© 2013 Vinny Ribas
The number of well-paying gigs seems to be getting smaller. That is why every artist needs to realize that there are 3 different strategies that he or she can use to fill the calendar. The first and most obvious is to try to get gigs that already exist. An example of this would be to call a club that already has entertainment on Friday and Saturday nights and try to get them to book you.
The 2nd strategy is to ‘add on’ to gigs that already exist. For example, why not ask the same venue if you can perform on Thursday nights for 6 weeks to try to build up business on that night, You might even offer to get paid on a sliding scale (e.g. 2 weeks free, 2 weeks at one price, 2 weeks at another). If you play a style that is different than what the club is known for, offer to create a branded night such as ‘Thursday Jazz Night’.’ The goal is to get yourself a steady non-weekend gig. What venues do you know that might allow you to try building up an ‘off night’?
The 3rd strategy is to create gigs where non exist. For example, do you know a restaurant that would love to draw in the ‘after church’ lunch crowd? Offer to perform at that time and to help promote the restaurant. This works great if you go to a nearby church where people know you and would come to see you play. Another ‘out of thin air’ gig would be to entertain the people standing in a long buffet line. This is easy to sell to a restaurant because they don’t want to lose patrons who are bored waiting in line. Get creative! Where venues would your kind of entertainment fit in that don’t have entertainment?
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