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How to book a show for JTC in your hometownBooking a show in your hometown can prove to be hard work for any band, especially if the band has never played in the establishment and even more-so if the band has never played in your hometown. But, dedicated fans make a HUGE difference in the success rate of booking shows and we’re willing to go the extra mile if you are. So, without further delay, here’s how to book a show for JTC in your hometown! |
STEP ONE:
This is the easy step; find a venue in your area that you think JTC would do well at. To determine that, ask yourself these three questions:
- Does the venue normally book bands of the Blues and/or Soul genres?
- Does the venue have a natural draw?
- If not, could you personally guarantee a packed house? - Is there enough space for the band?
- JTC requires a minimum area of 15’ wide and 8’ deep.
If you’ve answered yes to all three questions please keep reading. If you answered no to any of them STOP and find another venue.
STEP TWO:
Technically, this is more than one step, but for simplicity we’re calling it step two. It begins by finding out the contact information for the person responsible for booking bands at the venue. Sometimes that person is the owner; more often than not however, that person is a booking agent or the venue manager. Get their name and phone number at least. If you can get their Email address and mailing address right away you’re one step ahead of the game and that’s not a bad thing. While you’re at it, find out what the normal pay, start time, number of sets, length of sets, and end time are for bands playing there. All of this comes in handy later, so write everything down.
The second part of step two is to find out what dates the venue and JTC have open. Please keep in mind that while we would love to pack up and play a show in your hometown we also need time to plan. For venues outside a 100 mile radius of zip code 02333 we would need 3-6 months prep time. For venues within the 100 mile radius we would need 1-3 months prep time. This time allows us to secure transportation, ensure the funds are available to make the trip, and possibly find other venues along the route we might try to book for shows preceding or following yours.
The final step of step two (I told you this was more than one step) is to contact the band. Send us an Email with the information you’ve compiled so far. This way we can better advise you of what date to try locking in with the venue, any specific questions or requests we might have, or offer you a reason why we can’t book the venue. Allow me to explain why I threw in that last part… There could be thousands of reasons JTC can’t accept a booking, but that’s not to say it happens often. In fact, it hardly ever happens, but it wouldn’t be fair to you if I didn’t let you know it is a possibility.
Once you receive an Email from the band containing the information you need from us, please move on to step three.
Take me back to Step One Take me back to the top
STEP THREE:
Pick up the phone and dial the number of the booking representative for the venue you’d like JTC to perform at and tell him/her why you are calling. It might sound something like this:
“Hi Mr. Adams, my name is John Brandy and I would like the opportunity to introduce you to a great band from the Boston area. The name of the band is John the Conqueror and their website address is jtcbluesband.com (Mr. Adams probably won’t remember this, but he might surprise you too!).
“I live here in Whiskey and heard them at Jack’s Soul Club a few months ago in So-Co, New York and the show was great! I think the band would be perfect for the crowd at Jim’s. I’ve checked the online schedule for the venue and sent the members of JTC all of the information I could find. They’re interested in coming out here in July if we can get this booked. Would it be okay that I have the band send a press kit to you?”
Most likely, the answer will be yes, but that’s not a guarantee that JTC will play the show. And, we could still use your help in making that possible.
If you get told no, please don’t get discouraged. It happens; it’s part of the game. Just send us an Email to let us know and if you want to try another venue please do. If you do get a yes though, make sure you immediately send us an Email with their mailing address and contact information (yes, again… we don’t have secretaries to keep track of these things yet.) so we can get the press kit sent quickly. Most booking representatives take notice of how long they have to wait before getting the press kit, and that’s only if they don’t forget that one was being sent.
Take me back to Step Two Take me back to the top
STEP FOUR:
Wait a week after you Email us and then call Mr. Adams again. This time you’re only calling to make sure that he received the press kit and find out if he’s had time to review it. Someone from the band will call a few days later to do the same thing. If he tells you that he has received it and he has reviewed it and he would like to book the band send us another Email with that information. We will call him that day to go over the details. If he says anything other than yes, yes, and yes, thank him for his time and leave it alone (of course, let us know what was said). That’s why the band follows up a few days later.
We’re not pros at booking shows, but we’ve done it countless times, and we have a pretty good understanding of what to say and when to say it. We also have a pretty good understanding of knowing when someone feels that we are wasting their time.
Most importantly, DO NOT make statements or agree to anything on behalf of the band. Please leave all negotiations and agreements up to us. We appreciate your help and we admire your commitment to JTC, but one wrong thing said and we may never get to see your wonderful hometown.
Take me back to Step Three Take me back to the top
STEP FIVE (THE FINAL STEP):
Make sure all of your friends know you helped book the band and that all of them and you come out for the show. We can’t do this without you. I mean, after all, YOU BOOKED THE SHOW!