# How to start playing live shows



## Rick31797 (Apr 20, 2007)

We are very close to start doing live show , but have no idea how to start...I contacted a rep. For a Canada Day event and what he requested , took me by surprise , he wanted everything but my soul....resume, recordings , video ...we have none of that stuff..

I thought it would be easier to play live, but maybe I am looking in the wrong places. How did you start ...playing live shows....


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## bw66 (Dec 17, 2009)

I started with open mics. That put me on the radar of people who arrange live music for street festivals, small concerts, etc. I keep my ear to the ground for "Calls for Performers" - lots of communities put out advertisements for street performers, festivals, farmers markets, etc. Some gigs pay, others allow you to put out your case, some do both. Bottom line is: get to know the musical influencers in your community and be nice! It's not what you know, but who you know - and what they think of you.

When you do have a gig, get friends to take pics and video. Sound quality is less important than demonstrating that you draw a crowd. 

Facebook is the spawn of the devil, but very useful for advertising gigs when you get them. Again, pics and video! 

I play solo acoustic music - which is easier to market than some genres. What type of music are you looking to play?


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## Merlin (Feb 23, 2009)

If you’re ready to play out, you should at least be able to put together some sort of press kit - demos, song list, stills. Video is pretty easy to put together these days.


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## keto (May 23, 2006)

Pretty much have to have some social media presence and video of you performing if you want to get paid to play live. Once you have that, it's a matter of hitting up venues and asking for gigs. Have a price in mind - around here, bars are very generally paying $5-600 a night. Keep in mind, you are there to sell booze, so the bar will expect you to do some groundwork to help attract a crowd.

Some bars around here will give you 'showcase' type gigs, usually a set or 2, where you don't get paid but can show your stuff. We used exactly that to hire a guy to do both live sound and to video us, so we could put it all up on a) our webpage b) facebook c) youtube. Didn't cost us a bunch, $300 I think (it's all relative, I know that might sound like a lot, but we got A LOT for our money and split 5 ways it wasn't much).

Open mics would be bottom of the barrel (along with 'pay to play'), but I've done several with bands. Finding them, and understanding how they operate is important, they will maybe be specific about music type that might not fit (blues commonly), or may only be welcoming to a couple guys at a time (a guitar player, a singer, a godforsaken harmonicaistdevilchild) rather than a full band takeover, but those exist too.


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## cboutilier (Jan 12, 2016)

Around here we have a killer open mic jam that serves as a launching pad for all of our bands


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## Captn Platypus (May 27, 2017)

Is this for a cover band or original band? I've noticed a big difference in getting out there/getting started depending on which.


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## Granny Gremlin (Jun 3, 2016)

Nonsense. You don't need a press kit (unless applying to festivals, but that should not be your first gig anyway; what about a kiss, boy; straight for the clitoris?). Open mics are a good start, but the other option is to go to the venues (local bars/clubs that deal with your type of music - there's plenty in Kingston depending what you're doing) or find out who their promoter is and contact them. This can be a pain, especially for a new band and no promo materials, but promoters, often enough, have no issue giving you an openning slot on an existing bill especially if you mention that you can bring at least 10-20 people (their threshold for this depends on venue size and how confident they feel in the draw of the rest of the bill). Better still is if you know a band or 2 (good fit musically) and can talk to them to get an opening spot on one of their shows.

Lastly, and this works very well if you have enough friends among you to constitute a decent crowd, is look in to renting a venue and promoting your own show. This route is usually not a bar/club but a Legion or Union Hall. That's the Punk way. Then you just need another band or 2 to fill out the bill. Make sure you get someone to rec or, even beter, film the show (at least a DSLR, not cameraphone) so now you have something to show people to get other gigs.


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## Budda (May 29, 2007)

It's 2018. If you dont have a demo of your stuff, and you want to be paid to perform, how else do you expect to get the job? It is your resume, your proof that you sound like what you said you do.

From what i have seen, new bands jump on their friends shows as openers to get started. Go to shows, network.


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## Granny Gremlin (Jun 3, 2016)

It's 2018 and you expect to be paid to perform... bwahahahahahahaha (OMG Toronto sucks; we play around the Hammer and St Kits mostly now because you can't hardly get paid here unless you're a larger touring act, or run your own shows).


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## Frenchy99 (Oct 15, 2016)

Hummmm…. Lets see... How did I start doing live gigs ???

Ahhh Yes !!!

We opened the garage doors !!!


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## Merlin (Feb 23, 2009)

Granny Gremlin said:


> It's 2018 and you expect to be paid to perform... bwahahahahahahaha (OMG Toronto sucks; we play around the Hammer and St Kits mostly now because you can't hardly get paid here unless you're a larger touring act, or run your own shows).


There's something to be said for running your own shows. I do a monthly gig with a 14 piece band. The leader's wife collects the $10 at the door; all of that goes to the band. The venue supplies PA and a REAL grand piano, as well as two drinks per band member. On average, everyone in the band walks away with $60/ea. The show is 7:30-10:30 on a MONDAY night. 

A caution - if you promote your own show, you STILL need a contract with the venue, spelling out who does what, and where the money goes.


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## Granny Gremlin (Jun 3, 2016)

Oh we do that too. It's just a lot of thankless work and we don't want to do that every time.

I also used to run a venue (where bands got paid).


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## Chito (Feb 17, 2006)

Plan a trip to the pubs in your area where bands play. Ask for the person who books the band and also what they need from you to play there. If the person is not there, ask for a phone number to call and what time is a good time. 
I've done my own show a couple of times. It's a lot of work for little monetary compensation if ever. The ones that pay more are the festivals or those funded by the local government or charity.
You also need to have an online presence. The easiest way I find is to create a page on Facebook. You can update it easily, add photos and videos, create and announce shows/gigs you can use for inviting people. You can also give the bars the web address. They can watch it on their phones.
You can also check out the venues online. We have a bar here that tells you exactly how to get a gig there. They pay you with the door you collect. Can't remember if they provide food or drinks. Most don't. They supply you with the PA but you have to have your own sound guy. Normally we wouldn't charge for the door coz it's mostly our friends who come out to our gigs. 
Then you establish your connections. 

Good luck.


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