{"id":115,"date":"2015-07-29T10:59:26","date_gmt":"2015-07-29T10:59:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dev.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/musicemployability\/?page_id=115"},"modified":"2015-07-29T10:59:26","modified_gmt":"2015-07-29T10:59:26","slug":"getting-gigs","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/generic.wordpress.soton.ac.uk\/test-media\/the-2015-event\/dans-faq\/getting-gigs\/","title":{"rendered":"Getting gigs"},"content":{"rendered":"
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How do I start getting gigs as a performer within the area?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<\/blockquote>\n
Local gigs<\/strong><\/h5>\n

Make sure your practice gives you a chance to perform locally. Go to local gigs regularly and check out the competition. Know what standard you need to be before you start this process. If you are to get gigs, your standard must be within the ballpark of those who are playing regularly and being paid for it<\/u>. If you live in Southampton, be prepared to travel to Portsmouth, Winchester, Bournemouth and the surrounding area. There are not enough venues in Southampton to make a living so you will need to know the venues outside of the city.<\/p>\n

Get known by local musicians, show your face at local gigs (probably not Uni gigs as they rarely attract other local musicians). Go to Jam sessions, Open Mic Nights and make sure you have either a CD or a business card with your Soundcloud\/ Website details. Other musicians will want to hear your music.<\/p>\n

Whenever possible, take your instrument with you to everything! And\u2026 be prepared to play at a drop of a hat. Sometimes this may lead to massive opportunities and, importantly, paid work.<\/p>\n

Be affable and polite, buy drinks\u2026. charm\u2026. Always say yes to anything unless it will have a negative impact on your reputation.<\/p>\n

Within Southampton there are several jam sessions and open mic nights, often frequented by working musicians and promoters. Go and perform. After any gig, go and chat to the band and find out how they got the gig so you can do it too.<\/p>\n

Important:<\/strong> Do not undercut other musicians within the area. The going rate for an evening local gig in the South is between \u00a340 – \u00a3100. If you take gigs for less, you will quickly develop a reputation and eventually you\u2019ll soon be sitting at home wondering why nobody wants to work with you. Many local musicians need to pay mortgages and feed families, driving the cost down of their trade is not a healthy thing to do. Besides, if you<\/em> want to make this your line of work, you\u2019ll need to charge a serious amount.<\/p>\n

Function Bands<\/strong><\/h5>\n

The good function bands (i.e. ones that work most weekends) pay well and are normally made up of a pool of local musicians from a region. Again, the best way to get these gigs is to get \u2018on the scene\u2019, as many of the chaps playing \u00a340 gigs in the week will be in the cash-cow bands at the weekend. A good idea is to meet, hang-out and jam with members of function bands who play the same instrument as you so they can give you \u2018dep\u2019 gigs to start you off. Sometimes these groups do public gigs too, find out where they are and take your instrument and hang-out with the band.<\/p>\n

Recording Studio Session Playing<\/strong><\/h5>\n

It is common to hear musicians say \u2018I\u2019ve been working in the studio\u2019 \u2013 what they normally mean is \u2018I\u2019ve been working for free<\/em> in the studio on a track that\u2019s unlikely to be heard by many more people than close family and friends of the artist<\/em>\u2019. Unfortunately there is very little work nowadays in studios, however what is available is well paid and with good projects. There are two ways\u00a0to get into this line of work..<\/p>\n

Find the top local studios in the area \u2013 you can tell who they are as they normally employ more than one engineer or producer (rather than the owner doing it all). Send them a polite email with links to your playing (perhaps your songs too) and say you\u2019d like to be considered for studio work but would be happy just to come in and look around. If possible, give an endorsement from a top musician either nationally or locally who can be contacted<\/em> to back up your credibility. The other way to get into studio work is to attend gigs and open mic nights – speak to artists, find out if they are about to record and if they would like you to help out. If possible tell them about other projects you have worked on. Punctuality, easy temperament and flexibility is vital for work in studios.<\/p>\n

Form a \u2018band\u2019<\/strong><\/h5>\n

One of the common misconceptions that musicians have is they can\u2019t form a band by themselves. Yes you can! You can ring up venues and say you are a [insert style here] group and send them links of a few tunes, they may even be recordings of your recitals. \u201cBut I haven\u2019t got any musicians in my group!\u201d, I hear you say. You will find that most musicians are more than happy to play anything, especially if they are being paid and often they enjoy getting involved in new projects \u2013 so have a band on a gig by gig basis. Part of the problem with \u2018established\u2019 bands locally is that they start with a fixed line-up and then can\u2019t pay each member properly. If you ask for \u00a340 each for a four-piece (\u00a3160 total) then you\u2019ll all get paid properly. If you spread the \u00a3160 across 6-8 musicians, you are already in trouble and the venue will only ever pay you for a large band.<\/p>\n

Have a number of projects\/ bands on the go and target venues across the area with specific proposals. EG a jazz vocal trio to all hotels; a live hip-hop group to all nightclubs; and a funk band for festivals and outdoor events. If you get another person\/ partner to help you (preferably with more experience), this will also help.<\/p>\n

Top tips<\/strong><\/h5>\n