Creating Buzz: The Art of Regional Booking
Start Out Small
Don’t reach too far when beginning to book regional gigs. The overhead (gas, lodging, food, etc.) for long-distance shows and the time spent on the road with your bandmates could prove to be a fatal blow to the happiness and motivation of the group as a whole. Try to target areas that are within a 100-mile radius of your hometown when starting out. This allows you the option to return home the same night of the show, even if it means getting home at four in the morning, thus eliminating the need for a hotel room and keeping more of the money from the gig in the band’s pocket. Another benefit of targeting areas closer to you is the bleed-over of the fan base. If you have already started to establish some buzz and a solid fan base in your hometown, playing shows in the next city over will allow for the buzz about your band to bleed into the smaller areas between your hometown and the regional gig city. As you gradually move farther out, you will find that you are conquering a city, then a region, then a state, etc. Having a huge following in three different cities that are each ten hours apart will likely have no more impact on your success than playing only in your hometown.
Be Willing To Take a Loss
Be prepared to play an opening slot with no pay the first time you play a new city. Remember that owners and booking agents for regional venues will not know you and will assume that their patrons will not know you either. Thus, it is a huge risk for them to treat you any different than they would treat a brand new band in their area. You may be able to negotiate a guaranteed, small amount of cash to help cover the expense of your travel. But don’t count on it. In many cases, the venues will not work directly with you for booking until you’ve played the club at least once and proven that you can generate some interest among their patrons. Instead, it will be up to you to contact and network with local bands in that area in order to jump on as an opener for a given date. One of the best ways to approach this is by offering a “gig swap”. With a gig swap, you ask a band in a targeted region for an opening spot on one of their gigs. In exchange for the opportunity, you can offer them an opening spot on one of your gigs in your area. If you develop a good enough relationship with other bands, you may even find that you have a place to crash next time you’re in town, once again cutting down on your overhead. Regardless, you should be prepared and willing to take a loss to initially get your name out there and to demonstrate to a club owner that you are professional and worthy of a signed booking contract when you come back to play the venue again.
Let Them Know You Exist
Don’t assume that just because you have twenty MySpace friends in the area you’re booking that you’ll have twenty or more people show up for your gig. Think about the first show you played in your own area and how the majority (or possibly the entirety) of your crowd were friends and family. Now consider that you will not have that luxury in a different city so you should plan on having no crowd – unless, of course, you can establish one prior to your actual live appearance. This is easier than you may think but does require some effort and follow-up.
Many venues may require you to provide a flyer so that they can post it in the club and at least get the name into their patrons’ heads prior to your appearance. But don’t stop there because chances are that people aren’t going to show up just because they thought your band name was so cool or the flyer artwork was badass. Contact local radio stations, local entertainment rags, and newspapers. Submit your press kit to these contacts the same as you would with venues. If you can get your music on a local college station several times leading up to the show, you have a better chance of drawing at least a few local people to the show. Even a good write-up in a newspaper or magazine can be enough to convince those who have previously never heard of you before that you are worthy of their hard-earned money. And let’s not forget that making this extra effort will not only increase your chances of having people there to see you, but it will demonstrate to the venue owner that you understand the business end of things and are willing to put in the time to make your gig there as successful as possible.
Keep Them Hungry
If you’re noticing your draw at shows in certain areas diminishing over time, you’re probably playing too often in the same city. For some bands (i.e., house bands, cover bands, etc.) this is not an issue. But for original bands trying to build a fan base either locally, regionally, or even nationally, it is important to keep the fans wanting more. Many bands make the mistake of playing three or more times a month in one city and then wonder why they’re having a hard time getting people to the shows. The answer: your fan base can only hear you play the same songs so many times before it gets old. This is not an attack on your music or live show. But even your own mother will not be willing to drag herself out to loud, smoky clubs multiple times a month to make sure that you have a crowd present every time you play. And even if you’re able to build a strong fan base in your area, you will be better off limiting your shows in the area so that when you play, you have a better chance of attracting the majority of your fan base at once, ensuring that every show you play in a given area is very successful. Remember the golden rule of “quality-not-quantity”, as it applies here as well.
Once you have begun to successfully book gigs in regional venues, you will find it easier to keep the fans hungry as you will be too busy playing in other cities to become stagnant in your own. Set goals for how often you would like to play locally and how often you should book regionally. If you’re seeking true success, you should be playing no more than one local show to every three regional shows. And don’t make the mistake of picking one city a couple hours away and then try to play a few venues in that area each month. Spread it out, create a buzz, and always keep them hungry for more.
