The best part about working on the venue side is that you can work with the production staff. Find rooms of various sizes and styles so you can learn not only from different people, but how various performances and venues operate. Offer to work there, for free if you have to. ![]() Find the venues where touring acts perform. I cannot recommend this enough: try working in all areas of the music industry (or any industry you’re interested in) to figure out what you like best.Įvery city, town, or province, no matter how small, has a venue where people play live music. These are some strategies that you can use anywhere in the country to get involved. My background and passion is in live music, so my knowledge comes from that side of the fence. Then you should be on your path to getting into shows for free. Call them and ask who you need to be in contact with. Read any instructions they have about contacting them before sending an email. Shoot the Editors an email for media companies, General Managers for venues. Go to the “Contact” page of the organization’s website you’re looking for. And a cover letter even though no one is going to read it. For the hungry ones, you can work for multiple organizations to gain access to more shows and more importantly, more experience, but I’ll get to that. If you work for a promoter or venue, you can only get into their shows. ![]() If you’re a strong writer or interested in photography/videography, this is a great avenue for you to cover events through album or concert reviews, artists interviews, or any other creative ideas you have to generate content. In exchange, your reward will be some combination of college credits (if a student), a tiny amount of money for a paid internship or entry level job, experience, and of course, free concert tickets.įrom a strategic standpoint of getting into the most shows for free, if you work for a media organization (radio, web, paper, tv), you can in theory gain access to more shows since these outlets cover all events. But don’t expect it to be easy or happen overnight.įor those looking to get into shows for free:įind venues, promoters, agencies, management or publicity firms, artists, major, local, college radio or newspapers, and local blogs/websites to intern, work for, or offer your time for free. If you want to make it in the music industry, you can. If you do the work asked of you in a timely fashion and stay in your lane, paying for concert tickets will be a thing of the past. But if you don’t mind putting in some extra hours with cool people who want to talk about music when they’re not ripping their hair out, then you should get involved. It’s the nasty side of this whole business. One thing to note on the latter: with all the shady people hanging around, the music industry can smell fakes. Or as a hack to get into shows for free in exchange for a little extra work. This is for anyone starting in the music business. So for all the fine folks in non-major cities, don’t forget: there is always someone in your market trying and successfully producing events. I took that knowledge back to Chicago where I got a job, booked thousands of shows, three festivals, and was part of a team that became the arguably #1 promoter in the third largest market in the United States. A way to fuel my addiction to live music and not break the bank, while promoting the music I love.Īlthough I grew up in a big city with the best music scene in the country, I figured all this out in Missoula, MT, population of roughly 72,000. You? Meaning me, Zach Partin? On the guestlist? I can bring a friend? For free? As in, we don’t have to pay to see the show? We can go to the venue and say our name at the door?ĭid I break the code? Is this how I avoid paying for concert tickets?Īfter attending hundreds of shows in Chicago, from the Fireside Bowl to Lollapalooza, my journey in the music industry started at the ripe age of 20. I’ll put you on the guestlist +1 so you can check out the show.” “How many tickets would you like us to giveaway on air?” ![]() I was the Promotions Director for KBGA 89.9 FM, the radio station at the University of Montana in Missoula. “Can you help with promo for our show at The Badlander?” The email was from a Northwest band. 0 Shares Load In (Part 1): Your First Gig in the Music Industry (& How to Get Into Shows for Free)
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