There's no secret sauce to getting more gigs as a musician, but there are many pro-active things you as a musician can do to increase your odds of getting more gig bookings.
1. Join a Music Agency
A good way to get more gigs is to let someone else get them for you by joining a music agency. All you have to do is a simple search into Google for a list of music agencies in your area. It's best to either go with a large multi-national agency like LastMinuteMusicians or Encore Musicians, or a local agency in your city. Usually multi-national agencies will rank well on Google, or at least have a good ad budget to secure a high ranking! Just be warned, they will usually receive a lot of 'cold leads' (people just looking, maybe for pricing and availability and might not have any interest in actually booking you). It's usually a volume game with these services. The more gigs you apply to the more chance you'll have of getting a booking. Local agencies will receive warmer leads, as friends or family who have used the service will recommend them.
Before you go signing yourself up to every agency you can find, you need to make sure you're ready to show the public what you've got to offer. Below I've listed a few things you need to have before going public.
2. Creating a Promo Video
This is the best way to secure more gigs quickly. Having a video allows you to show the client who and what you are. Because of this your promo video needs to be as professional as it possibly can be. Promo videos need to contain all the different styles of music and different variations of your band. 4-5 minutes of content should be more than enough. If you do want to offer more, it might be worth creating several different videos grouping together similar genres of music.
Promo videos aren't cheap, but, genre dependant, they can be used for years and years. You always have the option to film it yourself and your mobile phone is probably good enough video quality, but not you'll need professional audio quality and potentially someone to mix the audio for you. If you're going to spend money on this make sure you get some good recording of the audio!
The London Function Band have an excellent example of a professional promo video.
3. Start an Instagram Account
Getting gigs via Instagram is fantastic way to secure the wedding gigs and if you're after the wedding market this is a must. Instagram is a highly visual medium with direct contact with your desired audience. It’s one of the most downloaded apps on the Apple app store, and in 2020, users spend on average 28 minutes a day on the app.
Every gig you do make sure you get a few pictures or videos of you performing as it shows the client you enjoy and love what you do, and that you’re active and popular!
Don't forget to use Instagram to its full potential. Instagram Stories are a great way of interacting with your audience to show them what you're up to and Instagram Highlights are a perfect place to store your promo videos, short clips of you performing and showcase reviews from past performances.
Check out jerismusic on Instagram to see a perfect example!
4. Have a Lead Capture Form (Enquiry Form)
Whether you decide to go with an agency or not, you need a lead form. More commonly known as an enquiry form. For someone to book, they need a way to contact you so give them the option to either direct message you via Instagram, or Facebook and a way to complete your form.
A lead form can be something as simple as a Google Forms or something as smart as Band Pencil’s Lead Capture Form. Whatever it is, make sure you capture the following:
- Name
- Phone
- Event Name or type (e.g. wedding, party etc.)
- Event Date
- Event Location
- Description
That's all you need, the rest you can get from speaking to the client via email or over the phone. Just be careful of the length of your lead capture form. Shorter forms usually generate more leads since people can fill them quickly, but longer leads will see, on average, less submissions but be of a better quality.
Most importantly, make sure you reply to the client within 24-48 hours.
Never Forget to Book a Musician with the Band Builder
See who's still to book, who's confirmed and who's not available in one place with our new Band Builder tool.
Read the article • 08 Apr 2021
How much does it cost to hire a band in 2022?
How much does it cost to hire a band in 2022. The cost depends on a few factors such as the date of your event (week days Sun-Thur are cheaper than Fridays and Saturdays).
Read the article • 11 Apr 2022
Top 3 Accounting Software For Musicians
As a band or freelance musician, it's important to have an accounting tool to help you keep track of your income and expenses. We list our top 3 accounting software musicians should be using.
Read the article • 19 Aug 2021