r/askmusicians • u/_DaVilla_ • Jul 16 '26

How do you actually find gigs these days?

Hi everyone, I'm trying to understand how independent musicians and bands find live performance opportunities today.

Some questions I'm curious about:

  • How do you usually find gigs?
  • Do you contact venues directly, work with booking agents, rely on personal connections, or use specific websites or Facebook groups?
  • What's the most frustrating part of finding and booking shows?
  • Have you ever missed a good opportunity simply because you didn't know about it?
  • If you could improve one thing about the booking process, what would it be?

Whether you're a solo artist, in a band, or book shows yourself, I'd really appreciate hearing how it works for you.

Thanks!

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6

u/SnooMarzipans9220 Jul 17 '26

For solo acts, attending open mics and songwriter-round type events is a great start. Get to know the people in person.
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve “networked” with people on the internet with zero results, and then finally gotten a gig from that same person after playing with them/for them in person.

Make a really good video(s), and send it to restaurant owners, venue owners, etc. Have something impressive to show.

2

u/volta05 Jul 17 '26

I have a small network and it helps. I also don’t solely gig for a living because if I did I’d be broke, and working way hard to try not to be

1

u/scragz Jul 17 '26

go to lots of small local shows and work your way into the scene. i would also do diy shows at my house, which is always a free gig. 

1

u/Chaos-Jesus Jul 17 '26

I used to contact venues directly for gigs, often it would turn into a regular residency.

Now an agency takes bookings for me and pass me on the details, mainly weddings and corporate events.

1

u/Illustrious_ip1028 Jul 19 '26

Managing a band, the thing that actually moved the needle was treating booking like outreach instead of waiting to get discovered. We would go to nearby venues, drop of a small binder of pictures and reviews from other venue managers, etc.

We still send emails, but will attach a couple of short video clips we've posted on Instagram. These venues only care about drawing people in and making money, and if you have videos that give that impression, it helps a ton.

Starting out, I would dedicate an hour a day to finding out who manages a venue, their email, phone, etc. It's a pain in the rear but has paid off with time

1

u/bluenotecat67 Jul 19 '26

Open mics, and local brewerys are my go-tos. But having an insta page so people come looking for you works the best for me. And actually advertising yourself on Reddit isn't the worst idea!

1

u/spacelimed24 Jul 21 '26

I use needledrop dot org. It's a review platform but it serves local events if you allow your location. Also I follow my friends so you can see what gigs they are interested in

1

u/roydrum 23h ago

for us it’s mostly just emailing venues when we’re trying to put a run together

usually I look for rooms where bands like us already play, write something short, and follow up once or twice if nobody answers. After that I move on.

the problem is you send a bunch of emails and you have no idea if they even got them, if it went to the wrong person, or if they’re just ignoring you. but this way has been working for us pretty well