Whether you are well established, with years of experience, or someone finally chasing their dreams, there’s always something to learn when it comes to getting as many bookings as possible. To new and experienced alike, this might seem quite daunting but it doesn’t have to be that way.

With the right tips and an open mind, this shouldn’t be an issue at all. As long as you’re okay to think outside of the box, just a little bit, there’s going to be plenty of shows before you know it. “How’s that possible?” you’re asking yourself. Keep reading and you’ll have more bookings than you know what to do with.

Be Ready

The foundation to build everything else upon is as simple as that – be ready for when the moment comes your way. As with any kind of art, there’s tons of people out there who love the idea of being a musician, or whatever type of art they want to focus on, but aren’t all that keen on doing the heavy lifting. 

To be ready, have multiple setlists you can play at the drop of a hat. Also, have some stuff maybe you aren’t too thrilled about as well. You might not like the thought of that, but if getting gigs is the most important thing to you, that might mean playing a few popular cover songs that you don’t want to hear. Your ability to play those songs might be what gets you picked over someone else. 

Be Active On Social Media

The world lives on social media, for better or for worse, and live entertainment booking isn’t any different. If someone is looking for a musician for their party, wedding, etc, they are looking online and whoever has the best presence is going to be who they come across first. Think of the world we live in now, people aren’t cracking a phonebook wide open to find who they are looking for. 

You don’t have to be an all-star on every platform but do try to be active on more than one of the popular choices. You may be surprised on where you end up gaining traction. One platform might even be best for sharing your music and another might be better for letting your audience know what venues you’ll be at when. 

All in all, for you to get bookings, people have to know you exist and in today’s world, we are often introduced to people, artists to follow and friends alike, through the likes of Facebook, Twitter, etc. 

Have Footage Of Yourself

The best place for this is likely to be on whichever social media platforms you decide are best for you, but people want to know who they are booking and very few people are going to be happy with just reading about who you are and what you like to play.

You can put this footage anywhere. It can be from a previous performance or simply a recorded live stream you did on YouTube or Facebook. Don’t think this needs to be anything complicated either. 

All you might need is your phone and maybe a stand so there’s a good angle while you’re recording/streaming. If you aren’t taking advantage of it already, you’d be shocked what even the average phone can do today.