With festival season in full swing, life for the touring musician can get pretty hectic. For some, the summer festival season means focusing all of your efforts to plan and perform the perfect set at those big shows. But don't forget about the end of the summer! Cool down from the past couple of months with these eight tips from our industry experts. They'll help you out when you go to book your next gigs.
1. "Look to the house show circuit. You may be surprised to find out there's plenty of people in underground scenes across the country who actually want to help likeminded bands from other towns." – Jhoni Jackson, music journalist and venue owner
From: 6 Productive Ways to Fill Empty Dates on Tour
2. "Advancing shows: do it. Advancing a show means figuring out load-in, soundcheck, tech riders, set time, order of the bands, confirming meal comps, accommodations, etc. You should also have already discussed payment, but if you haven’t, now is the time." – Liam Duncan, touring musician
From: 5 Touring Hacks Every Musician Should Know
3. "Contact local colleges/universities. The size of the audience may vary from show to show, but colleges are one of the best locales for music outside of your standard bar/restaurant type venue, and dedicating the time to contacting them will pay off." – Eric Bernsen, marketing/public relations professional and music journalist
From: 5 Strategies for Finding Great Performance Opportunities When Big Venues Ignore You
4. "Get posters up a month in advance. Multiple posters is even better, of course, and hanging more beyond the club at nearby bars or other places your audience frequents is best." – Jhoni Jackson, music journalist and venue owner
From: 5 Tips for Better Show Promotion and Turnout
5. "Ask about media coverage. Once your show is confirmed with a certain venue, ask its management if they have any local media partners. Some will and some won’t, but you never know if you don’t ask, and they won’t mind you wanting to promote your own show!" – Hugh McIntyre, music journalist
From: How to Promote Your Next Tour Like a Seasoned Publicist Would
6. "No two venues are exactly alike, but every single one has a bottom line in terms of operational costs. It's important to weigh how the club in question works against the payment you're looking for." – Jhoni Jackson, music journalist and venue owner
From: Is Your Band Ready to Demand a Guarantee for Shows? Venue Owners Explain the Reality
7. "If it says no phone calls, don’t call. If it says no pitches to a certain email address, respect that. Otherwise, all your professionalism is thrown out the window." – Liam Duncan, touring musician
From: How to Pack a Summer Full of Festivals as an Indie Band
8. "When you send a message on Facebook asking for the email address of the person responsible for booking, you better have checked everywhere for that information first. If not, and it's clearly listed on the about page or on the venue's website, then you're going to look kinda lazy." – Jhoni Jackson, music journalist and venue owner
From: 7 WTF Booking Mistakes Bands Often Make That You Can Easily Avoid