Booking a fantastic live music act can make all the difference when it comes to making your event memorable and setting it apart from the rest.
Once you know the goal of your event and what type of crowd it will attract, you can easily determine the type of live music that’s best suited for it. You may want to hire Christian rappers, an 80s cover band, or a string quartet.
No matter who you’re looking for to provide entertainment for the night, you can utilize these resources to curate the most fitting talent.
The old standby: the internet.
With most things in life, we turn to a Google search to find what we’re looking for. Looking for live music acts is no exception.
Be sure to use very specific keywords when looking for entertainment. Specify the genre of music and the region you’re looking to book in. This will help narrow down results to help you make the best choice.
Check out social media.
Any good business person has a social media account these days, whether they’re a multi-million dollar corporation or a shop down the street that operates locally.
Social media is an important way to brand yourself and make a connection with potential customers.
Live entertainment acts will likely give you a peek into their personality with their social accounts, and may even provide snippets of them performing so you can get a feel for what they’re like in person.
Like Google, social media can serve as a search engine. Type in hashtags that are relevant to the type of live music you’re looking for, or use hashtags that coincide with the area you’re looking to book the band in.
Through this, you can find not only bands themselves, but people who have seen their shows so you can look at another first-hand experience.
Ask those in the know.
Many of us have friends who love live music. We may also have colleagues or acquaintances who have had to book live music acts before for events they’ve organized.
These folks are great resources as you do your research.
Ask for recommendations on who they have booked in the past, or how they have happened to live music.
Go to a show.
Access a schedule of shows in your area and attend ones that are in the same vein of entertainment as what you’re looking for. The band you’re seeing doesn’t necessarily need to be the one you wish to eventually hire.
By going to shows you may be able to discover a talent you hadn’t previously seen or connect with a band you have had your eye on.
You might also meet promoters or music fans who can guide you in the right direction and give advice on who and how to book someone.
Do your research.
No matter what method you use to find your live entertainment, be sure to back it up (and follow it up!) with a good amount of research.
Looking at reviews and asking for referrals is a surefire way to snag quality entertainment and not just the first band that pops up on the internet.
