292 – How to Book a Show at a Coffeehouse, Hardware Store, or Anywhere

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Have you ever wanted to explore the possibility of performing in alternative venues?

One of the advantages of showing up where no one else is performing is that you can create a market that belongs to you. Plus, price elasticity also applies – you can charge more for the performance than you might be able to in the average music venue.

In this episode of The New Music Industry Podcast, David explains how to book a coffeehouse show. The same approach can work in an array of alternative venues, because businesses do business with other businesses.

Podcast Highlights:

00:16 – The story of how David booked a showcase at a Starbucks
00:49 – How to approach a store manager to get your show booked
01:37 – Success is not guaranteed
01:48 – Closing thoughts

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Transcription:

Hey, it’s David Andrew Wiebe. I’ve told the story that follows in several different ways on different occasions, but the essence of it is this. I’d booked a showcase for three artists at a Starbucks. Afterward, there were other musicians in attendance. They came up to me and asked, “So how did you manage to book a Starbucks?” And then I shared with them the details of how I’d handed a business card to the manager of Starbucks and asked if they were open to having us come in with a few artists to perform. And they were more than agreeable to have us in.

Now, I think here’s the big takeaway here. The fact that I presented a business card made a difference. It wasn’t just, “Hi, I’m David Andrew Wiebe, I’m an artist, I’m a rock musician, and I want to book a gig at your venue.” That’s not how the conversation went.

When she saw the business card, she could plainly and clearly see that it was from a business, not just a local independent musician. But the thing is, you don’t have to have a business to do this. Just about anybody could take the same idea and book in alternative venues. All you really need is a collective. So, you could say, “Hey, I’m from so-and-so artist collective or music collective” or whatever you want to call it, some kind of community, and that could immediately help you create the opportunity of booking in venues that you might not otherwise be able to.

Now, I’m not saying this will work out every single time, but it could certainly broaden the number of opportunities you can get locally, as well as the exposure you can get for your music.

Well, the insight you just heard is also available in my book, The Music Entrepreneur Companion Guide. For a limited time, you can get it for free at MusicEntrepreneurHQ.com/FreeBook.

This has been episode 292 of The New Music Industry Podcast. I’m David Andrew Wiebe, and I look forward to seeing you on the stages of the world.

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David Andrew Wiebe

Founder & CEO at Music Entrepreneur HQ

Award-winning composer, best-selling author, professional musician coach, and podcaster of over 10 years. Wiebe helps musicians like you unlock your full potential. If you'd like to be notified whenever the blog is updated, click here to subscribe.

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