts. If your goal is to headline at Red Rocks then this series of blog posts is meant for you. When you are first starting out, gigs are a completely necessary part of the equation. As your career grows there needs to be a time when you decide to take a different approach & start building a fanbase.

Next: How Often Should My Band Play Shows?

  • Artist Resource

Complete Guide to Booking and Promoting Shows

This guide is intended for musicians that are interested in learning how to book & promote their own live events with aspirations of building a long-standing career.

Related

  • Artist Resource

Complete Guide to Listing Your Event Online 

One of the most crucial things you need to do once you book a show is to list the event on various websites. It sounds so simple, but people get it wrong so frequently that it requires a blog post. If people don’t know about your event how can you expect them to be there?
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How to promote your show 

This guide is intended for artists & bands that want to take their career into their own hands. No one is going to care more about the success of your show than you, so it’s important that you don’t assume that anyone else is going to promote your show for you.
  • Artist Resource

Complete Guide to Booking and Promoting Shows 

This guide is intended for musicians that are interested in learning how to book & promote their own live events with aspirations of building a long-standing career.
  • Artist Resource

How Do You Become an Opening Act? 

Becoming an opening act for larger shows is a great way to grow your career by exposing your music to a new group of music fans. In this article we will explore how you can go about earning opening spots for national artists & how you can make the most of those opportunities.
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Eight things your band can do to make a lasting impact on concert promoters 

Writing and performing an amazing song is the holy grail of the music industry. Everything we do ultimately circles back to that. However, There are countless examples of artists that never reach their potential. Sometimes it’s lack of knowledge of the industry. Sometimes it’s lack of motivation to promote their music. Most often, it’s a combination of the two & the lack of any guidance along the way.
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How to get a booking agent to book your band 

One of the first questions many bands have is how to hire someone to book their shows for them. The assumption is that if a band can get the right person involved then they can do all the 'business stuff’ so the band can get back to making music.
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How Often Should My Band Play Shows? 

Many bands want to spring into a lifestyle of playing every night of the week. However, it’s a good idea to pump the brakes a bit & come up with a strategy so you aren’t missing opportunities.
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Types Of Concert Promoters 

A promoter is someone that makes their living booking bands (buying talent) and promoting shows. Good promoters have excellent relationships with reputable agents, managers, record labels, and artists. Their role is pivotal to the success of music venues because they manage the calendar. This is a quick snapshot of the different types of promoters you may encounter in your career.