Why am I not getting more gigs?

When the phone stops ringing, stop complaining and do something about it!

More than once, I’ve heard a musician complain that they are not getting as many gigs as they “Should” be getting. This attitude is guaranteed to ensure that your gigs dwindle to nothing.

Have you ever considered that maybe you are standing in your own way? Ask yourself: “What have I done lately to give something back?” If you take this perspective, you will point yourself in a much more positive direction. No matter what religion you are (or are not), at some point in your life, you have been told that the more you give, the more you will receive. They key here is not to adopt this as a tactic, but as a belief. If you truly believe in your heart that giving as as important as “getting”, you will enjoy a rich and fulfilling experience as a musician.

Here are some specific examples of what you can do to better improve your presence in your music community:

1 – Go to someone else’s gig

If you have a night off, put your coat on, and go to someone else’s gig and show some support. Don’t just show up, be there, offer positive feedback. By showing your face more you will not only improve your network, but you will show others that you care and that you support their endeavors as well as yours. Eventually, someone will do the same for you.

2 – Lend a Hand.

If you are at a friend’s gig, and you are sitting there with your drink in-hand watching them drag their gear out to the van, put your damm drink down and help them. Why not? They are your friends, so help them. I do it even with strangers. This requires so very little of your time and energy, but after a long night, the simple gesture alone will mean the world to them. I do it all the time and people always have this incredibly stunned look of deep gratitude on their faces when I jump off my bar-stool and grab the other end of a road case. Again, do not use this as a tactic, people will sense it and it comes off as shallow. I do it simply because I know exactly how it feels to play to an empty bar on a Sunday night, and then have to pack up and drag your gear home. When someone offers to help me, it really cheers me up. What it says is: “I care”.

3 – Offer your help

If you know another musician who needs a website, and you know HTML, help them with their website. If you have un-used time in your studio, and another musician is struggling to come up with funds for a rehearsal, let them use your space. If a friend is in town on a low-paying gig, let them crash at your place so that they can avoid hotel costs. Everyone has something to give. You never know when you might be in need and it will make a big difference when someone else does something kind for you.

4 – Learn another instrument

Ok, so you are a hot-shot lead guitarist. So what, I can shake any tree and a bunch more amazing lead players will fall out. This is not 1969; lightning fast lead guitarists are not in demand any more. Don’t be offended, I am a lead guitarist and have been guilty of this kind of thinking myself in the past, I’m just speaking the truth. So, since there is so much competition, why not learn another instrument? I guarantee that if word gets out that you can also sing lead, or backup, or play keyboards, etc… the phone will ring more. Most of the time, what people need are musicians who can solve a problem, not play “Eruption”. If you can double-up on another instrument, you will save a band-leader money as that is one less musician that they have to pay. I remember going to a friend’s gig once and the lead guitarist was smokin’… just playing some really great stuff. Then he suddenly reached behind his amp, pulled out a Trombone and proceeded to play it very well as part of the song. I could not possibly have been more impressed. I mean if this guy played “Eruption” backwards, it might have been technically impressive, but it’s not like we have not seen that done hundreds of times. But, when is the last time you saw a good guitarist double-up on Trombone? Never. Think about it.

5 – Solo Less

No one is surprised when a lead guitarist plays a solo. But when is the last time a lead guitarist said: “Hey, let’s leave the solo out of this song and just groove for a while” I guarantee that the next time you say that in a rehearsal or recording session, people will reach for a q-tip to clean their ears out. They will remember that moment, and start to think of you more as a team-player.

Summary

These are just a few suggestions that can help you break out of the funk you are in. Once you can free yourself of any sense of entitlement, and start thinking more about how you can give back to your community and also change the way your fellow musicians see you, you will start to notice a big change in how often people reach out to you. I promise you, this works, but you have to believe it and you have to do it with the right spirit. How does this add up to more gigs? Simple: People remember those who they like more than those they don’t. it is assumed that you can play well, but it is not assumed that you are a kind, sincere, professional and punctual person. Once people put you in that category in their mind, they will start to trust you. Once people trust you, they will offer you more gigs.