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I am lookinh to gig out more often than I do at the moment and I would like to know if you could answers some question about you gigging "busniess".
1. How did you get your first gig?
2. Do you play in a band?
3. Are you a solo artist?
4. How do you get gigs now?
5. Do you use booking websites such as GigMasters?
6. If you play as a solo artist and in a band, where do you most of your gigs coming from?
7. What is your typical audience? What is the typical age and gender of your audience?
7. Do you sell things at your gigs such as t-shirts, hats, CDs etc?
8. Do you stream your gigs on social networks such as Youtube, Live Stream, or Facebook?
9. How do you approch you gig? Do you view them as opportunities to sell your music, or do you gig because you enjoy preforming?
10. How do you sell yourself as a musician to convience the person looking to book that you are worth the time and money?
This question are in not particular order. Please comment as I would appreciate your perspective.
Last edited by Islansoul; 04/18/18 07:29 AM.
Computer: Macbook Pro, 16 inch 2021
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plays drums, percussion, bass, steel pan, keyboard,
music producer/engineer
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Journeyman
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I am lookinh to gig out more often than I do at the moment and I would like to know if you could answers some question about you gigging "busniess". 1. How did you get your first gig? I auditioned for a band that already had gigs booked. They just wanted to replace their singer.2. Do you play in a band? Yes. www.blackwaterjackband.com3. Are you a solo artist? Yes. www.sammycountry.com4. How do you get gigs now? Mostly word of mouth and occasionally taking promo material to new places.5. Do you use booking websites such as GigMasters? No.6. If you play as a solo artist and in a band, where do you most of your gigs coming from? Most months I play more solo than with the full band.7. What is your typical audience? What is the typical age and gender of your audience? Generally blue color/bikers. Typically 35% female, 65% male, age 35 - 65. I have started playing some beach bars lately which can draw a younger crowd, but they are usually on vacation.7. Do you sell things at your gigs such as t-shirts, hats, CDs etc? CDs. I have other products but only sell them at bigger shows.8. Do you stream your gigs on social networks such as Youtube, Live Stream, or Facebook? I have done Facebook Live and Periscope before but not lately.9. How do you approch you gig? Do you view them as opportunities to sell your music, or do you gig because you enjoy preforming? I enjoy what I do but it is also how I make a living. 10. How do you sell yourself as a musician to convience the person looking to book that you are worth the time and money? I let my work speak for itself. If you are a musician you shouldn't need to sell yourself as one. However putting a professional appearance forward and conducting yourself as a professional business person in all aspects of your music ventures will help.This question are in not particular order. Please comment as I would appreciate your perspective.
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I am lookinh to gig out more often than I do at the moment and I would like to know if you could answers some question about you gigging "busniess". 1. How did you get your first gig? When we heard they were holding dance in Jr High School, the guitar player asked if we could play, and then we auditioned (a semi-formal audition).
For those out of school; agencies are good, networking works, cold calls work (but it takes a lot to get a gig) but first get good promotional material together.2. Do you play in a band? Yes, and I've played in a number of them3. Are you a solo artist? I'm a solo hog  -- seriously, no, although since I sing as well as play 7 instruments I could be, but I prefer to play with others4. How do you get gigs now? Agencies, word of mouth, and repeat business - I used to do cold calls, but I have enough repeat business and referrals that I don't have to. I also have a website http://www.s-cats.com and I run a free ad in cragslist.5. Do you use booking websites such as GigMasters? I have a free account with GigSalad, but in my area it isn't worth the pay feature - my locality is too small6. If you play as a solo artist and in a band, where do you most of your gigs coming from? Mostly repeat business followed by referrals and agencies. I keep business cards out for all my gigs except those booked by an agent and people take them. If they call, I never know if it is from a card or a referall7. What is your typical audience? What is the typical age and gender of your audience? 40 to nearly dead We do yacht clubs, country clubs, retirement developments, private parties mostly, and we've had a house gig one day a week in a commercial marina for 10 years now.7. Do you sell things at your gigs such as t-shirts, hats, CDs etc? No8. Do you stream your gigs on social networks such as Youtube, Live Stream, or Facebook? No9. How do you approch you gig? Do you view them as opportunities to sell your music, or do you gig because you enjoy preforming? I enjoy performing. At each gig I use my eyes and exerience to size up the audience and decide what to play first. Then I simply use how the song went over plus eyes and experience to call tunes for the rest of the night. I want to give the audience the right song at the right time to give them the maximum experience. That's my goal anyway. 10. How do you sell yourself as a musician to convience the person looking to book that you are worth the time and money? I first ask them what they want, then honestly and conversationally tell them what I can do. In the conversation I'll point them to our website (with demos) if they haven't already been there. It's important to be honest, and not to oversell yourself and it's important to listen.
Cold-calls are tough, and fortunately I haven't had to do that in decades (we've been a duo for 30 years now).This question are in not particular order. Please comment as I would appreciate your perspective.
There are a lot of musicians out there, and whether we are in the union or not, we are all small businesses in competition with each other (hopefully friendly competition). Your job is to do it better than the others. Make better music, pace the audience better, and have a more professional off-stage demeanor.
Good luck,
Notes
Bob "Notes" Norton  Norton Music
https://www.nortonmusic.com
100% MIDI Super-Styles recorded by live, pro, studio musicians for a live groove
& Fake Disks for MIDI and/or RealTracks
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Journeyman
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9. How do you approch you gig? Do you view them as opportunities to sell your music, or do you gig because you enjoy preforming?
I enjoy performing. At each gig I use my eyes and exerience to size up the audience and decide what to play first. Then I simply use how the song went over plus eyes and experience to call tunes for the rest of the night. I want to give the audience the right song at the right time to give them the maximum experience. That's my goal anyway.
