great info as usual guys. thanx

Thanks so much for this Dave, Really helpful for knowing 1. where people can go wrong and more importantly 2. where you are going right.

Great post! Very helpful information. Thank you!

Being polite goes a long way. For a while I was organizing shows on a Sun Night which started at 7:30pm and ended by 11pm. I knew under normal circumstances clubs and bars want bands playing to last call (2am here in Toronto), so I was very appreciative of the booker/owner allowing me to do this. Some nights did pretty well, other nights were slow, but nonetheless I always thanked the venue and apologized if the bands or myself weren't able to draw as much as we had hoped. The owner seemed to appreciate this and was always willing and ready to have me back.

Wilton

yeah I've been doing this a long time and I am always very friendly with the staff and always tip the bartenders/waitresses.... I have noticed that makes a huge difference! you know they all sit around at the end of the night and discuss whether or not they think the band is friendly- if the staff likes you, it really goes a long way... they want to have a nice work environment too, not demanding jerks who play too loud AND want their drink delivered!

a simple list but hilarious that it doesn't happen all that often because every one on the list is the exact opposite of what it means to be a prancing "rockstar" great article

The first thing I learned in the Marines Corp was... never piss of the cooks! Same thing carries over in real life and band life. Any band that has been around a while already knows this.

And for godsakes... clean up after your band. We do it as a common courtesy (bringing empty glasses, picking up paperwork or broken strings or whatever) but you wouldn't believe HOW MANY bar staff say "You guys dont have to do that" and we respond "Naw, we clean up after ourselves" and they say "You wouldn't believe how many bands DONT!" And they are REALLY appreciative of it. New Years Eve we brought in hundreds of those confetti cannons and we told the staff and owner "We'll clean it all up" and sure enough, after last call, we AND a number of fans were sweeping up all the confetti and straightening up. The staff was blown away.

Basically, treat the venue like a first date. Every time. And they'll love you and want you to come back. Treat the venue like a cheap hooker and you'll most likely not get a response from them in the future.

Great advice. What we don't do we'll take on board for sure. Except the tipping bar staff bit, haha - We don't tip in Australia (we have minimum wage over here). I'll remember that for when we tour the U.S. though!

Great advice! I always give the PA guy, and any staff who seemed to particularly enjoy the show, a free CD.

Regarding #1, if you are just getting started and just starting to
get your foot in the door(or even if you are established), let the
venues know that if they have any cancellations to put you on the
call list. We've gotten gigs when we would have otherwise just been
sitting at home instead because we got the call when another band
cancelled at the last minute!

Always good advice to be polite. Politics baby!

We've started allowing people to use our backline and DW Kit, it goes down well, considering our set up is really good, plus saves promoters and venues that don't keep there own backline, forking out a few hundred quid per night

THANKS GREAT ADVICE.

Simple and to the point--well said Dave. Would also add take your trash off the stage at the end of the night. Also don't cuss in the microphone at a public venue. Most the audience won't care, but the owners/managers/bartenders will report back to the man in charge. Been scolded for both over the years(even though it wasn't me, but I was the "bandleader")--Eric H Lazar

Hey Dave,
I just started a new project," The Craig Redman Band" and I can use any tips I can get my hands on. Thanks for the advice! I will def use some of te tips you gave.

Good stuff. Thanks!

You are completely right about cleaning up. We had a recent show where there were a bunch of no no's. First a band didn't get paid what they thought they were going to get. The issue was between them and the promoter not the establishment but a member of the band threw a fit in front of some of the employees of the establishment...not a good idea! It certainly created a lot of talk and definitely hurt the band's reputation. No matter how pissed you are (and we all are at sometime) remain cool and calm in appearance and people will start to talk about how professional you are instead of what an ass you appeared to be in that moment. Secondly, if you are in a band don't hit on the bar staff all night (unless you know it's welcome, even then be careful) as that tends to piss off the folks as they are working and you never know...that might be the owners cute daughter, neice, nephew etc. and suddenly you can't play there anymore. Real bummer! Lastly, don't get rip roaring wasted in the establishment. That is their job and they think you playing there is your job. So to get tanked and then make a fool of yourself will definitely effect your future at the establishment. Enough said!

Very good, sound advice. I can't stress enough how important it is to thank the booker. We booking agents/promoters work so hard for many months trying to get bands into clubs, promoting the show once it's booked, and finally working at the venue the night of the show. A thank you from the band the next day goes a long way. As a booking agent and promoter, I won't book another show with a band if they don't thank me. I had this one band that not only failed to thank me for the booking, but didn't even offer thanks for the complimentary professional photographs and videos that we had taken of them during their performance and later sent to them. Not one word from the band after the show. Needless-to-say, when they contacted us months later to get in to the same venue for another show, we brushed them off.

All advice that i'll be taking with me, as im looking to book shows over the next few months. Thanks guys

-FAIYA

quietstormbeatz wrote:

great info as usual guys. thanx

I have used these methods for the last several years and they do indeed work....also, when emailing a venue, making sure that you use correct grammar and punctuation is a plus. If you spell and present yourself like a 5 year old, that's the way you will be treated. At the end of every email I send, I always end it with either "Kindest regards" or "Thank you for your time and consideration". Thanks for sharing this topic with everyone, Dave.

Cheers!
Marty Rodriguez
Corduroy Jim
San Jose, CA.
www.corduroyjim.com

WWW.RA-SOOL.com

All great advice here...better yet, you can always book smaller venues yourself and create working relationships that may outlast the careers of many local booking agents . Remember: booking agents rarely wake up in the morning thinking about what they can do for YOUR act alone. Make those calls yourself and become pro-active.

Amazing feedback, thanks everyone! Some great stories in the comments too, thanks for sharing. I'll try to do more in-depth posts about booking in the future as well...

Cheers!

DC