Q&A: How to book touring bands?
Question by t$: How to book touring bands?
My friend and I recently started a promotions company, and we need help finding bands who are coming through the area. There was one website i found, but I’ve forgotten what it is and, like a stupid girl, forgot to bookmark. Do you know of any websites that bands book their tours from?
There has always been a music scene here, and it’s been dwindling down. We really want to save it! Please please help!?
Best answer:
Answer by Musibility
This is difficult to answer based on the information you’ve given. How big are the acts you’re looking to promote?
Most of the little acts still put everything on MySpace. JamBase usually has a lot of the shows listed too. Between the two, you should be able to find bands coming through the area (if the town is big enough).
I would suggest becoming a licensed booking agent and get to know all the venues. You’ll also want to make friends with the radio stations (if the town still listens). If you have places to put posters (legally, so you don’t get fined) then become friends with the local print shop. This will help your sales pitch to promote the concerts anyway.
Be the expert on your area. Don’t just fake it by spamming the area with flyers, really learn what gets people out to shows.
You might even create a website for all the local events in town, advertise drink specials and stuff like that just to get a good amount of traffic to it (start by aiming for 2,000 visitors a month). Then, when you have an act to promote, you will have a nice offer to sell.
I’ve noticed that when a music scene starts to die in an area it probably just needs a genre shift, not more shows. If it gets over saturated with one genre, like jam-bands.. or one band playing all the time in that area, the crowd will disappear until something new pops in. So ‘fixing’ the music scene could be simple as offering something different.
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