Rock Starz Needed.... Seasonal Festival Gigs

From Oktoberfest's across the nation to City Concert Series, Wines Fests, Acorn fests, and Surf festivals.... Rock and Roll Marathon's and races and unique and fun stages large and small- it's time to get your calendar in gear!

Are you a local, regional or national touring rock star? Or in real language- do you play in a band and want to get in on the festival circuits? Most of this is a matter of submitting, submitting and resubmitting to many many events, and then waiting for the offers to rush in. But we can do better than that. Let's get to the grit of submitting for Festivals, year round.

Let's see if you fit the bill.

Step 1

Festivals, for the most part, book early. Two to five months prior to the event, check out the web site. Look at how many stages they have, and what talents played there previously. It's important to look at the style of music, and the kinds of talents they placed on their stage(s). It's either a match with your project or it's not. Look at the past bookings with an objective eye. Are they hiring trio acoustic acts, classic cover bands, original singer songwriters, Era or Tribute Acts? Local, regional and or national tours? Knowing what they want, and are looking for will determine if this event is worth the submission time and energy.

Step 2

Great! They hire talents similar to your projects' in style, vetting and scope. Now what? The web site for the event may have an actual " application" link on the site. This will only be available on specific dates. Fill out the submission, and start a spreadsheet noting the dates you submitted for the event. Make note of a contact name, or e-mail/phone number to follow up with after the submission period is past. If there is no link, call the administrative line and ask directly who you can submit your Band/ Talent EPK to. Ask kindly for a name, title and e-mail. Usually staff is helpful. All this takes time. It's valuable information. Save it on your spreadsheet for annual submission.

Step 3

After the submission is completed, and the submission period is closed- follow up with a friendly e-mail. This e-mail should not be demanding in any way. Simply identify yourself as a talent who submitted to play their stage(s) , and you are curious when decisions are made. Kindly note you have penciled the dates in, reserving the date(s) in case you are selected. This is part of relationship building, not seeking commitments. They have a time line, and they will let you know.

Step 4

Repeat, repeat repeat.

The good news, is that you can submit for festivals year round, but give yourself the guideline of about a season ahead on all these events. For example, in December- you will be submitting for events in March, April.... In March you ought to be submitting for Summer events.

There are exceptions, such as in the case of City Concert Series ( all over every town in every state!). These submissions are commonly taken in between December and February prior to the summer ahead. The city will often have an office person responsible for these bookings- a person with absolutely no industry knowledge or insights. If you are a local band that plays bars and clubs- this can work in your favor- as they often do not differentiate between a local and national talent. But, again, peek at previous bookings in previous years- this will be a "tell" regarding their budget and their norms. Sometimes they have an agency or company that does the production and talent hiring for them. It's your job to find out by calling exactly what person makes those decisions. Half the time, sending your EPK to the wrong address is the only reason you have not been hired.

Considerations

What mileage is your band willing to travel? How far? Give yourself a grid of towns, cities and counties you are willing to travel to and play. Make sure your band mates agree! Submitting for a festival that is out of travel range can cause problems.

Check out the festivals production set up. Do they provide a full back line, PA, and engineer crew? Are you expected to bring your own PA set up? Make sure you know what they expect. Often the bigger stages and events have production built in. Smaller programs may expect your group to provide an entire sound system, lighting and more. ASK.

Examples

Bridal shows , Hone Shows, and more. Check out your local fairgrounds for conventions, themed events and Chinese New Year Events, Food festivals, Wine and Beer Fests, OKTOBERFEST, City Concerts, Marathons.... Many states have complete sights such as seecalifornia.com that list every major festival every month throughout the state. Go through, and weed out the ones that fit your band/ talent.

This may seem like a lot of work. It is! The good news, is all you do for every contact and stage and try again with half the effort and work next year. Your list of monthly submissions will work for you and be updated annually. Protect your lists, your contacts, and your details. The ability to submit to the right person in the right office, at the right time is what raises your chances and possibilities. GOOD LUCK.