Comments on: The Truth about Booking Shows for Musicians in New York City

By: William Platt

William Platt — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 02:56:10 +0000

I want to start a new club. I have no experience in the biz. Would aim for the college crowd. I have a small building about 2,900 sq. ft. four bedrooms on 2nd floor – i would like to give room to a permanent booking agent – and also an individual with heavy music experience to live in and run the music operation. I am keeping a room for myself – thought 1 or 2 rooms for the booked act. First floor is a possible coffee/donut operation. Music venue would be another building. The building enumerated above needs heavy carpentry, etc. is there a booking agent – that can do repairs to this building and share in future possibilities? A person should not give up day job for this – is out west. I should mention – my residence would not be more than 6 months a year.

By: The wages of swing | Ottawa Citizen Blogs

The wages of swing | Ottawa Citizen Blogs — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 23:36:54 +0000

[...] At his loaded-with-info website musicianwages.com, Brooklyn guitarist Cameron Mizell makes clear here that if it’s rough all over for musicians trying to bring original tunes to the people, [...]

By: Cameron Mizell

Cameron Mizell — Sat, 21 May 2011 13:22:35 +0000

Instead of looking directly for venues, I recommend finding similar artists in NYC and look at their upcoming shows. That’s still how I find new places to play around here.

By: Tim

Tim — Fri, 20 May 2011 14:20:51 +0000

Great article – full of really useful tips and advice. Really appreciate you taking the time to help others out who are in a similar position and you can share advice on what you’ve learnt. Thanks!

Could anyone perhaps please give me a list of any suitable venues where I could start playing my music in New York? I would describe my music as jazz/alternative/pop/rock. A bit of a mixture really! I have tried Googling venues in New York but I’m totally lost. I would go and visit New York myself but I’m moving there in November from the UK so I can’t really pop over before then.

Any advice would be gratefully received.

Thanks,
Tim

By: Cameron Mizell

Cameron Mizell — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 14:10:10 +0000

Heath, there’s no easy answer for you here. For the last few years I’ve played between 50-100 gigs, doing all kinds of music.

This article is really about booking an original band, so for example, my own band (a jazz trio) plays in NYC bars and clubs no more than once a month. After I pay my bandmates, I usually make about $50 plus CD sales. Some gigs bring in much more, other times I’m still paying my band out of my pocket.

I also make money every month from online sales–iTunes, Bandcamp, etc. That income, plus the gig income, is a decent chunk of change, but not enough to live on.

Along with my own band, I’m a regular in five other original bands and pick up one-off gigs here and there. Some of the gigs are more musically fulfilling than others, but all of them offer challenges and help me grow as a musician. They also support me financially. Each gig varies greatly, but my base rate is $50/rehearsal, $100/gig, plus additional work like recording or arranging charts.

Everyone I know that plays in cover bands makes about $100 for bar gigs but much more for weddings and corporate events. In NYC, there’s bigger budgets for that kind of stuff, so for some guys, cover gigs are their bread and butter.

By: Heath

Heath — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 02:42:21 +0000

So how many gigs a year do you play? Whats the average buck per gig ? Im between a rock and hard place right now and would be apreciative of the info. I make a hundred bucks a night 2 nights a week, Its no longer worth my time at 44 yrs old to play in a cover band. Its not just money but personal growth as a musican. Thanks.

By: Tom

Tom — Wed, 24 Nov 2010 02:47:21 +0000

Hi, I am a promoter as well as a musician. My promotions company allows bands who have had trouble booking shows in the area a chance to play through our reputation. So, I wouldn’t distrust all promotions companies to do a bad job, flyers and posters are usually part of the contract and a good way to make sure they promote is to give them a lower percentage of the profits and not an upfront fee. Thanks, Tom.

By: Devlin Miles

Devlin Miles — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 14:18:47 +0000

Cameron,
Oh how true this is! As a musician in the New York scene you have to strike a delicate balance with promoters. You also have to be clear to yourself what you expect from a venue. I have 3 requirements when approaching a venue or dealing with bookers.
1. Is the venue known and designed to have live music (good sound, an allotted space, run listings)
2. Do they have a website and will they link to yours?
3. Is there potential for walk in crowd or overlapping bands? (you want to grow, not bring the same 20 fans to all your shows)

thanks again!
Devlin

By: Roxi Copland

Roxi Copland — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 16:19:27 +0000

Hi Cameron –

Just wanted to say a sincere ‘thanks’ for taking the time to share your tips with other musicians. There’s a lot of great advice contained in this post, and I can certainly vouch for the efficacy of sending professional and polite emails, always being courteous, and taking care of the musicians in your band. I managed to go from college graduation to being a full-time musician (making a comfortable living) in just a couple years by doing my best to follow the rules you’ve outlined above. And yes, it seems as though the gigs in smaller cities help to financially cover those you play for free in places like Chicago, LA and NYC. When I do a tour I just make sure that I have enough paying gigs in the not-quite-so-large cities to offset the expenses of those few where I’m just playing for the door, a percentage, merch, etc.

Keep up the great work and writing!

By: Jordan Roads

Jordan Roads — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 17:54:51 +0000

Recently I decided to “go solo”, but in a unique way. Finding it hard to form a band I decided to invest my money in a rig that allows me to combine live processed harmonies with backing tracks so that I can sing and play rythmn and solo guitar and sound like a full band. The only problem is it takes at least 15 minutes to set up my rig and another 15 minutes to break it down. Most venues in NYC seem to allow for only 30 to 45 minutes for a set. When I explained my set-up/break down time issue to a “booker” I was told that that I would get no more than the time allowed. Which means if I spend 30 minutes setting up and breaking down I’ll get how much? 15 or 20 minutes of actual performing time!