Many aspiring artists are constantly trying to figure out how to book more shows. I’ve booked, hosted, and been apart of well over 200 shows and live events in the past decade. The more shows we do the more our inboxes fill up with emails. A lot of inquiries are telling us who we need to book rather than asking how to get involved. I decided to answer a few common questions.
Q: How do I get on bills?
A: Network.
“Damn Mitch … one word?”
Okay I’ll give you five words: network your fucking ass off.
Networking to me involves two aspects, building and investing. Investing time into creating relationships, maintaining those relationships, and building value without asking for something in return. No one works for free and we all clearly want something. At the same time, we could all use a hand with something. You help good people out, they will eventually help you out.
Invest in others and they will invest in you. Remember, this won’t ever be an equal relationship if you’re truly building. You should aim to build with individuals that are more established than you. They can provide you immense value with little effort and in turn, take more upfront effort on your end to balance out the give-and-take.
What if these people don’t reciprocate value?
Then forget them and keep moving. Find new people to build with. You’ve most likely learned some new things, and you now know for sure what this person’s worth is to you. So you’ve truly lost nothing, but you’ve gained valuable knowledge and experience.