Notes[/b] I usually do this as well. I hate using a set list. It's much better to feel out your crowd and be flexible. If needed you can always keep a master list of the songs you know on hand but set lists limit you too much.
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I learned long ago that I'm not clairvoyant enough to do set lists. With experience I learned to pace the audience and give them what they need when they need it even though they aren't aware of what they need at the time. Of course, I'm not 100% accurate 100% of the time, but I'm on it most of the time. It makes the gig more fun for the audience, and that makes it even more fun for us. Insights and incites by Notes
Bob "Notes" Norton Norton Music
https://www.nortonmusic.com
100% MIDI Super-Styles recorded by live, pro, studio musicians for a live groove
& Fake Disks for MIDI and/or RealTracks
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eddie1261
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I was always the opposite. I worked from set lists all the time. BUT.
I was always in bands that required guitar changes, me putting on a sax and crossing the stage to the horn section... we had to know what was coming to keep the dead air to a minimum. And in another band, our second set was 60 minutes where every song was bridged to the next, so there was no mix or match there,
But whatever works.
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PG Music Staff
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PG Music Staff
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Posts: 3,414 |
Very interesting thread! Most of my gigs have been through meeting people word of mouth who put me up. Very intrigued to hear other people's experiences, particularly with social media related booking.
Cheers,
Deryk
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I learned long ago that I'm not clairvoyant enough to do set lists. With experience I learned to pace the audience and give them what they need when they need it even though they aren't aware of what they need at the time. Of course, I'm not 100% accurate 100% of the time, but I'm on it most of the time.
It makes the gig more fun for the audience, and that makes it even more fun for us.
Insights and incites by Notes
Life is short so make sure you spend as much time as possible on the Internet arguing with strangers.
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As a relatively new solo live player, I'd love to know a little more about how you read the audience. Monkey see, monkey do for this little monkey. I use a set list most of the time, but even if I didn't it would be sort of random. I did notice last week a friend put on a iPod of songs and the whole crowd of mainly middle aged and older people went for it - continually dancing. When I asked him how he did it, he told me his pro DJ mate had given the set list to him. So I know it works. He put on YMCA and it went off. I tried it once at the start of a DJ session after a show at the same place and nearly got thrown out. I swore never to DJ again. :-) It's a real art form.
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I am lookinh to gig out more often than I do at the moment and I would like to know if you could answers some question about you gigging "busniess".
1. How did you get your first gig?
My first gig was soo long ago I can barely remember it. But it was a job with my brothers band. In those days there were few bands about. How we came by it I don't know.
2. Do you play in a band?
Not these days. I retired from bands a number of years ago.
3. Are you a solo artist?
These days yes. But I may assist others
4. How do you get gigs now?
when I moved into a retirement village I gave away my amps and pedals I was retiring. I gave a couple of guitars to my daughter as keepsakes. I moved to the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia where few people knew me. First month I was here someone asked me to do a few songs. From there more people asked so I play every few weeks which is as busy as I want.
5. Do you use booking websites such as GigMasters?
No
6. If you play as a solo artist and in a band, where do you most of your gigs coming from?
Solo
7. What is your typical audience? What is the typical age and gender of your audience?
A lot of what I do is in aged care or retirement villages so mostly older people.
7. Do you sell things at your gigs such as t-shirts, hats, CDs etc?
Not these days
8. Do you stream your gigs on social networks such as Youtube, Live Stream, or Facebook?
No
9. How do you approch you gig? Do you view them as opportunities to sell your music, or do you gig because you enjoy preforming?
I have fun and enjoy having others enjoy themselves. I look for audience participation.
10. How do you sell yourself as a musician to convience the person looking to book that you are worth the time and money?
I don't really, it is pretty much word of mouth.
This question are in not particular order. Please comment as I would appreciate your perspective.
HP i7-4770 16GB 1TB SSD, Win 10 Home,
Focusrite 2i2 3rd Gen, Launchkey 61, Maton CW80, Telecaster, Ovation Elite TX, Yamaha Pacifica 612
BB 2022(912) RB 2022(2), CakeWalk, Reaper 6, Audacity, Melodyne 5 Editor, Izotope Music Production Suite 4.1
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Apprentice
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Apprentice
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 289 |
1. How did you get your first gig?
Cold Calling and leaving flyers etc
2. Do you play in a band?
Yes, we're called Reeverb
3. Are you a solo artist?
Not at the moment but did some solo work a few years ago under the name of Blues House
4. How do you get gigs now?
Still a lot of cold calling even to the repeat venues, they soon forget
5. Do you use booking websites such as GigMasters?
No
7. What is your typical audience? What is the typical age and gender of your audience?
We mainly play pub gigs so all ages but our catchment audience are the Boomers.
7. Do you sell things at your gigs such as t-shirts, hats, CDs etc?
Not yet
8. Do you stream your gigs on social networks such as Youtube, Live Stream, or Facebook?
No, although occasionally the venue will.
9. How do you approch you gig? Do you view them as opportunities to sell your music, or do you gig because you enjoy preforming?
Enjoy playing and growing with every gig - always a new experience, but it's also paid work.
10. How do you sell yourself as a musician to convience the person looking to book that you are worth the time and money?
I totally agree with the previous comments about not giving your band away for free in a commercial environment. We've done a fair share of fundraisers etc., but many bands these days will play for exposure and make it difficult to get paid work. Venues will usually go for the cheapest option and take the hit on the quality.
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Last Chance! The Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac® Special Ends Today (May 31, 2026) at 11:59pm PDT!
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