Leicester College Blog

Get the Gig Bookings in: 5 Top Tips

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Enrolled into your perfect music and sound course? Thought up a band name or thinking about going solo? Need to get the gig bookings in?

Now you’re a little stuck and want to get some gigging experience in, how do you do it?

Here is our top five tips on how to secure that gig and keep that momentum going once you have.

Tip 1: Social Media

This will come under your marketing umbrella. Make sure you get yourself a professional logo, get your social media pages setup ensure you only use those you will constantly keep updated. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat are widely used by most bands. Don’t forget to get your iTunes, Soundcloud, Bandcamp accounts setup too.

John Meredith, Programme Area Manager for Music Technology advises:

“Maintain an active online presence: it needn’t be an all-singing all-dancing website if you don’t have the skills or money, but there’s nothing worse than visiting a Facebook page and there’s been no activity for weeks! Promoters need to know you’re busy and you’ll put the leg work in to get people to the gigs.”

Tip 2: Get Your Demo and Press Kits Ready     

When popping in venues it is always worth having a quick demo ready, be it on an USB or CD so they can have a quick listen. A little leaflet or booklet explaining your background will always go down a treat and look like you take your talent seriously.

Tip 3: Image

Whether you’re a band or a solo artist, image is important, you need to ensure you fit well together but also fit the venue and the audience that you will perform for. Ensure that you all look the part and look like you mean business. Most of the bigger artists have stylists but that does not mean you can’t achieve the same on a smaller budget.

Tip 4: Network

Every opportunity you get: network, network, network. Follow venues, events managers, promoters and fellow artists as you don’t know when you will benefit by having these contacts. It is important to have a strong network to be able to call upon. You don’t know when you will need them.

Tip 5: Book Your Own Gig

It may seem stressful but once you organise your first gig it can only get easier. Find yourself a venue, jot down all your contacts and get organising. Like you, there will be many artists that want that first big break. Get all your audiences together and rock-on! Sell tickets and start getting your gig experience in.

Good Luck!

For Music and Sound Technology courses click here.

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