So. You’ve assembled a group of amazing singers. You’ve got a business manager and a music director. You’re running a nice PR campaign. You finally updated your website. You got your rockin’ repertoire. You rehearse like mad. You’re basically a well-oiled machine. You’ve done a couple shows, then you go to look at your list of upcoming performances, and it’s totally empty!! Why don’t we have any holiday gigs? You suddenly feel like Ol’ Mother Hubbard looking for dog food.

Does this sound familiar? This is a situation that every pro group faces at some point, and it’s the situation of many collegiate groups in the country right around this point in the school year. But not to fret! Time to get some gigs!

Time out. Let me just address a little pet peeve of mine. As funny as the word “gig” is, and as super-hip as you feel when you use it, the general public does not use the word “gig.” If you go to a corporate client, asking for a “Christmas gig,” they’ll quickly realize just how new you are. To the regular world, this is called a “performance” or a “show.” Say whatever you want among your group members, but just don’t write “gig” on your website or concert flyers. As a personal favor to me.

OK. Back to the advice. There are no hard and fast rules when it comes to getting performance opportunities. You really just have to do lots of networking, and keep your eyes and ears open. Any time you hear about a show going on, see if you can get your group in the lineup. That said, here are a few more specific ideas:

1.     Talk to past clients. Any time you perform somewhere, make it a repeat gig. Always. If you do a corporate show, stay in contact with the company. Do the gig again! Your group is a business, and you’ve got to think like a business person by using repeat clients. There’s nothing easier.

2.     Draw from your pool of student/community organizations. Every member of your group is a member of other organizations. Your alto is a regular churchgoer, your soprano volunteers with the Girl Scouts, you’ve got a bass who’s active in the Rotary Club, whatever. Everyone does something, and if you each take the time to put yourself out there, you’ll be amazed how many opportunities you’ll find. It’s all about networking! If you’re a student group, why not do a gig for other student organizations on campus? Maybe a tenor in your group is a part of the Jewish Students Association – they’re worth asking, and so is everyone!

3.     Do workshops at local schools. Make some phone calls around to the local schools, or better yet, do some visiting in person. Get to know the local choir directors. They love nothing more than having a group of cool singers show up to teach their kids. Put together a fun, yet educational, workshop, where you teach the kids a little about how your group works, arranges music, etc. And give away lots of free stuff – people love swag. Some schools will pay for you to do these workshops. Even when they don’t, it’s a good opportunity to perform, and you never know what other gigs may come from it. This, by the way, makes a great repeat gig.

4.     Sing in the streets. Go to the downtown area of your city, or a big city near you, and sing on the streets. Bring a sign on a sandwich board with your group’s name and website on it. Bring CDs to sell or give away. You may be able to put out a hat and get some cash from passers-by. If you’re good, you’ll draw in a nice crowd. If you sing long enough, someone walking by may want to write a story about you, or even offer you a performance opportunity. As always, bring business cards! You never know who you’ll run into!

5.     Mooch off your alumni. If your group has revolving membership, or has gone through a few “generations,” then you already have a major untapped resource of mini-missionaries at your disposal: your alumni! These folks love your group to death, even when you stink, and many of them will do just about anything to help you. Don’t ask them for money, but do ask them for a hook-up. These alumni work for companies, they’re involved in charitable organizations, they go to church, whatever. They’re connected – use those connections!

6.     Use your fans. Your fans love you and want to see you perform. If you mention on your website and in your monthly fanlist emails that you’re looking for more performances, they’ll definitely jump on it. But don’t just say “find us a place to perform.” Instead, teach them how to hire you – tell them that you love to perform at schools, for companies, and for parties. Tell your fans what to do, and put them to work for you.

7.     Throw your own freakin’ concert. You don’t have to always be hired in order to have a gig. If you feel confident that you can draw a decent crowd, book your own venue, hire your own sound guy, and start selling tickets. This obviously doesn’t work every week, but every few months or twice a year, you can throw a pretty large concert that may net you a handsome sum. If you’re smooth, you can get a cheap venue or a free one in order to maximize your profit. If you’re still a new group, get a friend to do sound for you, use a free venue, and make the show free. You won’t make any money, but you’ll hopefully increase your fan base. It’s amazing how many more people show up to a concert when it’s free.

8.     Shameless self-promotion. This is really the bottom line. You’ve just got to put yourself out there, pass out those business cards, and tell people you’re looking for performances. You have something to sell, so become a salesman. You don’t have to be cheesy or insincere; on the contrary, be proud of what you’re selling. You’ve worked really hard to put together a polished product, and you deserve the money you make. Sell yourself everywhere you can; you never know where your next gig is going to come from.

Good luck!

Got a question for Dave about managing or directing a group? Send him a note: dave[at]casa.org.

Comments (1)

	1. Written by gareth on 18-08-2008 04:17 - Registered
	How to Get Gigs advice is NOT just for b This has been used by stand up comedians, singers and bands to help in getting gigs. It may be of use as an outline here:      5 Steps to Book your band    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 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.

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