One of the best pleasures
in life is to get paid to work in a job you love to do. In the
business of music, musicians can work part-time on the weekend
or full-time making a living by performing as part of a band.
However, in most large cities like New York, San Francisco, Chicago
or Los Angeles, the competition between bands and musicians is
steep. Generally, the more established bands/musicians get the
better paying gigs. How can a band get better gigs in a crowded
marketplace?
As the saying goes: "you
have to walk before you run." This means that if you want
better paying gigs, you have to start be laying down the groundwork.
Whether your band is a quartet, 5-6 piece ensemble or big band,
you can significantly enhance your chances of getting the better
paying gigs in town by having a well orchestrated repertoire.
If you're a musician that
has the skill to orchestrate music, it is worth while to take
the time and write a good repertoire of arrangements before even
thinking of performing in public. Once you have the arrangements
in place, make sure to rehearse enough that your musical material
sounds solid. In the beginning it is hard work. But if you're
passionate about playing music professionally, this hard work
will pay off in the future.