Created by booking agent Katherine McVicker, an industry veteran with over 35 years of experience building tours, Anyone Can Book a Gig is a professional development course and online community for artists ready to take their careers to the next level.
Approaching venues to book your own shows can be entirely over whelming. Our course walks you through the booking process from start to finish in straightforward, actionable steps, giving you t he confidence to advocate for yourself.
The techniques you’ll learn here will prepare are you to not only achieve financial and artistic success, but build relationships in the industry that set you up for a long and sustainable career.
Outcomes
Build a plan for professional growth in the live music business
Create and organize your artist promotional materials for easy sharing with promoters
Understand how to conduct proper market research to prepare yourself
Establish a long term plan for career sustainability through live performance
What’s Included?
Anyone Can Book a Gig Course
Our online self-paced course teaches you everything you need to know to book your own gigs. Learn to get your materials together, negotiate deals, and promote your shows.
Meet the Pros
Access exclusive monthly interviews with leading professionals in the music industry. Then, follow up by booking a personalized one-on-one session for guidance.
Monthly Live Q&A Office Hours
Drop in to our monthly Office Hours to meet our team and get personalized answers to questions on course material or your career plans.
Resource Library
Access the 50+ worksheets, templates, and real-world examples that come with our course, plus a growing collection of external artists resources like tax guides and grant opportunities.
Course Modules
Getting Started
Evaluate your career so far, establish your starting point, and get started by building your brand and using your findings to write your first (or a newly updated) artist biography.
Lessons
- Introduction: Getting Started
- Evaluate Your Performance Career
- Create Your Artist Biograph
Setting Up Your Business
Learn about the assets every artist needs, how you should brand yourself and organize them, and how to present them to promoters to increase engagement and appear professional.
Lessons
- Introduction: Setting Up Your Business
- The A to Z of Artist Assets
- Mini-Course: All About Assets
- What Kind of Assets Every Artist Should Have
- How to Store, Present, and Organize, Your Assets
- Video Lesson 2.2 – How to Store, Organize, and Share Assets
Research & Development
Review your own music history to establish your trajectory, then learn from other artists to boost your development and plan your future playing.
Lessons
- Introduction: Setting Up Your Business
- Research Yourself: The Importance of Tour History
- Research Similar Artists: Know Your Competition
- Apply Your Research: Plan Your Playing
- Mini-Course: Streaming Analytics
- Need-to-Know Vocabulary for Booking Shows
- Lexicon of the Live Music Industry Quiz
Negotiating Deals
Be able to use the proper industry terminology and understand the do’s and don’ts when talking with other industry experts in order to advocate for yourself, get better deals, and grow your experience.
Lessons
- Introduction: Negotiating Deals
- How to Negotiate and Confirm Financial Deals
- Know Your Show: Types of Gigs and Their Terms
- Play the Long Game: Take the Door Deal
- Negotiating Deals at Clubs, Theaters, and Festivals
- Create Your Own Tour Budget
Contracts & Riders
Gain an in-depth understanding of all the components of a performance contract, the way that it’s reviewed between an artist and venue, and the right way to navigate that process.
Lessons
- Introduction: Contracts & Riders
- The Essentials of Contracts and Riders
- The Ultimate Contract and Rider Toolkit
- Understand How Contracts are Negotiated in the Music Industry
Marketing & Promotion
There are nearly endless distractions competing for the attention of your audience, but you can work for visibility. Learn how to market your shows, build a fanbase, launch a press release, and promote yourself as an artist.
Lessons
- What to Do After You’ve Booked the Gig
- Prepare Your Knock-Out Promo Package
- Mini-Course: Promotional Case Studies
- How to Work with a Publicist and Write a Perfect Press Release
- Build a Database of Local Media and Promoter Contacts
- Mini-Course: Create a Marketing Campaign to Support a Tour
- Conclusion: Marketing & Promotion
Katherine McVicker
Booking Agent; Course Developer; Founder, Music Works International
In her 30-year career specializing in Jazz and world music, Katherine McVicker has helped to develop and support the international livelihoods of Grammy-winning artists like Norah Jones, Wayne Shorter, Joshua Redman, Branford Marsalis, Richard Bona, Christian McBride, Lizz Wright, and more.