You've picked the songs, rehearsed the band, and sorted the image, but how do you go about getting the gigs? Duke Ashton and Shirley Cray give you the lowdown.

There are really just three basic methods of getting paid for playing in front of the public gaze: persuading a venue to pay you for playing, getting an agent to persuade a venue to pay you for playing, or becoming a promoter, putting on your own show and paying yourself. The latter is such a large subject it needs an article to itself, so the focus of this article will be on getting promoters to book you.

First you need to understand why you're doing it. Is it just for fun, or are you serious about making a living at it? In either case, you should consider joining the Musicians' Union. Because the MU are dealing with the business side of music, your area secretary is more aware than anyone of good and bad agents, venues, and other musicians. You would also have access to the MU's high-powered city-based legal team, who can give you free advice and representation should someone try to rip you off. And there is no doubt that somebody will try it on at some point in your career!

AGENCY WORK

This is the route recommended for those who squirm at the prospect of having to sell themselves or don't have the time to trudge round prospective venues. You still have to sell yourself to an agent, but after that, they will do the running around for their cut of, on average, 15%. That might seem like a lot, but once you've tried the DIY route, you'll soon realise that that they earn their money.

So how do you get yourself an agent? You can try the Yellow Pages — the bigger ones will be in there. A more selective method is to ask your muso friends, but don't be too surprised if they don't give you their favourite agents — after all, you'll be in competition with them.

Before you phone an agency, use the grapevine to find out as much as you can about them. When you do phone, if they're large and well-established, they might say 'send us a tape'. Don't — the general approximation of this phrase is 'go away'! Instead, bend the truth a bit — say you're doing new tapes and they aren't ready yet. Start by being interested in them and their setup, then say they were recommended to you and be prepared to say by whom — make sure the name you mention is one the agent is going to approve of. You don't want to associate yourself with bad payers or troublemakers! Above all, be friendly.

When you do steer the conversation round to talking about the band, they will want to know about your line-up, how long you've been together, and your material, so have a 'category' ready — nobody's going to be impressed with 'well, er, urn, we're so original, it's impossible to categorise us'. If you're doing your own material say that it is in the same bag as X — a popular act they are sure to have heard of — even if it isn't quite true.

Ask them what kind of venues they work, and say you've done similar and gone down well. Offer to showcase for them ('showcase' means playing for free to be seen — so they can try before they buy). Send them an excellent publicity photo, that looks better than the ones you see at your local venue — this is vital. Set up a DIY gig near them and invite them to it (remembering to take rent-a-crowd). Talk to them enthusiastically at the gig. If they like you, they'll tell you they can offer you work, and you won't have to chase them up for gigs very often. Give them a couple of days to call you, then call them. Call them every few days until they either give you a gig or start being 'out' or getting rude, in which case you've blown it — forget them and try another.

Finally, to keep in with your agent, never get into severe disagreements with the venues, do what they ask regarding volume, don't do return bookings behind the agent's back, and when it comes to commission, pay up promptly. Agents have a helluva game getting money out of some acts, and if you're a good payer, you're going to save them time and money — they'll appreciate that and give you priority.

DIY

Getting gigs for yourself is no mean feat — it takes energy, enthusiasm, and persistence. Here's a useful little formula for success that I have seen used many times.

Read the local paper 'What's On' section and check out Teletext gig listings to find out which venues are most suitable for you. It's most important that you don't waste your time, and damage your self confidence, trying to play reggae at a thrash metal gig! Next, arm yourself with some good promo material — posters are the bare minimum. Business cards, press cuttings, reviews, photos, car stickers, badges, and so forth are invaluable to your sales pitch. Stick your demo tape into your ghettoblaster, put it under your arm, your promo pack under your other arm, and march purposefully into the venue. Time your arrival so that the manager is not going to be too busy to see you — lunchtimes and early evenings are the best. Introduce yourself and lay out your wares.

