Many artists deceive themselves by thinking that in regards to growing their fan base all they need to do is get MORE GIGS. In reality, many bands who think the answer is solely more gigs should ask themselves:
DO I need MORE gigs - or just BETTER gigs?/
The real answer is probably to start gigging BETTER?!
If you fail to really impress people with your performances, you’re unlikely to hit the big time. This may be a hard pill to swallow, however the answer is to go back to drawing board and follow the flowchart.
If you have gone through this chart and honestly answered YES to everything then your show is truly world class :-D you can forget the previous thoughts and concentrate on the following...
- Loving your fans and thinking of ways to help THEM promote you. Their impartial promotion will build your fanbase.
- Building good relationships with venues and contacts. Conduct yourself professionally and reliably…people want to work with people who are easy to work with.
- Advertise your events with good quality literature. When venues see you take promotional seriously, they’ll offer you the better slots ahead of a slap-dash act who just show up to play.
- Do whatever it takes to get people to your shows and engage with them on social media. This will help you gain new fans.
- Approach booking agents with a pitch, not just a link to your music. Demonstrate how easy you are to sell to them. Agents want the finished article, not a diamond in the rough.
- Work with other organisations who have a platform. This may include charities, political organisations, businesses, restaurant chains. Think about how you can stand out from the crowd and grab their attention.
Tips
Give every opportunity your very best. You never know who is watching or what it could lead to.
Follow up the gigs you’ve done with photos and reviews. Most bands promote their upcoming gigs, few articulate the story of what happened; this will entice more people to want to see you.
Honour the organisers and the audience. You’re probably performing because you enjoy it however if you show gratitude to the organiser and give the audience a great night, you won’t need to convince anyone to have you back.