#Vbook college gigs how to#
#Vbook college gigs plus#

But on the plus side, that is a small fee compared to the income potential of college gigs and once you have the connections you need you can ditch the membership. To participate in the NACA showcase, you’ll need to be a NACA member, which costs a few hundred dollars per year.

The first thing to do is get in touch with the National Association for Campus Activities (NACA) and the Association for Promotion of Campus Activities (APCA), two agencies that hold regional showcases and conferences around the country where college activities directors and students check out talent to book at their schools. You’ll have a much easier time getting started if you use these showcases, resources, and connections. Most colleges prefer to go through trusted agencies – just for ease of use and protection of their students.

There’s not really a “college music booking directory” that you can crack open, send off some emails, and book some gigs. There are a few organizations that specifically deal with getting acts booked in schools. So now the big question: How to book college gigs? Let’s go through a few steps to get you on the road. Use this ebook to sell more merch at your college gigs and regular gigs: Plus, huge artists like John Mayer, Dave Matthews, Sting and Prince all got their start traveling the college circuit. Not only are they a good source of revenue from the booking fee and merch sales, they’re also yet another way to get yourself out of the crowded and competitive gigging market while still getting in front of a very large and potentially relevant audience. “When I was in school I went to lots of great concerts and figured that the bands made their money off merch.”Ĭontrary to what many musicians think, college shows aren’t any less “cool” than traditional gigs. I didn’t even know that colleges paid bands,” he says, adding a Chicago Tribune newspaper article opened his eyes to the college market for music.

#Vbook college gigs how to#

He had never played a college before and didn’t know how to book college shows. Mike Sullivan started doing college shows after a record deal fell through. The Los Angeles-based independent singer-songwriter knows exactly how to book college gigs, playing more than 250 over the past 10 years.Īs a college music artist, some of the schools he has played include Hawaii Pacific University, Odessa College, Indiana University, Purdue University, Green Mountain College, Shenandoah University, Embry-Riddle University, Lipscomb University, Spokane Falls Community College and many more. Musician Mike Sullivan makes his living touring the college circuit. Photo credit: How to Book College Gigs – Case Study from Indie Musician Mike Sullivan