Hey folks,

I am a singer/songwriter/piano player out in Nashville, TN. I just moved out here last June, and I will be starting to book some shows in the area. The challenge I face is that this town is seriously saturated with musicians and performers. Even with a large number of venues throughout town, it's a pretty competitive market to book shows. I talked to one owner of a local venue recently, and he said that he gets up to 5,000 requests and inquiries every month.

In any case, I was wondering if any of you could offer tips or advice on the best ways to approach venues and the best ways to present oneself. Perhaps there is a good book or website with in-depth knowledge on this topic? Do tell.

Any wisdom or experience any of you can share will be greatly appreciated. All I want to do is perform this music that I've worked very hard to fine tune and create.

Thanks.

gordonroque said:

Trying booking on the outskirts. Murfreesboro would be better to build a fan base that you could then carry to Nashville because it has MTSU and less competition for an audience.

Also link up with local musicians especailly an already established local act that has something of an audience. That way you can get some of their fans on your bandwagon.

And lastly keep doing what you are doing because I think coming onto forums like this make all the difference in the world.

Peace