The artists booked for festivals most often reflect the personal preferences of the promoters who book them. This is what makes festivals so exciting and why audiences have their favourite events. Other factors will include a need to book artists with a proven record for attracting audiences. Thereafter promoters want to find a balance in the programmes they offer. Any one concert will, perhaps, want a headliner, a high energy band or top notch single performer. Then consideration will be given to a speciality act like The Old rope String Band or The Spooky Men's Chorale. The promoter will perhaps consider a duo or a world music act, always recognising the need to balance acts from the tradition with performers presenting contemporary work. This will work for all venues and the promoter will recognise the need to offer alternatives throughout the festival site, so that there will be something for everyone most of the time.

Artist availability will have an effect on the overall programming for concerts and most importantly the promoter will be working to a budget; again trying to balance artist cost against predicted ticket sales. This is why festivals are high risk businesses.

The promoter will be bombarded with up and coming new acts trying to get a gig. If the festival is small a clever promoter with a good ear can find good acts for relatively small cost, this will help the festival and the performers. Unfortunately for new acts a big festival is less likely to find performance spots for them. The promoter is booking well known acts to ensure his audience levels remain high.

The likelihood of new acts being booked gets higher if they present their information pack in decent condition. Send your recorded material; biogs, reviews, and most importantly for me, a list of up coming gigs, I like to see artists perform before I book them. But send them in some form of folder containing the whole package. I don't want to have a CD, letter, flyers and photographs slipping all over my office with everything getting separated. I would prefer a CD in plastic sleeve, I want the whole package to be slim, so that I can file it easily. I didn't say forget it.

Good promoters rarely let real talent slip by them, keep trying. There are thousands of acts trying to get gigs, it is a competitive world. Don't become a whinger it won't help. Talk to the promoter he (or she) will hate to refuse you, but they only have so many spots to fill. If they say no it isn't a cop-out, it is because they haven't got room in their programme, or the profile of your act doesn't fit with those already booked, or, in their opinion, you are not good enough. Well that is only their opinion, many world famous performers have been turned down by ignorant promoters.

Keep Trying.