Ok, so you've sent me your press kit that claims that your band is the best thing since the Beatles and is so important that it surely signals the next coming of Christ. Three Redwood trees were sacrificed just so you could get enough paper to print out all of your glowing reviews. Your bands CD looks and sounds great. Now all that’s left for you to do is sit back and wait for me to give you a call.

If your expecting that call, odds are you will be waiting a long time. I know it sucks trying to get gigs. I also know how hard it is for an unknown indie-artist to book a tour. I've done it with my own band in the past. I'm sure every talent buyer has their own system for selecting acts, but in the following paragraphs I will explain what helps bands get into our club.

Many, many bands call me up every day trying to get into the club. They feel that just because they book a gig and plan a tour that they will be able to spread their music to the masses. It doesn’t work that way unless you do a myriad of work before the booking ever takes place. Successful touring bands have a well thought out plan that they use for each new market.

Let me explain a phone call I get from at least ten to twenty bands a day that will never get an artist into the room:

"Hello can I speak with the guy who does the booking" (This is not a good way to start things off. The band didn't even go to the trouble of finding out the person’s name that books the club. It makes me wonder if they even go to the trouble of practicing.)

The next part of the conversation goes:

"Yes this is whoever from the whatever band based out of wherever" (usually some market two or three states away)

"We sent you a press kit and were just wondering if you had checked it out" (Odds are that the last thing on my list of crap to deal with is checking out unsolicited press kits)

"We are looking to play your club" (My response is usually what style of music do you play and when are you looking to play?)

"Well I can't really explain our style because we're very original. We'll play Any date you have" (First of all, you can explain your style even if you just cite your influences and secondly, I can tell that this isn't a professional band because they are not looking for a specific date. They are just waffling around looking for any schmuck to throw them a bone.)

Then my final response to this is "sorry, why don't you give us a call in a couple of months and we'll see what we have".

So what could this person have done that would have improved their chances of getting in? Well, first you need to understand that clubs are just like record companies in a sense. Both are businesses and both cannot afford to look at anything but the bottom line. That is, bands are in the club for the sole purpose of getting people in the door and selling alcohol. Maybe this sucks, but it is the reality of the situation. Now, with that in mind, here are some steps that would have helped out whoever and the whatevers.

First of all find out the name of the person you need to contact at the club you are trying to get into. The music business is based on relationships and you can't expect to build a relationship without first knowing something as basic as a person's name. Here’s the conversation recreated in a way that would have helped the band get a gig.

"Hello can I speak with Dave?" (OK, good job. We're off to a good start)

"Yes this is whoever from the whatevers and I just wanted to follow up and see if you received our press kit? ("Yes.")

"Have you had a chance to listen to and review our stuff?" ("No. Why don't you give me a call back next week". This is where I try to blow the person off because I'm not interested and I know the band is probably not worth a penny to my market. Now, here is the part when the smarter bands keep pushing and start to make progress. Most bands say ok and hang up; about half follow up later. The person could have continued the conversation with the following):

"Well my band plays a style that is very similar to X and is influenced by X and we have opened for X and we are looking to play your market on" [insert specific date here].

(Now I'm starting to develop a sense of who this band is and what they are about. Further, with a brief description, I can look at my calendar and see whom the band might be compatible with around the date that they are looking for. My next question is then "What can you do to get people into the club?" What follows is very crucial.)

"Well we were hoping to open up for a national act to develop in the market." (No, that is not the right answer. Most of my national acts bring their own support and if they don't, I will usually try to develop local talent. What the person should of done is come up with some sort of marketing plan that tells me he/she is going to bust their ass to make sure the show is a success. Don't depend on the club to your job for you. Many artists feel that they can't do anything to help their out of town shows, but it simply is not true. There are many resources available. The following are some ideas that can help:

1.Tell the talent buyer you will send down 50 flyers [don't send one and expect the club to make copies]. Send 1/4 page flyers and full-page flyers.

2.Find out if there are any college radio stations in the area. Most college radio stations will let you do an on air appearance and play a song or two.

3.Find out which local print media reviews bands and reports on upcoming shows. Find out the names of the writers and call them up. Don't just send in your kit and expect to get written up. Again, you must develop a personal relationship and try to sell them on your band. Once you have done this for the first time, odds are that you will have an easier time getting some press the next time you come through the market.

4.Do you have any friends that live in the city that you are playing? If you do make sure they know about your date. Tell the talent buyer that they will bring out some of their friends.

5.Look on the Internet and find some websites that host gig postings. Every town with any kind of local music scene has one. List your show.

6.Make friends with some local band in the area and swap them a gig. If you can't promise them a gig in your hometown then you probably aren't ready to be touring. There are sites that let bands post their style and info and you can email them with swap info. A good site for this is www.tourdates.com. If you open for them, it will make your job a lot easier.

There are probably a lot more marketing ideas you can come up with on your own, but if you do the previously mentioned steps you will greatly enhance your profile in a new region. If a band explains how they will do all of this, it will make me feel a lot more comfortable giving them a shot. Just showing up to a gig doesn’t benefit the club, or the band. If you’re going to go to the trouble touring, MAKE EVERY SHOW COUNT!

I hope this helps and good luck!