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How to get gigs with your band
By BandManager · 5 min read ·
Getting gigs is not luck or connections: it is a funnel. You write to a number of venues, some reply, some of those end up as dates. If you know those proportions, you know exactly how much you need to write to reach your shows for the year.
It is a funnel: work out how many venues to write to
The most common mistake is to write to ten venues, get no reply and conclude that it does not work. No band gets a gig for every ten messages: in practice some reply and only a few of those end in a date. What makes the difference is the number of well-made attempts and keeping up the rhythm.
Calculate it with your own data. If you do not have figures yet, start with the example ones and adjust them after your first sends.
| Step | Working | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Success rate per venue | 20% reply × 30% end in a date | 6 in every 100 |
| Venues to contact | 12 gigs ÷ 0.06 | 200 venues |
| Expected replies | 200 × 20% | 40 replies |
| Pace | 200 venues in 6 months | 7.7 messages a week |
What changes when you improve each step
The chart shows how many gigs result from how many venues you write to and how many out of every hundred end up as a date. The three cases are examples, not real averages.
Doubling your success rate is worth as much as doubling the number of venues, and it costs less time. Improving the message, the press kit and the follow-up moves that rate.
Step 1: pick venues that fit
A room where bands like yours already play is a room with an audience for you. Look at its program over the last few months before you write: style, capacity, whether it books local bands or only touring acts, and which nights it programs music.
| Signal | Where to look | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Styles booked | Its calendar and socials | If there is nothing like yours, drop it. |
| Capacity | Its website or a call | Your draw has to be reasonable for its size. |
| Local bands | Posters from the last months | If they only book tours, you have fewer chances. |
| Music nights | This week’s calendar | It tells you which dates you can propose. |
| Who books | Website, socials or the venue itself | Writing to a person beats a generic inbox. |
A venue sheet to copy
Keep a log of every contact: without it you do not know who you wrote to or when the next message is due.
| Venue | City | Capacity | Contact | Last message | Status | Next step |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| [name] | [city] | [approx.] | [person or email] | [date] | New, contacted, replied, negotiating or confirmed | [action and date] |
Step 2: prepare the minimum before you write
- A press kit as a link, with something to listen to right away and a quality photo.
- A short live video, thirty to sixty seconds.
- A clear technical rider, so they have fewer questions.
- Two or three possible dates, so you are not asking blind.
- One real proof point of local traction: tickets sold at a specific venue, for example.
Step 3: a short, human first message
Under 120 words, two paragraphs. Acknowledge something specific about the venue, say what you bring and link your press kit. A venue can tell right away when it is a template pasted to a hundred recipients.
| Part | What it says | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Subject | Band, style and city | "[Band] (rock, [city]): proposal for [venue]" |
| Opening | Something specific about the venue | "We have followed you for a while and loved the [month] series." |
| Proposal | Who you are and what you propose | "We are [band], [style in a few words], and we would love to play your room." |
| Dates | Two concrete options | "[Date 1] or [date 2] would work for us." |
| Close | An easy question to answer | "Would you be up for taking a look? The press kit is in my signature." |
One single link to the press kit, ideally in the signature rather than the body, and no heavy attachments: they are what triggers spam filters.
Step 4: follow up without nagging
Most replies arrive after a second message. Mark the dates in your log so you do not rely on memory.
| When | What you do | What you say |
|---|---|---|
| Day 0 | First message | The short email with the press kit in the signature. |
| Day 7 | One-line reminder | "Following up in case this slipped through. We are free on [date]." |
| Day 21 | Second and last reminder | Something new: a date, a recent live show or a press mention. |
| After 90 days | Pause and start again | Write again with real news, next season. |
Step 5: from a yes to a date
- Reply the same day, with the dates you propose and your real availability.
- Ask how they work: capacity, payment formula, sound equipment and load-in time.
- Talk money after the first yes, with your minimum clear.
- Send the rider and the day sheet, keeping technical and hospitality apart.
- Confirm date, time, amount and payment method in writing and add the date to your calendar.
Mistakes that sink your reply rate
- Writing a long message with the band’s whole history.
- Attaching heavy files in the first email.
- Asking for a fee before they know who you are.
- Sending the same text to a hundred venues without changing the name properly.
- Not following up: almost every yes arrives after a reminder.
- Stopping after three tries instead of keeping a weekly rhythm.
How to do it in BandManager
- Save each venue in the CRM with its status: new, contacted, replied, negotiating or confirmed.
- Let the writer prepare a short draft with the link to your press kit and approve it yourself before it goes out.
- The reader logs replies and updates each venue’s status.
- Look at your own rates and adjust the message and the pace with real data.
Frequently asked questions
How many venues should I write to?
It depends on your rates. With a 20% reply rate and 30% reaching a date after replying, for 12 gigs you would need to contact about 200. The calculator above does it with your numbers.
Is it better to email or to DM on Instagram?
Email for the proposal, because that is what venues use to book. Instagram is good for breaking the ice, not for closing dates.
When do I follow up?
At seven days with one line and at twenty-one with something new. If there is no reply, pause and come back next season.
What if I have no live recordings?
Record a thirty to sixty second teaser at rehearsal with good light and sound. It beats nothing and takes one afternoon.
How long until it shows?
A round of contacts usually brings replies within two or three weeks. Keep the rhythm for months: results add up.
Your contacts, without spreadsheets
BandManager keeps your venues, drafts each proposal and never sends anything without your approval.
Keep reading
- How to email a venue to book a gigStructure, tone and mistakes to avoid when emailing a venue for a show. Includes a short template and what to do if they do not reply.
- How to make an EPK for your bandWhat to put in your band’s EPK (press kit), in which order and what to cut. With a one-screen layout, before-and-after examples and a checklist.
- How much to charge for a gigWork out your minimum fee and choose between a guarantee, a door deal or a mix with a worked example. Includes how to negotiate and a template.
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