Accept all bookings? If you’re a newly-coming band and just answered “Yes”, think again!
It’s about balance
Who doesn’t want to have more live shows you might ask. True. Yet, try to see the bigger picture. Younger bands tend to fall for the “play as much as possible”. While that is understandable, it is not advisable. The reason is simple – you don’t leave yourself enough time to think of your priorities as a band. Yes, you need to get out there more, to be seen more, but there are two possible outcomes:
- You play 20 shows in two months and have the scene saturated with your presence which leads to less audience
- or you’d rather play 5 shows, get more people to attend and even get paid?
Less is more
See, when you do not accept each gig opportunity, one after the other, you have the chance to carefully consider when and under what conditions your next performance will be. On the other hand, if you accept arrangements every week, at some point, you start playing only with the bands that are currently free, you have no stylistic direction in the concerts, and even the audience can get tired of watching you. You become the Jack of all trades of your local scene. While there are bands who are okay with this position, be honest with yourself if you want to be there too. Or would you prefer quality over quantity?
So… Don’t accept all bookings?
Don’t get me wrong, I do not advocate for playing 2 boutique shows a year. Just be conscientious about your image and don’t accept offers for live gigs that may be harmful to that image. Or even bring more expenses than income. The key is to find balance in the frequency of live gigs you want to have at this point of your career and the quantity you should have. And keep in mind, here we speak just about concerts in one area, touring several cities is a completely different story.
The best-case scenario is to find a list of bands that are similar to yours in “ideology”, ambition and musical style. You can then often play with any of these bands, ensuring that you keep your image. So go work on that now. 😉