Time for your music dreams to come true playing live onstage to masses of screaming fans or at least a room full of people listening in to your creations. Though the ultimate goal is a good-paying gig, an artist or band just starting out may have to take on some freebies. Consider them as experience. Use this list as a start on how to get gigs, a checklist of the basics, and an idea starter.

The Prep:

Talent know your style, be solid in your performance abilities before you take on too big a gig

All band mates know their responsibilities

Calendar create your timeline

Internet – online presence, class ads, forums, press, make friends with other bands

Networking go to shows of other bands and meet them, create critical allies, rub elbows

Press kit with contact info, web address

Demo tape/CD with your 3 best songs

Rehearsed extensively

Decent equipment with backups and spares

Reliable transportation for band and ALL equipment

Funds who handles your band finances, food, gas, places to stay

Booking agency or manager to get bookings when affordable and research thoroughly

Sound Technician

Playlist well shaped, great flow, more than enough for the time allowed, minimal pause between songs

The Places:

Fundraisers, charities, benefits

Festivals, fairs, city free concert venues, trade shows

Music competitions, songwriting contests

Battle of the bands

Clubs, bars, pubs karaoke, open mic night

Weddings, special occasions, private functions, parties

Country clubs, cruise ships

Restaurants, cafes, coffee shops, bookstores

Schools, churches, colleges

House concert

Jam sessions

Online video

Gig trading with other bands of similar style one band opens the show, the other closes

Getting the Gig:

Attitude should be how we can help each other

Understand what is expected of you dont assume anything, including food and drinks

Make sure the venue has a good rep for being fair

Be ready if you need to do a live audition during a clubs less busy hours.

Venue specifications, space, sound

Keep your word, build respect, do what you say you will do

Get it in writing, contract

You know its up to you to promote your gig, right?

The Promotion:

Word of mouth with enthusiasm!

Flyers, posters get permission as needed (e.g. parking lots)

Street teams, fan clubs

Internet marketing events, email, ezines, newsletters, class ads, Blogs, concert calendars, mailing list (online/offline)

Call ALL your friends, family, co-workers, school mates

Press releases to any media available

Newspaper, radio, local gig guides

Bulletin boards, music stores, record shops

Go where your particular style of fan would hang out or work do your market research

Swap promo with local stores, restaurants, come up with some cool idea

The number of heads through the door is the most important factor for a re-booking

At Work:

A gig is a job so the same rules apply: be on time, dont take too many set breaks, be prepared to do your best and be professional at all times. The reputation you create will proceed you.

Sound check, balance, volume levels

Make sure the audience knows the name of your band

A good catchy opening line

Be adaptive to your environment have a sense of humor

A musician under the influence of drugs or alcohol is a recipe for disaster

Merchandise for sale CDs, t-shirts, stickers, door prizes

Have someone take good photos (video) for adding to your photo albums later and schmooze with your fans! Get fan names to add to the photo narrative.

Collect emails, hand out biz cards, promote the next upcoming gig, get references

Something will probably go wrong, think through typical disasters and try to be prepared

Have a great time because you are doing what you love to do!

The Follow-up:

Let everyone know you had a great time and appreciate that they came to see you and thank the venue operators and staff

If you have a band following you, be polite and move your equipment as quickly as possible

Have your pre-appointed money collector do their job

Drop the rock star attitude dont get a big head

Respect the people around you and don’t burn any bridges

Learn from every experience

Add any upcoming gig or follow-up press release to your music profile. Show the world what you are about!

Artistopia – The Ultimate Artist Development Resource http://www.artistopia.com is an artist development and community on the web providing music artists, songwriters and bands all the tools needed for displaying their talent, music business collaboration, marketing and networking. Online since 2003, Artistopia develops advanced technology solutions that leverage the Internet to both the music artist and music companies respective advantage.

For more education on careers in the music industry, check out: www.Music-Career-Guide.com

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Being a Musician and working on your material in the cozy, protected confines of your home – gives you a place to write, and develop your band’s chops without any added pressures or interference. But what’s missing is actually getting out there and playing at local jam’s. As well, musicians seem to be petrified of playing with others and screwing up in public.

Players are worried about being shown-up by other musicians. What I usually suggest is that you get out there into what I call the insecurity zone and play something you know first – just to get in front of a crowd, then playing something you’re not so familiar with, and with another player – and if you do make a mistake play right through it and move on to the next riff.

The reason I say this is because so many players make mistakes and don’t attempt to play past it, and “fret” over the mistake and virtually stop playing. Your playing doesn’t have to be perfect, just practice on your tone and note playing.

