If you want to get gigs, then you are going to have to do some schmoozing with club owners, bar owners and people of that nature. This means you are going to have to appear as professional and convincing as possible. You are going to have to come prepared with all the gear you need to successfully market yourself so you can book gigs and get paid.

First impressions are the most important thing in this biz. If you want to book gigs then you need to bring the following things with you to a meeting: a resume, a demo, a business card (with a link to your site), a poster or flyer, price and a confidant attitude.

And most importantly, dress for success. You don’t have to wear a tux, just look presentable. You might even want to bring your instruments in case they want a short live audition, you never know.

Hopefully you will get the gig and it will end right there but you may not get hired right away. If this is you then you need to have a little persistence. Stop in every week or so and see if they have anything for you.

Ask them if anyone has canceled and if there is a spot that needs to be filled. But beware, there is a fine line between persistence and stalking so be careful you are not doing the latter. Remember, the squeaky wheel gets the grease.

There are other places to play besides bars and clubs. Get creative! What about coffee shops, music stores, high school dances, book stores, restaurants, parks, festivals, fairs, or private parties? The same rules apply when meeting with the people that are related to these events and places.

If you can’t find gigs at these places, ask them to refer you to someplace you can book gigs. If you present yourself professionally then they will respect you, even if they don’t have a spot for you.

One thing you can try to do is convince the owners or whoever you are meeting with that you can draw a crowd. Don’t promise this if you can’t make it happen. And if you promise this, then you need to make it happen.

I am sure you have friends, family, acquaintances and co-workers that you can convince to come see you. It is even better if you have a solid group of fans going that will show up as well.

All of these tips will help you get gigs. Market yourself because no one else is going to do it. Remember, you can be your best asset or your worst enemy. Don’t go to a meeting unprepared and don’t stalk the people you have meeting with.

If you want to get gigs then presenting yourself as a professional, top quality musician the eventually people will be knocking at your door for a change.

Author Bio: The former owner of an independent record label, current owner of Platinum Millennium publishing & national music industry seminar speaker/panelist. He’s also the author & creator of 40+ best-selling music business books, reports, courses, audio products & more “How to” resources, that helped 1000s of people like you to success. Go to GiggingforDollars.com for more info.
Article Source: ArticleGeek.com – Free Website Content

If you want to get gigs, then you are going to have to do some schmoozing with club owners, bar owners and people of that nature. This means you are going to have to appear as professional and convincing as possible. You are going to have to come prepared with all the gear you need to successfully market yourself so you can book gigs and get paid.

First impressions are the most important thing in this biz. If you want to book gigs then you need to bring the following things with you to a meeting: a resume, a demo, a business card (with a link to your site), a poster or flyer, price and a confidant attitude. And most importantly, dress for success. You don’t have to wear a tux, just look presentable. You might even want to bring your instruments in case they want a short live audition, you never know.

Hopefully you will get the gig and it will end right there but you may not get hired right away. If this is you then you need to have a little persistence. Stop in every week or so and see if they have anything for you. Ask them if anyone has canceled and if there is a spot that needs to be filled. But beware, there is a fine line between persistence and stalking so be careful you are not doing the latter. Remember, the squeaky wheel gets the grease.

There are other places to play besides bars and clubs. Get creative! What about coffee shops, music stores, high school dances, book stores, restaurants, parks, festivals, fairs, or private parties? The same rules apply when meeting with the people that are related to these events and places. If you can’t find gigs at these places, ask them to refer you to someplace you can book gigs. If you present yourself professionally then they will respect you, even if they don’t have a spot for you.

One thing you can try to do is convince the owners or whoever you are meeting with that you can draw a crowd. Don’t promise this if you can’t make it happen. And if you promise this, then you need to make it happen. I am sure you have friends, family, acquaintances and co-workers that you can convince to come see you. It is even better if you have a solid group of fans going that will show up as well.

All of these tips will help you get gigs. Market yourself because no one else is going to do it. Remember, you can be your best asset or your worst enemy. Don’t go to a meeting unprepared and don’t stalk the people you have meeting with. If you want to get gigs then presenting yourself as a professional, top quality musician the eventually people will be knocking at your door for a change.

Author Bio: The former owner of an independent record label, current owner of Platinum Millennium publishing & national music industry seminar speaker/panelist. He’s also the author & creator of 40+ best-selling music business books, reports, courses, audio products & more “How to” resources, that helped 1000s of people like you to success. Go to GiggingforDollars.com for more info.

Article Source: http://www.ArticleGeek.com – Free Website Content

Knowing how to get your band on at venues is vital if you’re going to get your band heard and seriously market your music. But how do you go about getting someone to book your band when you don’t know where to start?

