Getting gigs is one of the most important things for any artist regardless of genre, style or sound. Live shows are one of the best ways to put your music in front of fans at every stage of the fan journey, from potential listeners through to superfans.

Start local

Starting in your hometown is usually the best place to begin. You will most likely have a base of friends, family and early supporters you can call on for your first few shows. The goal at this stage is to approach a small venue that you realistically believe you can fill, or come close to filling, with your current network. Early momentum builds confidence and credibility.

In towns where there isn’t much live music infrastructure, this can be more challenging. You may need to think creatively and work with non-traditional spaces such as community halls, cafes, bars or DIY venues. In these situations, be prepared to take on more responsibility and potentially run the event yourself, including promotion, ticketing and basic production.

Support other artists

Support slots are an incredibly important pathway to getting gigs. A support slot is the opening performance, usually one or two artists before the main act. At the emerging level, these opportunities often go to artists within the headliner’s local community. Because of this, it’s vital to regularly attend shows, introduce yourself to other artists and promoters, and actively engage with your local live music scene.

Use early gigs to build momentum

Locking in your first 1- 5 local gigs creates important leverage and can help you book future shows. Wherever you can, capture quality photos or video from your performances. These assets help demonstrate that you are an active live artist and give bookers confidence when considering you.

As you play more shows and land support slots, you may start to build a small but meaningful local audience. Over time, this momentum can begin to translate into nearby cities. This is often the right moment to start carefully branching out into new markets.

Gig consistently

Consistent performances in one city, whether your hometown or a major centre like Sydney are extremely valuable. Regular gigging helps you become “gig fit” and improves your skills across all areas of live performance, including:

• setting up and packing down efficiently
• managing soundchecks
• handling technical issues
• adapting to different room sizes and crowd energy
  
  

If you start to feel like a regular at a local venue, don’t assume you’ve outgrown it. That repetition is often a key part of long-term artist development.

Get help

As your local audience grows across primary markets and you begin seeing early traction in secondary markets, coordinating live opportunities becomes more complex. At this stage, having someone to help secure consistent bookings, manage incoming offers and shape your touring strategy can become valuable. This is typically when artists begin exploring working with a booking agent as part of their wider team.