10 Things You Can Do To Book More Shows!

1. Create a YouTube channel for your band.

Upload a live performance video on YouTube that represents your band at its best. Include a phone number and e-mail address too, so that anyone who wants to book you can contact you easily. Say something like “Contact ________ to book us for a live show.” To show professionalism and interest, try your best to respond to every inquiry within 48 hours.
2. Print up nice business cards

…with your band name, links to your music, live videos, and a phone number and e-mail address that can be reached for booking purposes. Also, include a link to your website so they can learn more about you. Wherever you go, tell people who you are, how good you are, where you are playing next and how easy it is for them to book you directly. A little shameless self-promotion here and there can go a long way!
3. Go watch other bands that sound like you.

If there are any bands in your area with large followings, get out to a couple shows and become friends with other bands. Ask the bigger bands to let you open for them, maybe in exchange for some kind of help like designing a website, flyer, banner, etc. The harder you work for a band bigger than your band, and the more respectful you are to them and their efforts, the more likely they will consider you for an opening slot. Talk up how good your band is not why you are better than some other bands in the area.
4. Tell your fans how easy it is to book you.

Wherever you play – the street, house party, club or major venue, make sure your fans are aware that you’re willing to play anywhere. Use the Live Music Machine’s booking and calendar widget. Put it on your Facebook page, MySpace profile, personal web site, etc. and tell your fans to go there and book you for their private events, house parties, etc. After playing a gig, you should walk around the audience, engage people, ask them what they thought of the show, and let them know you are available to play live anywhere they want you too. Telling them that will definitely help you stand out from the pack.
5. Get guerilla.

Set up wherever there is a crowd of people who might like your music and play for them. Club, high school, venue, and stadium parking lots. How many tailgate parties do you think would love some free entertainment? Play outside clubs where bands are playing that fit in with your style of music. Those people waiting in line are going to be bored, so playing a spontaneous gig right on the spot will definitely make an unforgettable impression.
6. Don’t forget the old school.

Hand out flyers and post cards at events that have a link to free stuff and a way to book you for a gig.
7. Network with key industry people at events and conferences.

Radio PD’s and DJ’s, club owners, band managers, label executives, and others all attend music conferences quite regularly. Say hello to these people, maybe buy them a drink or dinner, but don’t make a nuisance of yourself. Respect their space and don’t try shoving a CD in their face two minutes after meeting them. Introduce yourself casually, let them know who you are and where they can see you play. If’s it’s a club owner, tell them you would love to come in during the day and do a free audition for a free gig. Just make sure you can get a place to sell your merchandise if you nab a gig. Offer to play at places that may not always host live music, like restaurants, coffee shops, stores, and malls.
8. Get creative.

Write up a proposal and present it to the appropriate person at your local school board, offering to do a series of free shows to raise money for the school athletic or band program. Ask to perform during a school assembly when they can provide you with a built-in audience.
9. Find places where bands similar to yours play.

Use Reverbnation’s “Gig Finder” to figure out where bands are getting booked in your area. However, e-mailing clubs with your RPK or EPK usually won’t get any results, because many of these venues have yet to claim their venue pages on ReverbNation. Instead, after finding some good places, print out your press kit and mail it to them, or better yet, personally drop it off it in a nice professional package along with a CD to any decision maker at the club. Follow up with a call within a couple of days so you stay fresh in their minds. If the decision maker has an assistant, get to know that person and you will find that it will be much easier to get in the door. If you email them anything at all, make it your MySpace link along with a concise paragraph stating why they should book you. For some reason, most clubs still feel most comfortable checking you out on MySpace, so play by their rules.
10. Do a gig swap!

If you have a respectable following or are an up and coming band, use sites like Indieonthemove.com and Splitgigs.com to trade and share gigs with other bands who might want to break into your market. Collaboration is key to success in today’s fragmented music industry.

BONUS TIP! Everywhere you go, wherever you play, whomever you talk to about your band… collect as many e-mail addresses as you can. E-mail is still one of the best ways to communicate directly with your fan base, and develop long-lasting relationships.

Source:  www.tightmixblog.com

How To Get More Fans To Shows (more or less)

Have you been playing gigs and not getting tons of fans to your  shows? Have you been searching the internet for an answer and only  finding things that don't work? Yes, get a myspace page, get a facebook  page, send out e-mails, spam craigslist, tweet, pretend to be cool, and  kiss Bill Gates. That doesn't really work. Here is some other stuff that  no one ever tells you about (that won't work either.)