Becoming accomplished Players:

Your mistakes if done right when you move on to the next chord can become an element of the song. One of the main reasons bands or individual musicians never get on stage and make that next move into club work is stage fright, and being seen as a band that has terrible chops or ability to just play in time.

Stage fright shouldn’t be a consideration in your ascent to being a bar or a touring band. As far as a band’s chops go, that’s more important than being afraid of being on-stage in public. A healthy dose of stage fright can propel you and your band into playing their best. Part of getting your music out there is to get it critiqued by a well known musician who plays your style of music. Don’t get a recording engineer to listen to it. Have that invidual go out to listen and watch you on-stage – and submit a CD as well so they can give you a good idea of what to work on in your shows and on your recordings. Now back to the trembling mounds of flesh that you are.

Getting Started On-Stage:

Start by going to local jams with your whole band and by yourself as well. When you go with your band-mates, bring your guitars and a good practice amp which you can pick up at a pawn shop for approximately $100.00. This way you have an amp and guitar set-up to your specs, not some one else’s, and can play it well. This way you don’t have to lug around your SWR, Crate, or Ampeg which you should use in your shows anyway. Next, you should ask the musician running the jam if it’s all right if your band plays a tune or two.

Jams get your band’s name out there, even in a very small way. Get your band members to go on-stage during the jam by themselves with other players to get a reference on their feel, playing ability, chops and how to transfer that to your live and studio work. Keep on working your band’s repetoire, and write songs as much as you can, and practice other artist’s material, if that’s your bag.

Write – and rehearse enough material for at least one set at a local club. At this point, approach a number of clubs that book your style of music, and see about opening for a known band.

Opening for a band can sometimes get you more work than just booking your band early in the week by themselves. And act like professional Musicians, no matter what stage in your career you’re at – because you don’t know who’s watching you.

Even if you’re opening up for a headliner, or playing an early in the week show at a club for nothing – it’s still a fantastic way to get your band out there and work to become solid musicians. This way you’re learning how to promote your act and eventually get paid as working musicians. Next, you have to write up a band – bio and start developing a press kit. One way is to go on-line and look for articles from the best in the music Biz (Taxi) which is an A&R Specialist – Artist and Repetoire business for musicians.

These people have some of the most knowledgeable music industry veterans on staff, and can show you how to come up with a solid Bio and Press Kit – Just go to Taxi.com.

Start getting interviews with local college radio and print writers. Start your own web-page as well and write articles on the band yourself. It sounds rather ludicrous, but it’s a good way to do it yourself, and you can even interview your band members on their music careers, interests and goals.

One other way to get a following is to interview other musicians and write articles on different areas of the music business and get local music writers to help with content on your band website. This sounds like a lot of work, but if you love music enough you will do what’s needed.

At Canadian Guitar Player we specialize in interviewing musicians and writing articles on various topics of interests to musicians, which can be set-up as part of a band’s press kit.

DIY promotion and Making it work:

Getting a 3 song CD out there to promote and sell is also important… Like I said at the beginning of the article, your best 3 tracks with your strongest one first. As far as the recording goes you can do it on a 4 track or 8 track mixed on to CD. Also make sure to rehearse before going into the studio because no one likes to do 100 takes just to get it down right. Having all your instruments set up right so you don’t have to do any overdubs or editing is important.

Doing a soundcheck so no signal bleed happens between your singer and the rest of the band doesn’t give off feedback, or horrible sounding final mixes is also imperative. So make sure your mic’s are set up properly and if you have the money buy some solid Shure 57’s or 8’s to help in that process. By experimenting with mic distance from the amps can help in figuring out the best sound for the recording. So some pre-recording is in order just so you don’t have to keep on going back and getting frustrated by it all. If you know a musician locally who has done his own recordings and can help you, use their knowledge to help you along the path. It’s not always the top producers who will know what you need. Also, keep reading tips from Taxi.com and magazines like Guitar Player and Canadian Musician to help your recording, and becoming the great musician and band you know you can be.

Canadian Guitar Player Magazine has always been diligent in DIY promotion and can set up bios and press kits for a nominal fee. You’ll want to learn all you can in this business we love so much. So never settle for the status quo and always keep on asking for the best from your band mates as well. First of all, get all you can out of the local scene before starting to get bookings out of town, because media promotion is essential before you hit the big cities like Toronto, Montreal or New York. In the next article on getting the band out of the basement, we’ll delve into the services of booking agents, coming out with a CD release, and learning the nuts and bolts of being a working musician.

Written by – Mark Grove – CGP
www.taxi.com Your A&R specialist’s

For more education on careers in the music industry, check out: www.Music-Career-Guide.com

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