Booking Gigs - Question

JonaWilder

Hey guys,

I'm a new artist that has never booked shows before.  All the articles I'm reading say to e-mail the venue and suggest the dates you're looking to play (Hi, I'm blank and I'm wanting to play your venue on such and such nights).

My question is, since I'm only looking to book a 30-40 minute slot how do I suggest dates?  I'm not a promoter or event coordinator so I'm not looking put together a show or find 3 other bands to play with me, do I just look at their websites calendar for nights that aren't booked?

Thanks all, any advice would be much appreciated.

Toasty

For a 30-40 minute slot you'd be looking at joining a bill of an established night or a touring act, its not enough time for venues to book a night for you alone. You'll also need to prove to venues that you have an act that's worth taking a punt on.

One way in is open mic nights, these are very popular at the moment (many options in the midlands for example). Turn up and show venues what you've got, if you impress, you may get offered bigger bookings or at least chat with people who can point you in the right direction.