Do you love singing? How do you find singing gigs? The truth is that there are a lot of singers out there. Another truth is that there aren’t a lot of shows and gigs available for singers to go around. To get the gigs flowing you have to be a craft and unconventional.
Understand you have a chicken and egg problem
Gigs lead to more gigs, but if you can get your first gig, how do you get more gigs? Yes, this is a tough one. Everyone has to start at zero. This is definitely true for you with gigs. How can you fix the chicken and egg problem? Find a band with a gig, and ask to be in their background.
When I say background, think background singer or musical instrument. Do what you can to get on the stage. You don’t even have to sing during a set. You just want people to see you on the stage. The truth is only a handful of people in the whole venue knowns who was paid and what. You were a part of the show. That’s what the audience saw. You can use this to your advantage.
What if I can’t play an instrument? Everyone can play the tambourine. You just shake it. It’s not that hard. Remember, you want to get people familiar with seeing you on the stage. They don’t have to visualize it. They already ready saw you do this.
Work your network to find singing gigs
I would search for people in my network that have upcoming gigs. I would also search for people that have done gigs in the past. When you find them, ask questions. You may uncover shortcuts or hookups to get you gigs. If you’re doing this already, great. I would encourage you to make this a habit. People get new gigs every day.
Look to be a supporting act
When big artists come to town, they need additional acts for their show. I’ve seen comedians warm up a crowd for singers. I always for that odd. You can literally walk down any busy street and randomly find someone that can sing. Yes, they may not be in the same genre as the artist coming to town.
My point is that isn’t super hard to find supporting acts. You just have to look for them. I know promoters are busy. You can take advantage of this fact. Get to know the promoters and let them know you can be a supporting act. They will never give you a gig unless they know who you are.
Build your social presence to find singing gigs
We have great tools like Instagram and Youtube. They’re perfect places to showcase your talent. You can monetize these channels why you’re building a following. You’re also showing venues and promoters the type of music you sign. Social can be a great passive channel for gigs.
Create a show to find singing gigs
This is a golden opportunity now. There are many spaces that are underutilized. I speak with people all the time about commercial properties. So many owners don’t know what to do with their spaces. You can help solve this problem by generating a little buzz at their location by performing a show.
Creating a showing can be overwhelming. You just have to focus. You and others like you like to sing. I would zero in on that fact. If you want to give unknown acts a space to shine, great, do that. If you want to create a show for a cause, great, do that. Creating a show is solving a big problem. That problem is that you don’t have any gigs. You can flip the script and create your own gig.
Music Gigs
I’ve started to write about this topic specifically. If you like this post, please read more of my work on music gigs. I also take requests. Drop a comment, if there’s a specific topic you want me to cover. It makes it easier to write things that people ask for. Thanks!