The Goods

After all is said and done- you practice, you have solid equipment, a good sound, great image, professionalism all around, to get a gig a venue manager probably wants to hear what you sound like- or know that you have a following that will come to their location just to hear you.

The first obvious solution is to have recordings of some songs you've played. Good recordings. If you have a phenomenal stage presence, then a live recording from a show would be good- also the hoots and hollars of a crowd might help some too. If, however, you are not all that exciting to watch- it might hurt you to bore your potential host. Make a good recording. there are tons of programs out their that are free or next to free like cakewalk or ACID Music, but I use protools which is more expensive.

The next step is establishing a following, and conveying that said group will make an appearance at any given performance. Be creative. Grassroots marketing is fun, invite coworkers, it'll be a connection that many people are looking to make without gathering at someone's house, and supporting someone you work with is always a good ploy. Also advertise some special giveaway, It doesn't have to be expensive. If you are single and funny you could say that you are giving away a free date to someone in the audience. Anything to connect the person you are talking to with the concert you'd like them to come to in their head. Even if it's something that they aren't interested in, it's just a way of distinguishing "this is a date to remember" vs. "you may come if you aren't doing anything else."