It’s so easy to get stuck in a rut as a gigging musician, always playing the same old clubs and coffee shops, getting burnt out on the local and regional scene. Expanding the horizon of gigging opportunities at new venues is always a good idea, even if you’re not burnt out — a paying gig is a paying gig, after all. Finding new venues is easier than you think for those with outgoing personalities who are willing to venture outside their safe zone.

Networking

The absolute best way to find new venues is to make friends with other gigging bands and musicians. They can lead you to places you didn’t know existed, or places that you may have thought were out of your reach. Offer to be an opener at one of their gigs and let them open for you at the places where you have a following. Make friends with touring acts and offer to be their support. If you can get on a tour — even a small indie tour — as a support act, that’s the best foot in the door you could hope for. You just have to be willing to take advantage of it and make a good impression on each booker, manager and staff member you meet at each new club. Ask every musician you meet where they play and you’ll definitely learn of some new places, and maybe even have an inroad to a new gig.

Benefit shows

Playing a benefit concert not only helps out a cause, it introduces you to a new venue and audience. Get to know everyone involved, from the show organizers to personnel at the venue, who may invite you back for a paying gig in the future.

Websites

Plenty of websites exist to help acts find gigs. Some are just listing sites, others provide forums for networking with others, while still others offer an online booking process and let you create an electronic press kit (EPK). Sonicbids is the most well-known of the latter, while GigFinder and Onlinegigs are two examples of the former.

Campuses

Universities have a lot of money to spend on events and acts often find they can make a lot more money at on-campus shows than on the traditional club circuit — no cut of the door based on turn out, or playing for exposure. The flip side of this is that many student activity councils will only book acts who are a member of the National Association for Campus Activities (NACA). It requires hefty fees, and there are a lot of hoops to jump through, but it could be worth it if you’re a touring act looking to hit college towns. Play the staid on-campus gigs by day, make a lot of dough, then hit the local club scene at night to see what you can pull in. Make sure you attend the NACA conventions, as this is where a good deal of the connections are made that can lead to lucrative gigs.