I was extremely fortunate, when I decided to try my luck with a 6 week tour in Scotland in 2006, to manage to get 11 gigs. I accomplished this by a combination of phoning and e-mailing, and sending out promo packages. None of them had ever heard me live (because I'd never performed in Scotland before). Every organizer I talked to was very nice and helpful and although it did take a lot of persistence I thought 11 bookings wasn't too bad for the first try.   

In Richmond, Virginia I help run a small concert series that's been going for about a year - well it stopped for a while because we lost our venue but we think we've got that sorted out so we can get back up and running. So this has given me the experience of being the booker, whereas for many years I've been the one looking for gigs. I do book acts that I haven't seen live on the basis of their websites, their soundclips or CDs, word of mouth, and also judging by other places that have booked them. Our focus is strictly traditional, so that narrows the field quite a bit.   So far we haven't had one act disappoint us. There were a couple of times where we didn't manage to bring in much of an audience, but there doesn't seem to be much rhyme or reason to that either. We've had complete unknowns bring in a fairly respectable crowd, and some people who are quite good and known locally who didn't manage to attract many people at all. I think a lot depends on what else is going on at the time in the area. We do most the promotion, but we are delighted if the artist has an e-mail list and gets the word out.

I will mention one thing that is a real turn off - and that is a performer who doesn't have at least a basic website. We do a lot of our promotion by e-mail,and it really helps if we can direct people to a website that has a few pictures and soundclips. I think nowadays a website is an absolutely necessary tool for an artists who wants to get booked. That said, there have been one or two people that I liked so much I whipped up a basic website for them - so I guess for me talent and a strong committment to traditional music, making them a good fit for our series, is the important thing.   

As for myself, I've pretty much decided that chasing after bookings was starting to make music too much like work, and prefer to just sing and play for myself at home, or on the occasions when I can make it to a get together with like minded folks.

It has been interesting, however, to get a feel for both sides of the gigging experience.