The summer gig season offers up an opportunity to make the bulk of your annual gig money. That’s even true in a post-pandemic world since people are eager to get back to living and enjoying life with parties and events.
To help you prepare, here are five ways you can generate more steelpan gigs.
1. Advertising
Paying out for advertising might not always be easy, but if done using the right tool in the right market, it can be very effective. One great tool is Google Adwords, which lets you pay to have your ads placed on Google whenever someone searches keywords that match what you offer. For instance, you might create an ad that says you offer steelpan entertainment for backyard parties and someone searches for exactly that, you would likely come up in search and appear at the top of the page.
You can also try Google Display Ads, which don’t appear in search. Instead, they display your ad in a box on various websites on the internet that are running these ads to generate revenue.
Social media also offers some great options with sites like Yelp, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to let you connect with potential clients. Each offers different pricing options and lets you customize based on location, demographic and other key metrics. These can be mostly trial and error, but with a little effort, can be quite effective.
You can also go old school and take out a billboard or advertisement in a local publication, but those tend to be pricey and have less guarantees to reaching your target audience. But who knows? They might be worth a shot if you know your region.
Mailers are also great if you have the budget, since they tend to be at least $1,000 for a decent reach. The US Postal Service offers this service, along with plenty of other companies online via a quick search. Since most people are getting tons of emails to their inboxes, this might be a great way to cut through the noise.
2. Online Booking Agents
There are several sites that offer you the chance to make money with a little effort. The Bash (formerly Gig Masters) and Gig Salad are two of the most prominent, which let you build your own profile page and place you in a category of your choice to be offered up to potential clients who search for performers in that category. Once they select you (along with other performers), they send you an event to bid on. Based on the details they provide, you provide them with your rate, performance package and any special requests (like shade, power, etc.).
Some offer a free option, but to be most effective, we recommend doing the paid option, so long as you are on there often, update your profile with the best photos and videos you have and are on top of all the offers to ensure you don’t miss any opportunities. Chances are, you’ll make your money back in no time.
3. Connect with Local Performers
Networking with other local musicians, like fellow pannists, can be a great way to land gigs, especially during a busy season when some might be overflowing with gigs. Performers are usually in need of more players, even if it’s not for pan. Being versatile and diverse with your performance offerings is a great way to get more work. So be sure to practice your hand percussion, drum kit, or even other instruments to increase your chances of getting more gigs from fellow players.
Aside from musicians, connecting with other vendors like caterers, dancers and magicians can help you land work since they often get asked about other vendors. Be sure to get those business cards on your next gig and you might end up with some great contacts.
4. Public Performances
Simply getting in front of people can be a way to drum up business (pun intended). There are many ways to do this. One is to be a street performer. Depending on the city, there are rules when it comes to where and when you can play. You’ll also need access to power if you are using backing tracks, so find out if you can plug into a local outlet or if you can bring a portable generator. Some public parks even have summer concerts you can submit yourself to. Usually, they look for established acts with solid websites and active social media accounts, so make sure it’s all updated before you apply.
There are also farmer’s markets that bring in live music. Some actually pay a small stipend or combination of market dollars that you can spend on vendors.
If you want to generate public support, donate your time to places that need a musical lift, like children’s hospitals or retirement homes. It’s great to keep busy playing live, even if you’re not getting paid. Then you can use it for publicity to keep yourself in the eyes of the public. If it generates press, even better and you get to do something charitable that helps people. Win, win!
5. Organic Social Media
The fastest way to get attention for your act is via social media. You can simply record a video and upload the performance. Record in a room or your backyard, or even in a public park and it can generate exposure that can land you gigs. Try to make it unique or compelling to grab attention. For example, you could set up in front of your home and play for the neighbors while live streaming. People will dig it and you could get a gig locally as well. Sites like Facebook, Instagram and YouTube are great for building audiences and telling your story this way. Be sure to use hashtags to tap into relevant topics (i.e. #steelpan) to maximize your efforts for each post. Who knows where it could lead?
Got more suggestions? Let us know in the comments below!
