If you’ve been playing in a band for more than a few weeks, you should probably be thinking about booking your first show. Seriously. Shows are as old as music itself, and with the exception of a few pretty fantastic recording artists, most serious musicians perform regularly. It’s one of the best ways to hone your skills, it gets your music out there, and it builds your fanbase. Plus, the healthy pressure of an impending gig does wonders for getting your band down to business.

Shows are as old as music itself

Your first show doesn’t need to be a big one—it could be for friends at your jam space, at a party, or at a local open stage. It also doesn’t need to be very long—three songs is plenty for many open stages. (Looking for songwriting tips to build your set?). But as you play a few more, you’ll be ready for the real deal: a dedicated venue (usually a bar if you’re of age), multiple bands, and cover charge at the door. This leads to an important question: As a new band, should you use a concert booker or do it yourself?

Concert booker vs. the D.I.Y. approach

So, how do you book your first show anyways? One option is to go with a concert booker. A booker will book a venue, organize a few bands to play, setup the social media event, collect money at the door (or hire someone else to)… and often take a significant cut of the night’s income in return (50% is common in Toronto for new bands). Here are some cases when you may want to consider a booker:

• New opportunities. To hit audiences you wouldn’t otherwise (e.g., touring to other cities, festivals) and meet some really cool people.
• Bigger bands. If there’s a unique opportunity to play shows with other, bigger, bands you respect.
• Hands-off. If organizing stuff isn’t your thing and you’d rather pay someone else to do it (which is definitely fair). Or, you’re already drawing big crowds and could use the help coordinating (plus you’ll likely be able to negotiate a better deal with the bookers).

But, if it’s a local gig and you expect a smaller audience (say, less than 100 people total for all the bands), there are some significant benefits to booking it yourself:

• Money. For an audience of 50 and a $6 cover, that’s $300. In exchange for a little more time organizing, that could be an extra $150 in the bands’ pockets. Not bad.
• Network. Building a good relationship with venue managers and other bands is a huge asset as a musician. You can build this whether you go with a booker or not, but if you’re one of the bands who puts on shows in your city, expect a lot more interest coming your way. As a new band, your concerts are often in your hometown so these connections are very valuable.
• Skills. A big part of music business is navigating relationships within your band, with other bands, and with the “music business” in general—venues, studios, merch providers, and so on. By starting to book your own shows, you’re taking charge of your own path. And that’s a good thing.

Whether you go with a booker or not, the most important responsibility—getting an audience to show up—is still usually up to the bands. We’ll be talking about this more later on.

By starting to book your own shows, you’re taking charge of your own path. And that’s a good thing.

Who should organize their own shows?

As you can see, there are big advantages to both approaches. The best booking strategy for many new bands will likely involve some combination of each. If you (or someone in your band) is reasonably organized, comfortable talking with lots of people, and loves the idea of hosting a party (that’s what a good show can be, after all), then you may want to consider booking and organizing a show. It’s a little more work to D.I.Y. your concerts, but the pay-off—money, relationships, skill—is real.

What’s next

There are four steps to putting on a show: booking a venue, choosing the bands, pulling an audience, and then keeping organized on the big day. We’ll jump head-first into each of these steps in our upcoming articles, including an interview with a popular venue owner here in Toronto. Want us to let you know as soon as the new articles are online? Join our mailing list above and follow us on Twitter and Facebook. Also, we’d love to hear about your experience booking shows vs. using concert bookers. Share your stories in the comments below.