Working for venues and booking tours for several artists I have an all around view of the process of a tour. Venues want bands to play, bands want to play, however money is a priority in both parties so choose your venues wisely, and learn how to pitch and promote yourself. Here are 5 steps to follow when booking a tour.
Step 1: Finding Suitable Venues and Locations
If this is your first tour, you need to evaluate where you want to go, where your audience is, and what markets will be beneficial to you. If you haven't ventured far from your home city, it might be a good idea to stick to surrounding states. Why? Because you're budget is limited, your fan base is limited and might not expand outside of that region, and you'll be more likely to know people to hook you up with a place to stay, venue contacts, and several other helpful perks. Create a rough route of where you want to to and what areas on what days. Be flexible but efficient in your planning.
As for venues, don't waste a venues time with your press kit if you are not a good fit for their establishment. In short don't ask to play an arena when your draw is 50, or ask to play a blues bar when you play metal. Do some research, impress them with your knowledge of them, and know the bands they book. A helpful tool to booking is a site called Indie on the Move. It has an almost complete list of venues, gig swapping options and so much more, for free.
Step 2: Getting the Gig
If you don't have a CD, Biography, Band Photo and a Facebook Page, don't bother trying to tour. You need music to impress the venue, a biography to tell them who you are and a band photo for them to promote you with. A Facebook page is just standard, it tells a venue how many fans you have, a good idea of how attracted they are to your music and shows. Prepare these items and make them available online in the form of a press kit. This can be thru a site like Sonicbids.com or on your own webpage or in a downloadable zip file you can mail out or link booking agents too.
Many venues have a booking email address or phone in hours. Read their booking directions carefully and follow their preferred methods. Most now days prefer an email sent to them. Make sure to have a well written cover letter that includes who you are, what genre of band you are, your location, your target market, the size your draw in that area, and what qualities you bring to the table to be an asset to them. Is your band really good a getting the crowd to buy alcohol? If you're pitching yourself to a bar, then include that detail. Are you great motivational speakers? Then pitch that to the youth group you want to play for.
If you have played in the area before, make sure to tell them when and and where and the draw. Also include that you plan to market and promote your show with your marketing team. If you say you will, follow thru otherwise you wont get a show again if the turn out is bad.
Step 3: Make Friends in the Area
You should have 3 months to figure out how you are going to get people at your show now that it is booked. Step one is finding your new fans; best way to do that is by finding a similar band and making friends with them. Offer cross marketing with each other, they tell all their fans about you and your show on their Facebook page or at shows and you do the same in return. Create an event listing on Facebook and encourage their fans to RSVP and share it with their friends. Utilize all social media sites to find people in the area, get creative just stay ethical.
Step 4: Use the Press
Submit your show details to local events calendars, radio stations, and night life magazines. People may not know your name but knowing live music entertainment is happening somewhere, can attract a small audience itself. Ask the venue if they have a local press list, this will give you all the local radio stations, tv stations, record stores, and newspapers in the area. You can send posters and CD samplers to the stores, a press release to the newspapers and a one sheet and cd to the radio stations, to try and get press about the show. If your band has a unique hook write a press release and use that hook to try and peak some interest to get the press talking about you. If nothing else it might drive people to your websites and increase your online fan base.
Step 5: Organize Your Information
Now that everything is planned, make sure to organize it all in day sheet. Put load in times and show start times along with load out times all in a neat easy to read layout. List contact information for the venue, where you'll be staying, and local press. Make a list of equipment necessary for the show, do you need to haul in your PA, is there a place for those funky lights you use? Have it all figured out ahead of time to make things go on without a hitch. Attach printed maps to the location just incase "Tom Tom" decides to not work.
Step 6: Be Nice
Treat this opportunity as a chance to say thank you for everything to everyone. Thank the crowd for coming out, thank the staff for helping out, and most importantly find the booking agent or venue manager and thank you and leave them a hardcopy of your CD and contact information. If you already know when you want to come back, let them know, if they really liked you, they will want to have you back and invite you. If they don't invite you right away, then ask in the form of a follow up email that says thanks again and mention something about their staff being great, or sound being the best on tour, etc. Be genuine with your compliments, the more detail, like names or specifics makes it more effective and builds the report'. Just remember to not put a venue manager on the spot in person asking for a follow up show. Its hard for them to say no if they didn't like the turn out and generally will just result in false hope responses to get off the subject.
These are just the basics, follow these however and you should have a very successful tour experience.
No comments:
Post a Comment