Greetings:

Here is one small but important piece of advice regarding a demo used to solicit bookings. Whether your a making an audio recording or a video, be sure to include some live performances before audiences. That's the only way the organizers can tell what you sound like in the real world.

And while I am at it, here is another piece of advice. There are numerous venues in and around New York City that literally book anyone who comes along for a one-hour gig. Sometimes they get four, five, or six even acts into a single evening. These places expect you to do your own publicity and bring in your own friends and fans, and then they hit them each with a $10 cover charge. Unfortunately, you don't see any of that money until the house has pocketed the first $50 or $100 off the top. And even then they still keep a hefty percentage of everything above that minimum. If you want to work rooms like those, just get yourself a musician's page on MySpace and the "independent booking agents" will soon find you like a copperhead finds a field mouse.

On the other hand, you can probably land a gig at the Bowery Poetry Club (308 Bowery, Lower Manhattan) and work out a much sweeter deal, such as a 70/30 split, with the 70 going to you starting with the first dollar, and you determine the cover charge. The only hitch is that will have to convince them that you can draw a decent crowd. If you think you can do so, go for it.

Best of luck.

--- Steve