So You've Got A Band...Now What? (My Guide)

Anyone who has ever started a band knows about the inevitable struggle to get your newly formed band a show. Let’s face it, a lot of the time breaking into the scene ranks right up there with breaking into The Luvre. The harsh truth is that when it comes to the local music scene, it’s not what you know, but who. Chances are you’ve seen it before, a local band plays every weekend, just because they’re friends with the promoters in the city. They might not even be very good, but the keep coming back with a vengeance. But don’t lose hope if you’re not yet a scene-networking guru, there’s promise for you yet! Being a promoter myself, I decided to put together a little bit of a guide as to how a band can snag my attention and in turn get me to book them – as well as some alternatives to the old “Post your band’s name on the internet 5,000 times” approach so common today.



Preliminary Steps:

GO TO LOCAL SHOWS. I cannot stress this enough. Why are you trying to break into a scene if you don’t know anyone in it, any of the bands, or any of the show goers?
Go to shows, meet people, have fun, enjoy yourself, meet people, talk to bands, buy some merch, meet people, get a feel for the venues and the atmosphere of your local scene, and – oh yeah, meet people. If people have seen your face around before, it is definitely to your advantage later. Plus, meeting new friends is fun and exciting, right? Right?!
Plus, people already involved in the scene can pull for you and your band when it comes time.



Step 1: Have Yourselves Together.
No self-respecting promoter is going to book some mystery band who doesn’t even have their lineup solid, or any equipment. Make sure you’ve got your band put together, some songs written, AND at the very least some friends with amps you can borrow. If you can have some sort of demo together, even at the very least something recorded with a crappy computer mic, it helps the promoter get an idea of the kind of sound you are going for. If this isn’t possible, explain to the promoter your experience (or inexperience) in depth.

I know the paradox – to get experience you need to play shows, to play shows you need to have experience – but there are ways to break this cycle. Promoters don’t want perfection, just decency.



Step 2: Be Willing To Work…(a little!)

This is the most important one. If you can prove to a promoter that you can get 50 kids through their doors single handedly, chances are they’re going to be way more stoked to book you than if you get booked and sit on your hands. Yes, promoters should be the ones PROMOTING an event, but this doesn’t mean you can’t help out. One of the most impressive things I ever encountered was a band called The Comets who I gave their first show ever to. Not only did they flyer like crazy, but they single-handedly sold upwards of 55 advance tickets. They showed me that they wanted to play, badly. Because of this I had no hesitations booking them again. If you can show those within the local scene that you’re wildly passionate about music, they’re going to love you. E-mail a promoter and offer to flyer for their show, or clean up the venue when it’s done. It’s just another way you can show you care about the scene and want to be involved.





Step 3: Follow Up, But Don’t Be a Pest

Don’t ever lose any connections you ever make. Keep band e-mails. Keep promoter e-mails. If somebody booked you and you think there’s even a remote chance they liked you or were impressed by your work ethic, send them an e-mail after the show and tell them you loved working with them (if you did), and that you’d love to play anything in the future. Don’t be sad if they don’t e-mail back. I can tell you from personal experience that promoters are busy people, and sometimes just backbench ideas for quite some time before putting them into practice. If they’ve said they’ll consider you for a show – remind them a few months later if nothing’s come up, but don’t send them an e-mail every week begging for shows like a whiny puppy. Pestering a promoter can actually turn them OFF from booking you.



Step 4: Get Some Buzz Going – But Don’t Overdo it.

Participate in forums, online chats, promoter or event meetings, and anything else related to the local scene. Ask around, find out if there is online forums local zines! This is a great way to meet and talk with people. Once again – if people know you from somewhere, ANYWHERE, it’s going to be easier for you to get a show. DON’T go onto Albertapunk.com and make three thousand posts asking for shows, or what people thought of your band. You will get flamed and ignored. DO volunteer for any show posted that asks if bands are interested in playing.

IGNORE THE COMMERCIALIZED SHOWS LIKE SUPERNOVA OR EMERGENZA. THESE WILL NOT GET YOU A LOCAL FOLLOWING AND THESE SHOWS ARE GENERALLY POORLY RUN.
By supporting large commercial entities who seek to profit off Independent music, all you do is feed the beast. These companies don’t care about who you are, they care about the dollar bills you bring them.


All in all, it’s about putting yourself out there. The sad truth is there is amazing talent lurking in the shadows of local music scenes, better than the bands being booked, but this talent won’t be heard because those in the bands didn’t know where to go to get heard.
Seek out websites and e-mails of promoters, record a crappy demo, start going to shows, and you just might find yourself on a stage sooner than you think.


- x0x0

 

Wow, that's great.. You make me miss my band.. We broke up after like 5 gigs..

 

Can a mod sticky this plz? it was a sticky before the x-fer, thx.

 

Sticky.

 

Myspace

It also helps getting started.

 

missed my band..

 

This is pretty good.
Our band kinda got lucky, we lead services every wed night for our church's youth ministry. We play Rock/Acoustic.

We have a myspace, and that helps alot - we recently had US Play book us and a couple restaurants. We have been the opening for a few bands like Relient K, Kutless, POD, Toby Mac, Thousand Foot Krutch, and Third Day.

This guide is great, x0x0 = <3

 

Pretty good guide.

I used to have my own band..But we broke up, we were together for 4 years though rofl.

 

nice guide, but my next step is to get a band lol

 

myspace helps a lot,
my friends' band got a show without even being heard, theyve been invited back to the same place multiple times now

 

my uncle got a record deal from myspace too..its a really good jump start

 

dude you make it out to be harder than it is. i've been the guitarist for my band (destructive solution) for a year or 2 now, all you gotta do is get your sound out anyway u can and if your good u will be noticed , just upload your music on download sites like limewire , avion , myspace etc. and people will notice you. id say when we first started and got everything together it took us maybe a month or 2 at most to find our first good gig after that its been simple

 

Very nice guide. Personally, i am not musically talented, but i have a best mate that has always astonished me with his natural guitar ability. I really think he could go far but he is in a band of people at school, and i really think there holding him back. He needs to get in with a group that have talent like him, yet he knows no one with that much talent. Any advice?

 

Nice guide My band just started up your right it is difficult to get a gig

 

Play squat gigs and house shows, pussies.

 

pshhhh nice guide but i got it easy tho..my grandfather is a music producers kinda sorta and we played and shows and what not then after a while of convinceing him we make a cd..or more like a demo...

 

nice guide!

 

Nice guide.

This is my band ;D.

Grindcore\Thrash ftw.

www.dred.com.au

www.myspace.com/dredmetal

 

Get Outta Town!

 

are you XoXo lt?