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Advice requested for my "Idiots Guide To Contacting Gig Promoters" for my gigswap group
Please comment on this:
"Idiots Guide To Contacting Promoters With The Purpose Of Getting A Gig
The promoters who are members of gigswap are independent promoters. Very few are doing so as their job. Of those that don't, the vast majority make no money from what they do. Therefore, their objective to put on a good gig of music they like, while not losing any money.
The promoters receive many, many requests from bands to play, the vast majority of which are pointless requests due to unsuitability (e.g. inappropriate genre of music), impracticality (e.g. a big imbalance between what the promoter can pay and the costs that the band incur re. travel etc.), or, often, the fact that the band is crap.
Therefore, please bear in mind the following points.
Genre-specific: Many promoters restrict themselves to a particular style of music, such as metal, punk, acoustic etc. There is no point whatsoever in contacting a promoter if your band's style is not what want. All promoters who are genre-specific will state the fact that they are.
Money: Promoters will give a reasonably clear idea of what they can pay. If your expenses are way above what they can pay, negotiation with them will be pointless, and, so, contacting them is pointless.
Quality: All promoters have quality control because all gig-goers have quality control. If you are rubbish, or under-rehearsed or have never gigged, why are you contacting a promoter in another part of the country expecting a gig?
To ensure that you don't fall foul of any of the potential mistakes highlighted above, it is vital that you read the promoters' information, noting what styles of music they are looking for and what they are not looking for, and what they pay and what they don't pay.
In particular, do the following:
Look at the previous and upcoming gigs by a promoter and listen to the bands who have played or who are going to play; that will give you a good idea of what a particular promoter is looking for.
Read the promoter's information about how to contact them and, if do you contact them, do so precisely as requested.
In summary, it is important to read the promoter's information and make a judgement about whether there is any point in contacting them before contacting, and then to do so in a way that suits the promoter. BLANKET CONTACTING OF PROMOTERS IS POINTLESS. Spend time in finding the right promoter for you."
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