Booking Folk Gigs. Some suggestions.

Subject: RE: Booking Folk Gigs. Some suggestions.
From: Clinton Hammond
Date: 22 May 01 - 02:34 PM

Good one, Ricker!

These are the threads that keep me at Mudcat!

;-)

Subject: RE: Booking Folk Gigs. Some suggestions.
From: GUEST,Phil Cooper
Date: 22 May 01 - 02:29 PM

Good thread. I've noticed in the twenty odd years that I've booked Margaret and myself, or Margaret, Kate, and myself is that things are changing in the folk world. Even a few years ago, we could get a contemporary venue to at least listen and consider us for their concert season. I would bend over backwards to let them know that we were used to presenting traditionally oriented music to people used to contemporary and having it go over. Now they are not so open, even in the house concert field. My significant other is a singer/songwriter and she runs into the opposite effect sometimes (she also has to deal with the fact that there are a lot more singer/songwriters these days). She's taken to becoming a unitarian circuit rider, incorporating music in the services she organizes and then seeing if the church will promote a community concert the night before. That works. Margaret and I sometimes have tried finding a venue and promoting the show ourselves. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. A friend of mine who is a booking agent claims that the folk world seems to be imploding right now. It sure seems that way at the Folk Alliance conferences. On the other hand, people who like what we do, like it alot and we can't really worry too much about the one's who don't.

Subject: RE: Booking Folk Gigs. Some suggestions.
From: jeffp
Date: 22 May 01 - 01:42 PM

Wonderful advice, Rick! Thanks for posting it. BTW, I think Chuck was using TAR_HEEL or something like that last time he posted here. I haven't seen anything from him in a while, though.

jeffp

Subject: RE: Booking Folk Gigs. Some suggestions.
From: Stevangelist
Date: 22 May 01 - 01:31 PM

I definitely concur... having done a lot of traveling for gigs of all kinds, I must agree that getting a foot in the door via a personal relationship with the owners/managers/patrons of a folk club is VERY important. Once they are used to seeing your face (and you've had weeks or months to buddy up to the 'regulars'), you are more likely to be treated as one of the 'in crowd'.

Of course, not sucking at your particular craft doesn't hurt, either.

May The Road Rise To Meet You,

Stevangelist

Subject: RE: Booking Folk Gigs. Some suggestions.
From: UB Ed
Date: 22 May 01 - 01:28 PM

Rick, on the money regarding "knowing people" and the value of networking as well as "Targeting" your venues to increase your liklikhood of success.

We have the pleasure of being a "hobby" band. Regardless, the advice above is sound. We play weekly at a local pub, hit several of the local festivles and a couple wedding receptions per year.

We play "Irish American Pub Music" (Now that's wide open!). We will not play at an event where the sponsor has not seen us before. It's just too risky.

We have also started segregating our fees into with or without sound/lights (provided by venue). Our next step will be to qoute a price for without sound/lights with an emergency adder should sound and/or lights suddenly be needed after all!

Subject: Booking Folk Gigs. Some suggestions.
From: Rick Fielding
Date: 22 May 01 - 11:52 AM

I've noticed over the last couple of weeks that this has come up in some other threads and I thought I'd throw in my two cents worth. As per usual I'll remind folks that these are simply MY experiences, and may be the opposite of how things operate in YOUR area.

When I first started applying for folk clubs and festivals the criterion was simple: If you were good, ie: sang on key, played interestingly, and your music fit the organization's format, you had a pretty fair chance of getting the gig.(or getting your recording played on a radio show that programmed folk music)

There certainly was competition, but you might be up against three or four other artists doing something similar. If you didn't hear back from the club or festival, you could pretty well figure out that they simply didn't think you were good enough (yet) and it was back to the drawing board.

The situation today is SO different that it's almost impossible to sum it up in a couple of paragraphs...but I'll try.

First of all, there are so many CATAGORIES (of "folk") these days that it's hard for many artists to know (unless they've done their homework) whether their CD will even be listened to, or just flung into a "listen in future" box (or even the garbage!)where chances are, it will languish forever.

If a club's (or Festival, or Record company) history has been to feature traditionally based music, they simply will not have the time to listen to artists who's approach is more mainstream singer/songwriter style. The competition is now as fierce as in the rock world...and indeed many singer/songwriters are aiming for a pop audience anyway. One local Folk Club in Toronto receives more than a HUNDRED submissions a month. There are literally THOUSANDS of rootsy artists competing for a few dozen gigs.

My suggestion is that if you're doing "celtic style" music make sure that you don't waste expensive promo copies on clubs, radio shows, or record companies that don't have an interest in that kind of music. Research HAS to be part of promotion these days, or you're just wasting your time.

If you play Bluegrass or Old-time oriented music, forget the singer-songwriter venues. If you're a singer-songwriter don't waste time and money trying to interest a traditional organisation. I know someone who was a tad hurt because a Traditional Record company didn't acknowledge receipt of a CD of their work. Why would they? Half an hour on the internet would have revealed that the company has NEVER featured the kind of music the artist sent.

One of the things I've noticed is that these days MANY people in a folk audience already KNOW the performer personally. This can be the result of having met them before or being the recipient of gig announcements that have come DIRECTLY from the performer. The personal touch can work wonders for getting folks out to the gig. You'd be hugely surprised how many NAME artists keep mailing lists, and let potential CD buyers, radio programmers, and audience folk know about what's going on in their lives. It really helps people feel connected...and (in my opinion) that's what "Folk" music is all about. I mean it may be the ONLY thing that separates us from the POP world these days.

If you are looking for a booking in your home town, remember that your submission is almost certainly going to go before a committee, and if you've already established a relationship with that venue (and it's volunteers) you're going to get more notice than someone who hasn't. Sorry, but it's human nature.

If you've come out to it's Open Stage, or volunteered to take tickets, or even just come down to listen to others, you become a known (and supportive) commodity, and hence when the committee is listening to (probably many) gig submissions they'll know that you've become part of the extended family, and in folk music that counts big.

One other interesting phenomenom that applies directly to Mudcat, is that I and a couple of others here who host radio shows have received submissions from members. Sometimes the CDs or tapes don't make any mention of the person's "Mudcat handle", so after a while (sometimes it's three or four weeks before I get the time to listen to them) we forget that it came from a Mudcat friend, and they don't get a personal acknowledgement. I got something last week from Chuck hemrick, but when I tried to PM him, his name wouldn't come up...guess he has a new handle, and since I'm not here as much as before I don't know what it is. (Thanks Chuck, if you read this)

Bottom line is, that while the competition for gigs etc. is now as fierce as in the pop world, the folks who take the time to really get to know who they're applying to, are gonna have more luck and more success.

I'd love to hear other's suggestions on how to get bookings, or anything else related. Thanks.

Rick