Getting bookings as a music artist is hard work. It's the reason why so many artists hire agents to do this for them. But there are also plenty of artists who have made it work without an agent, and they can teach us a thing or two about how to successfully book gigs without an agent.
Tips For Getting Bookings As An Artist Without An Agent:
1. Just ask! If you're looking for opportunities to play live shows in your community, just reach out to venues and ask if they'd be interested in having you play there. Don't be afraid to ask people directly—it's better than sitting around waiting for someone else to call.
2. Start small! If you're new at getting booked, start by playing at smaller venues that don't require booking agents and can't afford them (like coffee shops). This will give you some exposure in your local area and help you build up the experience needed when it comes time to approach larger venues.
3. Get involved with local events! Local events are often looking for musicians who can contribute their talent for free or at a low cost because it helps bring people together and raises awareness about the event itself. You don't need any kind of promotional budget if all
Booking gigs as a musician is hard, and it's even harder if you don't have an agent.
Most musicians are told that they need to be signed to an agency or a label before they can start booking gigs, but this isn't true. There are plenty of ways to get started booking gigs without an agent—you just have to know how.
Here are our top tips for booking gigs without an agent:
- Use social media
Social media is one of the best ways to promote yourself as a music artist. Use your personal Twitter account or Facebook page to post about your upcoming shows, and invite people who follow you to come out and see them! You might also consider using a separate account for booking purposes (like @bookme4shows), which is easier for people to find online than your personal accounts. Once you've set up your booking account, use it regularly so people can see what kind of events you're planning on hosting in their area!
- Find local clubs
If there's a club in your area that hosts live music nights or open mic nights, reach out to them and ask if they'd be interested in having you perform at their venue sometime soon! Be sure not
Do you want to book gigs without an agent?
Of course! We all do. But it's not as easy as it sounds. There are a lot of factors that go into booking a gig: your brand, your music, your audience, and even your social media presence. It takes a lot of work to get yourself out there and get noticed by the right people.
So how can you do it? Well, first off, you need to make sure your brand is ready for prime time. That means creating an online presence for yourself that's professional and attractive—and more importantly, delivers the message you want potential fans to hear about your music and what makes you unique. Then, once you've got that going on (which we can help with), start reaching out to venues directly with a pitch package that includes everything they need to know about your act: what kind of crowd you're likely draw in at their venue; who else they should be booking around the same time as you; what kind of production setup would work best; etc.
Websites like [dittomusic.com] are great tools for getting started with this process. They'll give you some tips on how to create a good pitch package and where to find venues in your area. When you're a musician, booking gigs can be tough. You might think that booking gigs without an agent is impossible, but you'd be wrong!
The first thing you need to do is get organized. This means having a list of contacts for all your favorite venues and promoters, as well as a spreadsheet of all your past gigs.
Next, make sure you have a website and social media presence that showcases your work and lets people know what kind of music you play.
Then it's time to start making calls—but don't just call every venue in town! Instead, focus on contacting venues whose profiles match yours most closely. For example, if you play folk music at coffee shops on Sundays, then don't call up the big rock venue in town unless they are likely to be interested in having folk musicians play there regularly (and even then… probably not).
Once you've contacted them and gotten some interest from them about what kind of music they might want from YOU specifically, it's time to set up an audition or meet with them in person if possible so they can hear what your band sounds like live before committing any money or resources toward bringing your group into their establishment on a regular basis.
