Ep 31: "Mommy, Where Do Gigs Come From?"

In this episode, John tackles one of the most important questions in the life of a working musician: Where do gigs come from? 

This episode is in response to a few listeners writing in and asking for advice.

New bookings don't just magically appear on the calendar. Some musicians seem to stay busy year after year, while others struggle to find enough work. Why is that?

Understanding how opportunities are created can have a huge impact on your career. Join John for a conversation about finding your next gig... and the one after that.

Transcript

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You are listening to the Gig to Live Podcast. Welcome everyone. I'm John Foles and I'm a full-time working musician. This podcast is about building a music life that builds up over time. It's practical, enjoyable, sometimes uncomfortable, but it's always about helping you stay in the game and actually enjoy the life that you're building. We'll meet some wonderful working musicians from time to time. So whether you're just getting started or you've been doing this for years, you're in the right spot. This podcast is for you. Well, hey there, everyone. Thanks for flying with me today. I know you have a choice of podcasts. I'd especially like to thank our frequent flyers today. I have asked on Facebook and on Instagram about your ideas for podcast topics, and a few of you asked about how I book gigs. For some musicians, finding gigs is not a problem. And that could be because quite a few different things. Maybe they're just super connected, or they've been at it for a long time, or they're super hard workers and you know it's paying off. Or word has spread about them and gigs come to them, they're in demand. But some musicians have a harder time. They feel like they're working hard, but the payoff isn't there. And they feel like they should have more gigs. I mean, because honestly, don't you everybody wants to be in a spot where they have so many gigs they have to say, I'm sorry, I'm already booked. So we are going to dive into this today. Gig leads typically only come from a handful of funnels. The goal is to make sure that all of the funnels are primed and ready. All of the funnels take some front-end work from all of us. So let's see, where do gigs come from? Well, one funnel is prospecting. You know, you found them. You're doing the work. You are the pursuer. Another funnel is relationships. The person who is hiring you, they already know you. You know them. And ultimately, gig leads are a social game, no matter how they ultimately end up at your feet, right? Relationships matter. So prospecting, relationships, another funnel is referrals. Someone introduced you. Someone got your name from someone somehow. Either they follow up with you or vice versa, but referrals, that's another place that gigs come from. Another funnel is discovery. They just found you. They are the pursuer. But the key is you have to be discoverable. Uh finally, another funnel is representation. Somebody booked you. Maybe it's a booking agent or a restaurant rep or a talent agency. But I have found those are really the five funnels prospecting, relationships, referrals, discovery, and representation. So today, in order to answer the questions that are being asked by some of you, we are focusing on prospecting today, the gigs that you find, the gigs you seek out, the ones you pursue. So let's go. Here are, in my opinion, drum roll please, the top ten best ways to book gigs. Number one we're gonna go one to ten today. Number one, become a customer. I'm convinced that this is probably the best way to not only secure a gig somewhere, but to get multiple gigs. You become familiar to the venue. You stop in for a meal, you grab a drink, you bring friends, you support the business. Owners and managers notice the people who consistently support what they're doing. So become a customer. Uh, you know, post about their business online. When you visit it, say nice things, spread good cheer, let them know that you want them to win. I think that's very important. And go to other shows there at the venue, spend some time attending uh performances at that venue. Pay attention to the atmosphere, the audience, and the type of entertainment they book. Introduce yourself to the staff when it's appropriate. Tip well, become a recognizable face. When the time comes to approach them about performing, then you're no longer a stranger asking for a favor. You're a customer who already appreciates and supports their business. And venue owners and managers just like that. So number one, become a customer. Number two, target like venues. Are you playing at a brewery? A winery? Great. Target all of them. Find all the breweries and the wineries within the radius that you want to drive to do gigs. If you have a strong relationship with one brewery, with one winery or a restaurant or a club or a concert venue or a coffee house or an assisted living community, don't stop there. Create a list of similar venues and begin reaching out to all of them. The fact that one venue trusts you often makes it easier for another venue that's like a like venue to do the same. Venues see your track record. So venue owners want to reduce risk, right? And when they see that you've successfully performed at a venue that's like theirs, it gives them confidence. Have photos, reviews, videos, references, and a list of similar places that you've worked, and that can go a long way towards helping an owner, a venue owner or a manager envision you as a good fit for their place. So number two, target like venues. Number three, leverage your connections with musicians and venue owners. Have a musician friend introduce you to the venue. A few times over my career, I have seen a musician friend playing at a venue that I haven't been able to get into, and I ask them to introduce me to the owner at the break. And it makes follow-up easier since your initial contact was in person and at their venue with a fellow musician with that musician's stamp of approval. So have a musician introduce you to the venue. Have a venue owner give you a written a written recommendation. A written recommendation. So number three, leverage your connections with musicians and venue owners. Number four, ask an artist if you can open up for them. Let the venue hear you at no extra cost to them. Just play a 30-minute set. Get in there, blow in, blow out. Clear it with the venue first, by the way, because sometimes, you know, I have people ask if they can open up for me, uh, and I always want to clear it with the venue first because the venue is paying the person they hired. They're not paying someone else. So clear it. Now, most of the time the venue is going to say, Yeah, suit yourself as long as it doesn't cost me any more money. Uh or sometimes the venue will say, That's fine, you can have them open up, but will you still pay uh you know play the three hours that I'm paying you for? So you have to kind of step through those things uh to make sure it's okay. And ultimately, it can be a great deal if you're trying to get into a venue and it's difficult, but there's a trusted person playing there already and they you know share the stage with you, then wow, I think that that's a wonderful option. Number five, find the outliers. It is really easy to go for the venues that are already known for live music. But if you look for the non-traditional venues or the venues that don't usually have music when they're ready for you, oh man, then that's great. You