Organising gigs
Posted: Mon Jul 25, 2005 3:02 pm

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Hey has anyone on these boards tried to organise there own gigs if you've just started out.Am finding it hard getting people along and supporting bands most havent heard of.And are not willing to come out and risk paying $5 to see a band they dont know are crap or not.Am trying to to build up a fanbase at the mo but are usually playing to laclustre crowds which is kinda frustrating.We are mostly playing during the week tho which is part of the problem tho.I need some advise from wise giggers out there!

RE: Organising gigs
Posted: Mon Jul 25, 2005 3:44 pm

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Don't charge until you've got a decent sized fanbase and try and partner with other bands to cross pollinate each others' contacts.

Otherwise, just use whatever means necessary to promote the gig i.e. posters, emails, newsletters, pin ups in music stores... anything. Don't be reserved at all, you are essentially selling yourself.

It's damn hard, i know this from experience, and regardless of how hard you try there will always be those gigs where you are playing to less than 10 people. Good luck

RE: Organising gigs
Posted: Tue Jul 26, 2005 7:57 am

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Id have to second blend there dude, especially the comment on combining with other bands. Hey whereabouts do you usually play and what type of music? We are having our first "charging" gig on the 20th and the only reason thats happening is being due to the venue.

RE: Organising gigs
Posted: Tue Jul 26, 2005 10:52 am

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I would by no means refer to myself as a "wise gigger" but I've been doing this for a few years now and everything you've said describes the harsh and sometimes soul destroying reality of organising gigs.

However I would not recommend playing for FREE everywhere. Ask yourself this question; would you stick around at a gig for very long if you didn't pay anything to enter in the first place? The answer is "no". Start off by charging something really minimal, $1 or $2 if you like. You might even want to have some sort of giveaway at the door, perhaps a really budget demo on an even more budget CD. Remember that the object of your early gigs is to gain an audience, not make money....if you make it, all of the money you spent in the early days will come back to you in the first 2 years.

Secondly, try and find a good soundman and PA. Nothing ruins a gig more than a mix that is too loud or sounds like sh*it.

Thirdly, don't play in venues that aren't known for bands. People sitting in a cafe or restaurant don't want to listen to loud bands. If venues don't want to know, hire out a local hall.

And finally, as everyone has said, get in a few bands. I wouldn't recommend any more than 5 and keep sets to about 45 minutes or even shorter. The attention span of the average punter who has never heard you before is about 4 songs, 6 songs if you're paticularly good.

That's just my 2 cents anyway. I'm not exactly an expert in the field but this is just what I've learned over the years.

RE: Organising gigs
Posted: Tue Jul 26, 2005 11:33 am

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yeah Adrian has is about right.

the guy that replied about playing with of bands that are different from your own is a good idea, but make sure that their music is worth listening to by your self and your band, as there is nothing worse than haveing the musicial life sucked out of you while having to listen to some type of music you really hate, and then haveing to get up and play, it's not fun.
however a band that rocks your world will make it even more fun to get up and strut your stuff as you've just been turned on my the music.

money is evil so don't focus on it.

i'm happy at the end of a gig if i've made enough coin to replace my guitar strings, over the moon if i can get a beer out of it as well.

keep rocking in the free world

RE: Organising gigs
Posted: Tue Jul 26, 2005 11:44 am

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Think about it from other peoples perspective or at least friends of your band who are most likely to be the first audience your band will ever play to. If I were a friend of your band, there'd be a few different shows or parties I'd want to go to every weekend. I usually choose what I'm doing, depending on who else is going to be there. I enjoy seeing bands play, but I also enjoy hanging out with my friends.

When you're charging, it's often good to have a door list. I usually stick my close friends on the door list because they'll always support me and will always invite other friends who will pay... If you bump in to a friend in the street who you haven't seen recently, tell them about the show and offer to put them and a friend on the door list. If they've got friends who see bands a bit, they'll spread the word about the show because they'll probably want more than one other friend at the show with them.

Sometimes it's better to have people there than make money from your friends.

RE: Organising gigs
Posted: Tue Jul 26, 2005 11:50 am

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i've found that it can also bore your audience. if you've got fans, a lot of them will like you cause they're in to the style of music you play... so playing with bands that fit in to the same genre can only make a gig more enjoyable for your average fan

RE: Organising gigs
Posted: Tue Jul 26, 2005 1:02 pm

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Yeah cool alot of good advise coming in thats good to see.Yeah we usually have 4 bands a night and usually all are pretty much in the same genre.The soundguy that people use charges $80 a night and the midweek gigs pretty much just manage to cover him.But he makes the bands sound really good which is wicked.We have a gig here in welllington at the valve.And have had a walk around town and there are alot of posters up which is cool.My band isnt the 1 organising it but i am playing my part in promoting it so it should go pretty good.

RE: Organising gigs
Posted: Wed Jul 27, 2005 2:20 pm

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I think that band branding is key to building your profile in the music industry. there are a few ways.

1. website: with a mailing list- so people can join up on
2. Advertising the band: IE: posters, all gig guides. music forums
3. Creating hype about the band, using media like music mags, local papers, radio stations.
4. Profile bands on all music sites.
5. have good band photos
6. good bios
7. getting with other well known bands, ie: going to see them playing live and introducing yourself to them.
8. get a manager, maybe a close friend or some one that is into your music.
9. Mixing in the music industry
10. doing gigs.

there is no sure way, but this is a start i think. Quote:

It's not going to come to you on a silver pladder, so you have to work hard and promote the band all the time.

just some ideas.

Cheers

Darren

www.jigsawmusic.co.nz

RE: Organising gigs
Posted: Wed Jul 27, 2005 2:37 pm

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Yeah already have a website for one of my bands www.nort.co.nz at the moment is pretty good.Getting my other bands one PSIONIC up soon.We will be playing on a local wellington student radio station live soon.After being seen at the 2nd battle of the bands heat.Which will be cool to get a bit more known.I go to about 2 gigs a week down here and am starting to know quite a few different band members.And getting more gig dates underway.I notice that alot of band members here dont go to other peoples gigs but expect people to go to theres.Have got a manager now which is a woman.I find woman to be the best cause they get in and just do it.Maybe cos they like to be annoying.i do post my gigs on websites every time but havent met anyone at our gigs thats seen em tho.Any suggestions for band sites to advertise our gigs. bands.co.nz this site etc...

getting chic's
Posted: Wed Jul 27, 2005 4:37 pm

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here's another cheap wee trick to look flash at your gigs.
hand out flyer to the hair saloons, and give out free entry coupons there as well, there's nothing better than a crowd of hot chic's with new hair styles to make your band look cool, and it pulls in more guys on the prowl, and there the one's buying the drinks which in turn makes the bar happy.

RE: Organising gigs
Posted: Wed Jul 27, 2005 5:43 pm

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lol! Nice one

Here are some sites:
http://michelleklaessens.com/forum/index.php?board=35;action=display;threadid=50

RE: Organising gigs
Posted: Sat Jul 30, 2005 11:33 am

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perhaps try an outdoor gig?
try getting counsel permission to set up near the wharf or on cuba thatd get yas noticed

RE: Organising gigs
Posted: Mon Jul 31, 2006 6:30 pm

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