Kandy Records
Guides / Booking

The Booking Email That Actually Gets Answered

Bookers skim. Give them everything they need in six lines and nothing they don't.

A booker at a small venue might get thirty emails a day. Most are three paragraphs about the band's influences. Those get deleted. Here's the one that gets a reply.

The subject line

Date first, then who you are and where you're from:

Booking: Sat Mar 14 — Signal 99 (Farmington, NM) — metal/punk

If you're flexible, say so: Booking: mid-March (flexible) — …. If you already have a local band on board, that's the most valuable thing you can put in the subject: … w/ [Local Band].

The body

Six lines. Really.

  1. Who you are, in one sentence. Genre, hometown, one comparable band if it helps. Not a bio.
  2. What you're asking for. The date (or a date range), and whether you're looking to headline, support, or just get on a bill.
  3. Why them. One honest reason you want this room. "We played across the street at X last year and your sound was better" beats "we love your venue."
  4. Your draw. Be real. "We'll bring 20–30 in Albuquerque; this would be our first time in Denver, so we're happy to support a local bill" is respected. Inflating it is remembered.
  5. Links. One streaming link, one live video, your stage plot. That's it.
  6. Logistics. How many in the band, whether you need backline, and your phone number.

Sign off with your name, not the band's name. Bookers deal with people.

What to attach

Nothing. Attachments go to spam and nobody opens a 40MB press kit. Link to a page instead; a one-page site or even a Google Doc with photos, bio, and links works fine.

Follow-up

One follow-up after 7–10 days, replying to the same thread so they see the original. Keep it two lines: "Bumping this in case it got buried. Still open for that weekend if it works." Then stop. If you've been ghosted twice, the answer is no for now, and burning the bridge won't change that.

Things that get you deleted

  • "Dear Sir/Madam" or no name at all. Look up who books the room.
  • Asking about pay in the first email. Get a yes first, then talk money.
  • Sending the exact same email to five venues in the same city on the same night. They talk.
  • Writing in all caps or with twelve exclamation points.

Copy this

Subject: Booking: Sat Mar 14 — [Band] ([City], [ST]) — [genre] w/ [Local Band]

Hi [Name],

[Band] is a [genre] [trio/4-piece] out of [City]. We're routing a run through
[Region] in March and would love to play [Venue] on Sat Mar 14 — flexible on
the 13th or 15th too. We've got [Local Band] interested in opening.

We'll be honest: this is our first time in [City], so we'd rather support a
strong local bill than try to headline. We pull 30–50 at home.

Listen: [link]   Live: [link]   Stage plot: [link]

4 of us, we carry our own backline, and we're easy to work with.
[Name] — [phone]

Keep reading