In the first part of this two-part series, I described the roles of agents and managers and how they work together to book shows. In the final part of this series, I’ll describe 10 steps to help streamline your own efforts, with or without a team.

The music business is driven by relationships. Being able to develop and leverage these relationships will be instrumental to your success as a working musician. The best way to get more gigs. . .

In this two-part series, I’ll take a look at the process of booking shows from a musician’s perspective, from the roles of agents and managers and how they work effectively together to implementing a 10-step plan designed to help focus your own efforts, with or without a team.

“How do I get more gigs?” “How do I get an agent?” Every musician I work with asks these same questions—sometimes even if they already have an agent!

Getting paying shows is an essential part of being a working musician. But the prospect of booking your own can seem overwhelming at first. With so many potential places to perform, how do you know which is best? And with so many other bands vying for the attention of promoters and venues, how do you get an offer if no one is even getting back to you? These may seem like difficult questions to answer, but like all big tasks, booking shows becomes much easier if you break things into manageable chunks.