always want to be the first person in line. If they've never done music before and then they decide to do it, you want to be there when that happens. I have found outliers uh or venues that don't usually do music, and I will pursue them. I'll ask them, you know, once every six months, or I will find a venue that doesn't do music and ask them why. And they'll just they'll say something to me like, Well, we just don't have the space for it. And we need to have we need to have a good eye for the space. We need to be able to say something to them like, if I could show you how to make live music happen in here, would you be willing to roll the dice? Would you be willing to give it a shot? And I I probably have five venues that never played music before, never had live music, but because I pursued them and I showed them a way they could do it, I got my foot in the door. And it's it's an amazing thing. Especially after you've built a relationship with them, right? I at times I will visit a venue that looks ripe for live music, and when I find out they don't do it, I give them my elevator pitch. So have an elevator pitch ready to go so you can show them how music will work in their venue. So find the outliers. Number six, in-person visits. One of my favorite recurring gigs happened because I walked in with my guitar. I could not get a hold of the owner, I could not get a hold of a manager or anyone that I thought might be making the decisions. I left uh, you know, phone messages, I sent emails, uh, I just hit walls with every single one of them. And I just figured maybe they're busy or maybe they don't have a way to actually make this happen. They keep going back and hiring the same musicians over and over. So maybe they've got, you know, five musicians they just keep tapping into. And I wanted to get my foot in the door because I knew I could do a good job in their space. So I walked in with my guitar one day, and the person at the bar said they would go track down the woman who booked the music. She was in back, and I sat patiently for 15, 20 minutes, sipping a drink, guitar tuned up. And when I finally met her, and she she wasn't super stoked that uh she got interrupted, by the way, but uh I charmed her. When I finally met her, I told her who I was. I asked if I could play a song for her. And then I played 19 gigs there over the next six months through the fall and the winter, and I returned there every fall and winter after playing spring and summer shows in the Midwest. That that one gig that I'm talking about happened in California. Even if you don't play a song for them, show up, shake a hand, buy something when you're there, buy a drink, buy a snack. A person that's sitting at the counter with nothing screams, I want to sell you something. But if you put a drink in your hand, you munch on some fries, you buy something, it says, Hey, I'm here for you, I have something to offer you, I enjoy your space, and that goes a long way. Number seven, visit events where venues are. Now this is one that I I found musicians don't often think about. Wedding fairs. Have you ever signed up for a wedding fair? You know who goes to wedding fairs? People who need wedding musicians, Chamber of Commerce events, food fairs. Have business cards ready to go and find the events where the venues and the people who need musicians are going and then be there, shake hands, make contacts, get a gig. Number eight, network with caterers and people working the event, like the sound engineers. I've been connected to large events, large events because of meeting the event coordinator, the sound engineer, or the wedding planner at another event. Don't ignore those people. Those people are always getting asked, hey, do you know a musician? Do you know a DJ? Do you know a band? You want to make friends with all of the people that are working the same businesses that you are trying to get into. Number nine, gig salad. I know I've mentioned gig salad before. You can go check out episode 27. I talk about it a bit there. I think it's especially good if you need a jump start. All in all, gig salad has more than paid for itself for me. If I book one gig a quarter, I pay for the fee. And, you know, I book about 10 to 12 gigs a year directly through that platform. But like I said in the other episode, those gigs always lead to more. And a gig a month from a profile that just sits there with no extra work from me, that is a great deal. So if you're not doing gig salad, check into it. If you have any questions about it, you can email me. Go ahead and gig to live podcast at gmail.com. I'll steer you in the right direction. Number 10. Email and social media. Okay. Email is not the best bang for your buck, but it occasionally works. Tell them something about their venue in the email. So don't just say, hey, I heard you do live music, I'm looking for a gig. You know, tell them a story about how you visited their venue, how you like the vibe, the ambiance, how it seems like the perfect venue. You can't believe you haven't played there before. You're looking forward to meeting them. And but keep it short, by the way. I'm rattling on here, but keep your email short. It is not the best bang for your buck, but it occasionally works. Social media. Reaching out through social media is you get about the same kind of response as email. It's good if the venue is highly active on social media, but it can be frustrating because it's it's not like someone is watching social media all the time necessarily. Some venues are way on top of it, but that's usually not the case. I had a conversation through Instagram with a new wine bar a few days ago that was great. It was promising, it was back and forth conversation for five minutes. So I caught them at the right time. And then crickets for days because they aren't sitting around watching their social media. I happened to catch them at a good time the other day. So in the next couple of days, I am going in to visit them. I'm going to buy a glass of wine, my guitar in hand. I've already commented on their social media. Do that. My goodness, any gig you are trying to secure, comment on the venue social media. Uh it's it's not ideal for actually having a booking conversation, uh, but it's a good start. Use it to ask who handles entertainment bookings. I I find that the success rate is uh moderate. So hit all of their accounts with a message, by the way. Not only their Instagram, hit their Instagram and their Facebook and anything else that you see they may be doing. The goal is not to book directly through the social media. The social media is to broker a conversation with them that leads to a booking. All right. So that is our top 10. I have an honorable mention. The honorable mention is to get on the radar of your city and chamber of commerce. This doesn't work for everyone, but it indeed has worked for me. So dropping off your uh, you know, your press kit at their office, stopping by and introducing yourself at the Chamber of Commerce office or the city office, attending the city and chamber of commerce events. You want to be the face that they see when they have an event coming up and they need a musician. Go to their mixers, attend their celebrations, and at times people, just everyday Joe's, call the Chamber of Commerce in their city or town to find a musician. By the way, it does not hurt to become a member of your Chamber of Commerce. I have also found gigs that way. So there you go. I think that that is a good top ten and honorable mention. So stay creative, stay after it, stay hired.