If your promo pack is good, you will very often be offered a gig — your initiative and organisation are impressive, therefore your act is likely to be well-sorted too. The ghettoblaster is handy in case you're asked to leave a tape. Leaving a tape is often a waste of time as it will often be 'filed' in the bin, but very few people refuse to listen when the ghettoblaster is shoved right under their nose! If this doesn't do the trick, don't lose hope, you may be talking to a venue manager with full books. In this case, arrange to call back at a mutually satisfactory date or consider doing a support slot.

"Getting gigs for yourself is no mean feat — it takes energy, enthusiasm, and persistence."

As a support band, you need to find a successful act whose audience will also appreciate you. If you go down well in support, the venue will be much more interested in booking you in your own right. You may have to approach the headline band yourself, selling your act as a suitable 'warm-up'. You're also in a poor position when it comes to decent pay if you're supporting — some bands even pay to play support slots.

Another tack to try if you can't get in at your chosen venue(s) is to scout around the area looking for someone who's jealous. If one establishment is pulling all the punters in on a Saturday night, you can bet some other poor soul is gnashing his teeth in anguish, just waiting for you to provide him with the opportunity to drag them all into his place instead. Go and sell him your act as the means of doing this. Remember, you'll need rent-a-crowd to get the ball rolling for the first few gigs, and advertising is essential. Be prepared to put some work into this as well. Once you've proved you can cut it at one place, you can start capitalising on your good name and set up your own circuit.

MONEY

Whichever route you have taken, at some point you will have to negotiate a fee for your performance. The most important thing to know is the going rate. Other musicians tend to exaggerate what they are earning, if they tell you at all, but it's a good starting point. To some extent, agents are on your side, since the more you earn, the more they earn. However, they would rather have you working for peanuts for them at a venue that won't pay much, than have you play for some other agent and not have the income from that gig (if nothing else is happening). This means that you might find yourself talked into doing 'one-offs' as favours on a regular basis. They might also tell you that you have to take the rough with the smooth — if this happens, ditch the agent fast! He/she doesn't rate you and is giving you all the crap jobs no-one else will do.

You've got to remember that, in the end, the venues are out to make money too, and it's a risk for them, offering to pay you in the hope that their profits will be up as a result of you being there. If you do make a mistake and over or under price yourself, you'll quickly find yourself with either too much work or too little! Either way it's easily sorted.

Some bands will only work for a share of the takings, which seems a fair way of doing things and presents less risk to the managers. You'll have to ensure that he/she won't object to you seeing the till takings record at the end of the night. Similar precautions will have to be observed if you are to receive a portion of door takings — it's a good idea to do a head count, either yourself or stand a mate on the door.

CONTRACTS

If gigging is a bed of roses, then you'll have to watch out for the occasional prick — they come in many shapes and sizes. Agents have been known to cancel gigs, only hours in advance, and without a contract, you'll lose that fee; they have also been know to quote one fee to the venue and another to the band, pocketing the difference themselves. You can avoid both of these situations with a contract. The MU will check one out for you or supply standard contracts if you're a member. Be suspicious of anyone who won't put the deal in writing.

When dealing direct with venues, if you don't have a contract stating the fee, you leave yourself open to attempted renegotiation at the end of the night, since the manager has you over a barrel — you've done the work, but he/she has the money. If you stick to the fee, they may try and bully you by saying that you'll never work in the area again. Don't give in — just repeat over and over that you agreed a fee, and that you're not going to leave until you get it. As a last resort, call the police (from inside the venue). The other alternative — cut your losses and get out fast.

This sounds very cautionary, but bad experiences are rare, thankfully, provided you take the necessary precautions and keep your wits about you. In the main, you'll be dealing with people just trying to make a living, many of whom are genuine music lovers and will give you a fair deal and loads of help and support (and money!) on the night. Above all, you'll be out there doing it instead of reading about it, and, on a good night, having a great time at somebody else's expense! Good luck.

Duke Ashton was Secretary for the Worcester branch of the MU for four years. Both Shirley and Duke have experienced earning their living solely from gigs and can count their gigs to date in the thousands.