To play a show in the park…or at a festival, a band normally needs to play about 1 hour. To play in a night club or other similar venue, a band needs 4-5 hours of material minimum. Most bands play 45 minute sets with 15-20 minute breaks in between. Songs vary in length but a good rule of thumb is about 10 songs per 45-minute set. So in order to get a gig in the local pub which hires bands to play from 9:30pm until 2am, you’re going to need about 50 songs.

Keep in mind that if you play the same clubs over and over…it’s nice to keep learning new songs and mixing it up. Playing the same 50 songs over and over will become monotonous to you AND your crowd.
You should assign one or two people in the band to do the booking. This person should be outgoing and a smooth talker. It doesn’t have to be a person in the band. Sometimes you can contract a third party to do the booking for you. This can range from a friend…to a fan…to a booking agencies. The typical fee for booking a band in my area is 10% but this may vary. You should make sure the person booking your band knows your asking price, your bare minimum price and how far you are willing to travel.
Although the person should be a smooth talker as I mentioned above, he or she should never lie to a venue or make the band appear to be something they’re not. If your band is strictly a heavy metal band, don’t let your booking agent tell the local country bar something like “Yeah, they play some rock…but they can mix it up and play country too”. You’d be amazed at how often this happens. It only hurts your band, your ego and your income in the long run. Book shows at places where you know your type of music will go over.
The booking agent should try to find out as much about the venue as they can before contacting them. What type bands play there? What type(s) of music is played? What are other bands getting paid? Who in the club is in charge of booking? If you go in prepared, you’ll do better. Many times you have to call and call and KEEP calling the venue back. Don’t be too pushy, just tell them you’re checking for openings. Make sure you send a CD and a photo of the band. Make sure that every item in your press kit has your contact info on it.

Don’t be too humble to ask a decent price. Music equipment is expensive. You have expenses to cover just like any other business. It’s okay to take some lower paying gigs when the band is first starting to get your name out there, but you have to take a stand sometime…the earlier the better. If you’ve practiced and done your homework and your band sounds good, you DESERVE the money, so don’t be afraid to ask for it. In the rural area where I live, bands can make anywhere from $250 to $600 a night.
Finally, I strongly suggest using a contract. It makes everything easier and makes sure everyone is on the same page. I also recommend that you join your local musicians union. You can get more info on my union (American Federation of Musicians) at www.afm.org. If your band is in the union, they supply contracts and they also offer other services.
So get out there and start booking. Get as many people as you can to your shows. Start an email list. Invite your friends and family. The more heads there, the better you look to the venue’s owner. Next time I’ll go over some of the basics of recording and releasing your own CD.