#182 - How to Get Booked as a Support Act for a Major Artist
Identify local acts to support - Start by identifying singers/bands whose music is a similar style to your own, and who have a good following in your local area. Attending these artist’s gigs is a great way to meet fellow musicians in your scene, as well as networking with promoters, venue programmers, managers and agents.
Keep up with local gig announcements - It’s often the case that headline artists are confirmed and announced before support acts. So, keeping up to date with announcements and offering your support services early gives you the better chance of being chosen to play before a major artist.
Get involved in open mic nights - While they’re often unpaid, open mic nights remain a great way to meet other artists, as well as potential agents and promoters who may be in the audience. Who knows… they might really love your set and reach out to you for an upcoming paid gig!
Build a relationship with local promoters - Support acts for smaller, local shows are often put forward by the promoter and, more often than not, they’ll go for someone reliable who they have an existing relationship with. So dropping local promoters a non-pushy email introducing yourself, including links to your music, is a great way to get on their radar. Make a good impression and there’s a chance they’ll call on you for increasingly larger shows.
Contact an act’s booking agent - Now we’ll admit this final tip is the boldest of them all, meaning that, if you go down this route, you need to be very careful with how you come across. Again, as with contacting promoter’s the key is to be non-pushy and friendly. The worst that can happen is you’ll get no response at all but, there’s a chance it could be your big break, so we reckon it’s worth a shot.
