It's easy to get into the mindset that reaching the widest audience means playing to the largest audience possible. But, there are many tiny flaws in that approach. Larger metropolitan areas have many venues, many more shows, a lot of bands and a lot more competition. While the more remote rural areas and smaller towns are often starved for entertainment, and thrilled to see you when you come there to play. I remember playing to small mountain towns, and the week we were there we were the only game in town. And the whole town would make a point of coming down to the gig to check us out. And as long as everyone was having a good time, they'd stick around to enjoy the fun.
We may have made that trip to fill in for the slow times in the city, or to rehearse a new band before taking it on the A circuit, but out there we were rock Gods and they adored us. They always wanted to know when we'd be back. If we'd been selling CDs, shirts and hats, I'm sure they'd have been willing and eager to buy. It would have be the perfect place to start building a fan base, but I was 20, the music business was an entirely different animal, and my knowledge of marketing and fan base building non-existent.
So if your band isn't getting the number and quality of gigs you want and expect, don't keep chasing the larger venues in the heavily populated areas. Recognize the gold mine in smaller audiences eagerly waiting for you to come to them in smaller towns all over the country and go out and make friends. You'll find some wonderful folks out there. Give them your best show, have music and branded items to sell them, and make sure you get them on your email list. They'll love you for including them and delight in helping you in your rise to the top. They're your friends now, and we all know that friends love to help friends. And you can bet they know people in other parts of the country and they'll help you spread the word. And chances are, you'll have a blast doing it.
Explore the link below for some additional ideas and then go exploring.
Expand Your Gig Opportunities with Alternative Venues | DIY Musician
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