How To Book Your First Gig 🎸
Table of contents
Open mic nights
Get a support spot at another band’s gig
How to organise your own gig
1 – Open Mic Nights 🎤
If you’re a solo artist, you can build your chops at an open mic night. Just Google open mic nights in your city and check out the details on each venue’s website. This is the easiest way to get a gig. However, when you’re ready to make it legit, you need to get on the bill at a reputable live music venue. How do you do that? Keep reading below.
2 – Get a support spot at another band’s gig 🫴
When you’re just starting out, you’re most likely looking to get a gig as a support act – meaning one of the artists playing before the headline act (the act everyone is really there to see).
Step 1
Look up your local gig guide or local music venues and Google the bands that have upcoming gigs.
Step 2
Figure out which bands you like and have a similar vibe to your music.
Step 3
Message or email the bands you like and let them know you’d love to be a support act at any upcoming shows they have. Keep the message short, but make sure you include:
a reference to a song or element of a song of theirs you like to show you’ve actually taken the time to listen to their music
a link to your social media profile/s
a link to one of your songs (a demo is totally fine)
list some bands that you sound like or are influenced by.
3 – Organise your own gig 👊
This one takes the most effort but gives you the most control over when and where you play.
Step 1 - Find support acts
If you organise your own gig, you’ll have to find support acts to play on the lineup with you. Most gigs usually have three acts so you’ll have to find two other artists.
If you’re a new band with a small following, you may want to consider booking another band for the headline spot and play as one of the support acts.
Reach out to some other artists or bands to see if they’d be interested in playing a gig you’re organising. Let them know that the details are yet to be confirmed but you’re looking to have it in (insert month) around (insert area or suburb/s).
Step 2 - Find venues online
Go online and find some smaller music venues with band rooms that hold around 50 to 100 people. Venues will usually provide the email address of their venue booker on their website or a form you can fill out for gig enquiries.
Contact the venue booker and let them know the following:
The date/s you’d like to book a gig for. Note that it’s easier for new bands to book gigs that aren’t on a Friday or Saturday night.
The bands that are likely to be on the lineup (including links to their social media accounts).
Is the gig for a special event like a single launch or a themed night? e.g. Folk Night. Special events are likely to attract more people.
How will you promote the event? At a minimum, you should make a poster, share the gig on social media and reach out to your networks.
Let them know you’re confident you’ll be able to fill the venue with people!
Step 3 - Lock in the support acts
Once you’re able to lock in a date with the venue booker, contact the other acts you want to play on the lineup and confirm their availability.
Once the acts are confirmed, create the set times and send them to the venue so they can add them to their worksheet. If you’re unsure about set times, just ask the venue booker what set times bands usually run at their venue.
Step 4 - Artwork
Once the lineup is locked in, you’ll need to design a gig poster. Venue bookers usually ask for a poster design that they can print out.
It’s also handy to design header artwork that can be used on social media and other event listing sites, such as EventBrite, bandsintown or Facebook events.
Step 5 - Promotion
Start promoting the gig ASAP! Go hard on social media and pressure your friends, family, work colleagues and your barista to come down.
Most venues will usually give you a cut of door sales (unless it’s a free event) so every person is another dollar towards your band kitty.
Step 6 - The worksheet
The venue booker will usually send you a worksheet once you book your gig with them. The worksheet provides all the info you’ll need for gig night including the venue’s backline (amps, drum kit, sound desk etc.), soundcheck times, set times, rider details, load-in and parking details, and the contact details of their recommended sound person.
Send the worksheet to all the acts playing your gig and let them know the following:
Soundcheck times (if they have a soundcheck). It’s common for only the headline act to have a soundcheck at smaller gigs.
Backline details – venues don’t usually have all the gear you need and you’ll have to BYO amps and a drumkit. As the gig organiser, it’s your responsibility to let the other bands know if you’ll be bringing amps and/or a drum kit that everyone can use or if they have to bring their own. I highly recommend you share one drum kit between all the bands. Smaller gigs don’t have the room or time to change over drum kits between bands.
Payment – there are a few ways to work out fees depending on what the venue offers and how much money you’re willing or able to share with the other acts. For example, you could offer to split the takings from the door after the sound person is paid. If you don’t have many people show up to the gig, you might not even make enough to pay the sound person, let alone the other acts. Smaller bands will be used to earning very little from gigs, but if you do make money from a gig, you should pay each act a share of it.
Step 7 - Book a sound person
Book a sound person. If you don’t know anyone, booking the venue’s recommended sound person is a great idea because they’ll be familiar with the venue’s equipment.
A sound person can cost upwards of $150 for a night’s work.
Send the gig worksheet to your sound person and:
make sure you confirm times for load-in, soundcheck and sets
send them a stage plot or list of inputs from every act playing on the night.
Step 8 - Play a sick show!
🤘
Step 9 - Payment
Collect payment from the venue. Pay your sound person and the other bands on the lineup.
Bonus step 🏆
When you’re communicating with the venue booker, be responsive and friendly. Also, make sure you do your best to promote the gig. If you’re easy to work with and manage to get a decent crowd to your gig, the venue booker may hit you up to play other gigs.