WARNING These methods below should not be used under any  circumstances unless you want your band to have even less people show up  to your gigs.

Music- You need to have a  band that is playing at least 'tolerable' music. The music does not  have to be great but it shouldn't annoy anyone. As long as you are not  annoying the heck out of everyone; the music is secondary. People going  to shows don't listen to your music anyways. They are just there to get  drunk and

try to dance. Your job is to make people look better to a  person of the opposite sex, so that they can try to take them home. Loud  music will reduce the amount they have to talk to each other. Less  talking mean less chances to sound like an idiot.

Invite your friends to your shows- If you have not been inviting your friends to your show... START NOW. If  you don't have any friends, find some or buy some. Making up friends is a  great idea but since invisible people never pay the cover charge, do  this sparingly.

Go To Other Shows- This  is the most important things. You should be going to at least one show  put on by other local acts every week. Introduce yourself to the band,  bring a hand bill for your next show and give it to each member of the  band (we'll get into hand bills in a second). Most local bands go see  other local bands. If you make it a point to go to other local shows,  well, they will come to yours. During their show it is a good idea to  clap loudly after every song screaming your bands name. Be sure to make  eye contact with the band's lead singer. Stare him down. He needs to  know you mean business. Sometimes other bands will sense weakness and  steal your fans. You are there to steal fans and they cannot stop you.

Hand Bills- For each show  print up 100-237 handbills. You should be able to fit four on a regular  piece of paper. Print them up at home! Really cheap. Or bring them to  Kinko's and pay way too much. Go to a website that offers free digital pictures (flickr.com) and use one of the public domain pictures.  Download the picture to your computer and edit it in your picture  program. Then just place text with the info of your show on the  handbill; date, time, band name ETC. if you are not any good with  computers then you should really learn. I mean, these things will be  running the country pretty soon. Have you read 1984? NO?!?!?! You need to read 1984.... or if you are dumb, watcha matrix movie.

Posters- Don't go crazy  with these. Three to five for each show are more than enough(make sure  to put one at the club and one at your work and one at your parents  house). Unless you are a known band already, no one is going to see your  poster and decide to go to your see your band. you should also make  sure that when you hang up these posters you place them OVER other  posters. People will respect you for that. It shows that you are not  intimidated easily. Also be sure to fasten the posters to walls  securely. Use a strong glue, or spit.

Give away CDs-Wait, but  you want to sell them. NO. NO you can't. Give them away. Now, never do  factory made CDs. You need to get creative. Burn the CDs on your neighbors computer. Decorate them with a sharpie or other ink. You will  also need to put them in a case. NOT A JEWEL CASE. No no no, we are  giving these CDs away. Take a piece of paper and cut it in half.. Now,  fold it in half. This will be your CD sleeve. Put the CD inside it and  staple the upper two corners. Blamo. You have a very cheap CD to give  away. Make sure on this cover you have printed your band name, web  address, upcoming show, home address, Social security number, location of Jimmy Hoffa and a picture of a cut cat doing something silly. Go to a  local show where a band is playing that sounds like yours. Go nuts and  give away a bunch of free CDs. you should also make sure that while at  this show to be as drunk as possible.

How to hand out handbills and CDs-NEVER  just hand something to someone and walk away. You need to make a  connection with them. If you don't make a connection they will not care  what you have to give them and you have just wasted your time. Talk to  the person first. A good conversation starter "boy, this band is good" also, to make them at ease that you are not hitting on them (boy or  girl) mention your significant other immediately somehow in the  conversation. Basically, you are trying to make a quick new friend that  when you give them a CD they will not just toss it in the trash. If you  give a CD to someone and they suddenly seem to not care about what you  are saying... take the CD back, punch them and move on. This world is  filled with too many stupid music haters to waste your time.

E-mail-  Make sure you  have an e-mail list. You should e-mail everyone on this list at least  4-5 times a day. Send them cute pictures you found on the internet or  links to sites that might give them viruses. You should also try sending  everything in Latin. ECCE EN PICTURA!

Source:  YourBand.info (We here at Distrophonix love this website, you have to check it out!)