3 tips to help musicians get more gigs

Guest post by Brendan Bostock – Bandmate.

Play different genres

It’s easy to fall into one genre and then stick to it; either we become complacent, we get stubborn or we’re afraid to learn new things. Whilst playing one genre is fun for some and an easy way to play the gigs you want, you’re potentially missing out on more opportunities.

If you have started playing music for the fun of it, by all means continue playing the type of music you love and gig when you can. However, if you are running your band like a business and want it to be your primary source of income, you may need to look at broadening your repertoire.

By expanding the genres you play, whether it’s country, rock, classic rock, jazz, pop or folk, you can confidently list your Profile under those categories and appear in more client searches. You want to be in people’s faces every time they search for a specific style of music.

It’s also a good challenge to step out of your comfort zone as a musician. You may even pick up a certain riff or drum fill that you might be able to use somewhere down the track.

Not sure what genre to tackle? Check the wide array of categories you could target here.

Offer different packages

Those who are looking to book live entertainment for their events or functions all have different needs and requirements. To appeal to people who are looking for something unique and who want value for what they pay, try offering different packages.

By packages we mean different things you can offer as a musician or band and the different variations of your band. If you are normally a 4-piece band, you may want to offer a solo, duo or trio package. This will help you appeal to a larger audience with varying budgets. It’s a great way to pick up gigs you wouldn’t normally get if you just offered yourself as a full band.

In your packages be sure to mention what the customer will be getting for their dollar. Will you offer MC services? Or can the event organiser use your microphone to make announcements throughout the evening? Perhaps you can offer personalised packages that appeal to brides & grooms; learn and play their wedding song for example.

Be sure to price your act accordingly so that you are competitive, but also not driving the prices down of other artists in the area. Clients want quality music, and if they discover the right act with the right package, the price won’t necessarily be the deciding factor.

Keep your profile up-to-date

Your band, or yourself as an artist, will continually evolve and as you are constantly learning new songs, it’s important to keep your online profiles up-to-date.

Cover bands are continually learning fresh and new songs to stay relevant and on top of their game; so, if you have learnt the latest Daft Punk song, or if you have finally mastered Bohemian Rhapsody, let the people know!

Update your profile to include the latest songs you have added, and include your full setlist below it. Customers want to know exactly what they’re getting, so be transparent and tell them exactly what you can play!

If you update your social media frequently when you’re at a gig, keep your CrowdPleaser profile updated too. Even if it’s a 30 second snippet of a gig you played last weekend, it shows the customer that you are in demand. It also shows you are a full-time, professional band that may even create a little FOMO to the customer, making you a hot ticket item.

By keeping information, videos and images up-to-date, customers will see that you mean business as a full-time musician. You build trust with the customer, giving them more reason to book with you.

Brendan Bostock is the founder of Bandmate. Bandmate provides invaluable marketing advice to musicians and artists to grow their audience and fan base.