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Are you a band
just starting out? Or you just haven't hit your stride yet? Could be you just don't have the bucks to promote your band yet.
First of all, if you've got any club work coming up already, or are in negotiation
for gigs, these people could help you get through the bleak periods.
*One idea is to try for a deposit along with your contract. If the club owner
balks, you could explain that you're going to use better equipment for his gig, and he'll benefit in the long-run.
*Another idea is if you know the club is booked for awhile, tell them you are
also booked, but would like to discuss the possibility of returning in six weeks. [And then DO IT!]. This tells the club owner
you aren't beginners and that his customers won't be test subjects! Tell them you LOVE performing there and that you did a
good job, the crowd was receptive, the club had good receipts, and that you showed up on time. Then ask the club owner if
they might write you a letter of recommendation. However you ask, put it in your own words but let them think it was their
idea.
*Something else. Club owners know each other. They know which bands are a pain,
which are good, which are late, which ones bring in the crowds, and which don't work at all. Don't alienate a club owner if
he or she is having a bad night. You may think you'll never want to work there again, and you may not. But things change,
and management/owners change. But the reputation you'll end up with will hurt you in the other clubs in the area and may take
a long time to recover from [if ever].
*After a successful gig, try to re-book your band immediately. The good feeling from
the nights' performance could pay off in more work. And you can always ask the club owner about other job referrals.
Remember if they like you, they are more apt
to refer, or just give you a couple of names and have you go for yourself.
Constant communication is very important. Some club owners don't like to return
calls [surprise, surprise]. If you don't hear from them don't give up. Send them a note. Give them another call. Leave an
interesting message on their answering machine. Call them again. A little decent persistence can have a lot of reward. Use
your personality. Get them to like you, and ask them to book you. Even if they don't book you, always let them know where
you are playing, what you are doing, and how you could do a great job for them if the opportunity presents itself.
A tactic I have often used myself especially
when starting out with a new band is: Send flyers, send business cards, send brochures, send articles, send anything and everything
you can with the band name on it. CONSTANTLY! Place flyers on billboards, in grocery stores, mail them to clubs and club owners,
place them in music shops, anywhere and everywhere you can. Then when you start calling about bookings, they will recognize
the band name and this will make them more receptive to you. [Psychological marketing works!] They may not be able to
place the band name, but they can't put the band name together with anything bad either. This means a great start and hopefully
more work for your band! |
