So, you’re a small band, artist, or promoter looking to get into larger spaces, but how do you book a venue for a show? It’s not luck. It’s a numbers game, but you can tilt these numbers in your favor if you follow this simple guide.
Who Are You?
The first important step is to let these places know who you are. We’ve found that face-to-face meeting owners or promoters is THE MOST effective way to get your foot in the door. Talk with influential people in the sphere and meet the movers and shakers face to face. Check out our piece on How to Break into the South Jersey Indie Scene for more information. If you can’t meet face to face, talking on the phone is also a great way to make connections in the space. Or even a simple DM in some cases, but in the digital age, it helps to have your best content in a centralized location. And when you reach out online, you need an electronic press kit or EPK.
An EPK tells venues who you are and what you do. It includes your biggest triumphs and links to any music, video content, or other supplementary material that will boost your profile and make venues silly not to showcase your work. Read more about Why an Electronic Press Kit Matters here.
We suggest you have a document or page with links to Instagram, YouTube, and your website. Once you assemble this promotional material package, you can move to the next step. Check out How to Host a Basement Show for more on the subject.
Find the Right Venue to Book
We all aspire to perform at a renowned venue like Madison Square Garden, but we must start small and work our way up. This may involve booking a smaller venue for a show. Like local bars and pubs or participating in local music festivals and fairs. The key is to identify venues that align with your music genre and style and to push the boundaries of what you think is possible. If you’re a South Jersey local, check out our piece on Top 8 South Jersey Open Mics. During performances, take advantage of your EPK and other video content, as it can help make a great impression. But how do you approach these venues and convince them to give you a chance?
What to Say
Venues are always looking for new ways to attract more people and increase their footfall. You can be the person who helps these venues achieve their goals. In order to do that, it’s essential to understand the problems they face and try to see things from their perspective.. Platforms could care less that “I want to perform there.” “No other spots have let me perform.” “My last show went terribly,” or “My brother and I love to play guitar together.” Me, me, me, I, I, I won’t fly and will repel venues. Put yourself in their shoes and consider their problems first, and then discuss your own
Take this outreach message, for example:
My name is John from The Band. We know your venue is always looking to fill the room with patrons, and we could help you.
From Here to There, we perform for 20 to 30 people, and our fans keep asking for more. Your venue would be a perfect fit, considering it’s centrally located, hosts great shows, and has excellent food and drink.
Here are a few links to video and audio content. We can help you meet your growing goals and make our fans into patrons and regulars.
Contact info
Thank you
Notice, when booking a venue for a show, the business’s interests were put front and center: more patrons in a central location, an estimate of how many people you can draw, videos, audio, and an EPK about who you are and what you do. There should be clarity. It would be best to show the venue what you have to offer and how you can serve them. “Arouse in the other person an eager want. He who can do this has the whole world with him.” (Dale Carnegie)
Booking Venues is Just That Easy!
And that’s all there is to it! When booking a venue for a show, you play the role of a telemarketer—sending emails and being your biggest advocate. Meeting people face-to-face is best, so get that social awkwardness out of you now. You will want to shake hands and kiss babies to gain favor and recognition. I send dozens of weekly emails and calls scouting out potential locations, not selling myself but making venues want to buy what I offer. It’s not luck, it’s numbers. Remember to know who you are and what you do, find a suitable space, and put the venue’s needs before yours. Venues will be booking you in no time. Follow Lucid Media Blog for helpful content for independent music fans, artists and venues alike.
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