Here are 5 key tips that will show you how to get gigs. I’ve used them all personally as have other bands and musicians I’ve helped. All five have been repeatedly proven to succeed. They can help you become that most indispensable of musicians – the gig-getter.

1. AGREE ON YOUR GOALS.

Targeting yourself with the ideal number of gigs a month the band would be happy with will keep you focussed and motivated on getting venues to book your band. Agree the minimum price you’ll charge venues.

Consider building a track record by offering “Trial Price” first gigs on the understanding they will be revised (upwards) for further bookings.

2. UNDERSTAND EXACTLY WHAT YOU OFFER.

Find out about your local competition. Research other band’s websites. Go and watch these bands and see how they differ from you. Ask friends for an honest appraisal of your best and worst aspects.

Force yourself to answer the question:

“What’s different/unique about our band?”

3. DON’T CREATE A DEMO OF COMPLETE SONGS.

Make a 5 minute medley of snatches of numbers which best showcase all your strengths.

The demo should sell itself even before it’s been listened to. Include some statement about the covers you play or your genre, a picture of the band, your phone numbers/email address and any testimonials on the CD itself.

4. DRAW UP A LARGE LIST OF TARGET VENUES.

The more venues you approach about gigs, the less important each one will seem and so the less stress you’ll feel when you talk to any one in particular. Getting venues to book your band is a numbers game and the more targets you have the more bull’s eyes you’ll hit.

5. SET A TARGET NUMBER OF VENUES TO CALL EACH WEEK.

Before and during the phone call Concentrate on what you can do for the venue – not what it can do for you. Keep your focus on how having your band on could encourage people to go to their venue and boost their takings.

The more you practise marketing your band to venues, the more gigs you’ll get and the more you’ll get your band heard.

It may take you 20 “Thanks but no thanks” before you get a booking. But with determination you’ll soon have all the work you can handle as well as a growing reputation as an indispensable gig-getting musician.

Gareth Bird is an active semi-pro musician who gigs regularly at venues like the Hard Rock Café and writes for the music press about getting gigs. He has his own Sales & Marketing business advising a number of leading European companies and is the author of “Gig-Getter: How to get more gigs than you can play”.© Visit: Gig-Getter.co.uk.

Article Source: Articleteller – The Free Article Directory

This can be difficult for several reasons:

• The sound on the stage is very different from the sound throughout the rest of the club.
• The person mixing generally has to stop playing momentarily to adjust the levels.
• Different band members may prefer different mixes; for example the keyboard player may feel that the keyboards need to be higher in the mix.
• The on-stage mixer may have little control over the level of individual instrument amplifiers or drummers.
• In very small venues, or restaurants, the on-stage level may need to be too high (for the band’s comfort and hearing) for the audience, particularly when they are close to the stage.

While these, and other, difficulties may pop up from time to time, many of the problems can be overcome by cooperation between the band members, and by trying these techniques.

When possible, recruit a friend or fan to listen to the house mix and let you know how it sounds. Have them check for you during the sound check, and again latter during the performance.

Let them know that once your mix and level are set to your satisfaction that you won’t need any more reports unless something is very wrong. Otherwise, they may continually interupt you just as you get into the music.

For this to work well, you should have a certain amount of confidence in their opinion. Generally, if the friend is a fellow musician, they will have a better idea of what to listen for and how to tell you what the problems are. For a non-musician fan or audience member, you may only be able to rely on them for a general volume level check.

If you have time before the gig, do a sound check and set your relative levels and tone settings. These will very likely change once there is a mass of bodies in the room, but you will now have a reference level that you can revert to if the mix starts getting out of hand. Make note of the various settings, particularly if you are going to play the same venue again.

If you are a guitarist with a long, long cord (or wireless), or have material where you don’t play much, go into the audience area during the sound check, listen, then go back to the mixer and make adjustments. Repeat this until you are confortable with the balance.

Once you are in the actual performance, you will find that certain instruments or vocals may be too loud or don’t stand out enough. Make minimal adjustments and listen again.

Be careful that you don’t keep raising everybody’s level when they can’t be heard. Sometimes when the lead singer is motioning for more volume, you’ll find that perhaps the overall level needs to drop, with the vocal mike staying the same. This will take some experimentation and experience. Like everything else, it will get easier and more intuitive with practice.

Another common problem, particularly in small clubs, is gradually increasing the volume level until you are too loud for the room. Sometimes you will actually need to reduce the level to sound louder and clearer.

Once you have a good performing mix, make note of your control settings, as well as the “no crowd” settings you already have. As conditions change, you will likely need to make adjustment again. If you are repeatedly playing the same club, these settings will save you time in finding the perfect mix for the situation.