I’ve been lucky enough to be part of a tasty festival this year called MoSo. I’ve had some input on the selection of the bands and I’ve got to see the how’s and why’s of which bands are chosen. I’ve also seen more than a few bands approach the festival asking to play. So if you’re thinking about submitting your stuff to any music festivals make sure to think about these things before you do:

1. Where does your music fit?
You might not have all the fest’s info just yet, but if they’ve released some initial headliners, or even a website, this can tell you much about the festival’s flavour. Are you in their world? It’s a waste of everyone’s time if you’re not on the same page as a festival you’re approaching.

2. Do you have anyone connected with the festival?
This might be an obvious one, but make sure you have exhausted your personal contacts before you approach from the outside. If you’re involved with the music industry you’ll probably have an email or facebook contact that could help you get an in. Good words from friends mean much more than good words from strangers.

3. Are you ready to play?
Another one of those obvious, yet not so much. Festival crowds are different, in that audiences are paying to see music rather than just being at a bar where music is going on. They’re more engaged. So if you’re looking to get booked you better make sure you’ve got everything ready for that type of audience. Everything from having merch to putting on a pro set is expected at these sort of events. It’s an opportunity to share your music with a bigger crowd. So if you want to get booked make sure you have everything else up to par.

Music Consciousness
Voyno