Performing live is the most important and exciting aspect of a musician''s career, but beginners often have a tough time getting their first shows. You can''t get a gig unless you have gotten other gigs, and you can''t get other gigs until you get that first gig. Everyone has to start somewhere… playing at parties, or just renting space and soundsytem… At least then, you can say you have performed live before. For the clubs and other live venues who book and showcase live music, this is a a very serious business, and the only way they can run that is to book acts that fill the club. Clubs always want to know how many people you can draw: their priority is to get a lot of people into their venue having a good time, so they will make lots of money selling alcohol and food. If you can bring in a lot of people that drink, you may have club bookers calling you and asking you to fill in spots for them. Always plan your bookings well in advance, at a couple of months. Be sure to check the booking policy of every venue. Different clubs have different needs, and some offer special nights of the week for open mikes, or showcases for unproved acts. It''s a good policy to not be too picky about what venues to play. If you''re out there playing gigs, and your name is listed on radio station concert calendars and print media calendars, the bookers will eventually take notice. That''s part of their job. Send promo kits out well in advance. Of corse your promotional has to contain all the data a booker of live shows needs to see. Unlike demos sent to radio stations, the Demo tape for a club can be a live recording. Mark 3 or 4 songs that best relate to the music the venue presents. Bands who think they are ready for prime time may not be. It is a good idea to have at least 3 hours of prepared material that can be performed live. Once a venue books a band, they add them to their schedule and include them in their press releases, calendars, posters and flyers. This does not mean that you should leave the promotion of the concert to the venues. On the contrary, bands should notify their fans with a mailing notice, print up their own posters and flyers, and promote their shows in any creative way they can think of, and prepare the promotion well in advance. One of the most important and lucrative opportunity for a band in playing live is the possibility to sell their CD''s and merchandising at their shows. Most clubs and venues allow acts to sell their wares in the lobby, or from the stage. Say from the stage you are goind to sell your material and don''t forget to bring a mailing list sign-up sheet to all gigs. Don''t give up. If your music is as good as you claim it is, and your audience continues to grow, that is the best news you can give any booker.