Getting started, open mics and unpaid gigs
With
Katie MeluaWhy playing live matters, and how to start out on the open mic circuit - saying yes to any gig you can before you worry about getting paid.
What's in the course
40 lessons (2h 33m) · 1 free
01. Getting started, open mics and unpaid gigs
You are here2:10
02. Becoming local heroes and booking tours
6:12
03. Getting creative about gigs
3:44
04. Stagecraft – Jeremy from Everything Everything
2:21
05. Capitalising on your audience
4:50
06. Engaging Direct to Fan
5:32
07. Knowing your online audience and using data effectively
10:31
Lesson transcript
Taking Your Music on the Road
We understood we needed to go out on the road; we had to get our tribe together. So how do we do that?
Hit the Road Like the Bands You Admire
The bands that we like just hit the road, and that's what you have to do. If you've just written your first songs and are looking for experience playing live, the best place to start is open mic nights.
Utilize the Internet
When I started out, I moved country, so I really didn't have any context. The Internet was a helpful tool:
- Look up local open mics
- Check them out
- Play as much as you can
At first, I would say yes to every gig opportunity you can get. Don't expect to be paid straight away; just go out there and play. Make sure you reach a stage where you feel confident that what you're offering meets a certain standard.
The Reality of Performing
Understandably, there's been a significant social media backlash against artists in general, musicians and other artists alike, being taken advantage of because they are offered "experience" and "great exposure."
I think it's correct that artists should be compensated for their work, but only if the money is available in the first place.
An Honest Take on Gigs
If you're playing on a wet Thursday night in Hull, not many people are going to come through the door. You might get £20 for petrol, but you can't really expect more than that at the outset. If you do, you've got to be more patient than that.
Even when we first started doing support tours with bigger headline acts who would have been turning a reasonable profit, we were only getting £50 a night. That just goes straight into petrol, and we were sleeping on friends' floors and everything else.
Embrace the Experience
I think, in a way, that sort of tough love is part of the experience, and it means you earn what comes later. It's not terrible to play those gigs. From an experience point of view:
- If you've been a band for two months
- If you just want to play a show
- If you can afford the petrol
Then just do it. It doesn't matter.
40 lessons
2h 33m of structured video lessons
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Meet your guru
Meet your guru
Katie Melua is one of the UK's most successful recording artists, with more than 11 million albums sold worldwide and a string of multi-platinum releases. Born Ketevan Melua in Kutaisi, Georgia, in 1984, she moved with her family to Belfast as a child and later studied at the BRIT School in London, where she was discovered by songwriter and producer Mike Batt.
Her debut album 'Call Off the Search' (2003), released when she was 19, spent six weeks at No. 1 in the UK and went six-times platinum, driven by the hit single 'The Closest Thing to Crazy'. Its follow-up 'Piece by Piece' (2005) topped charts across Europe and featured her signature song 'Nine Million Bicycles'. In 2006 she earned a place in the Guinness World Records book by playing the deepest underwater concert ever staged, 303 metres below sea level on a North Sea gas platform.
A remarkable run of top-ten albums followed — 'Pictures' (2007), the William Orbit-produced 'The House' (2010), 'Secret Symphony' (2012) and 'Ketevan' (2013) — as Melua refined a sound that moves effortlessly between jazz, folk and classic pop songwriting. 'In Winter' (2016), recorded in Georgia with the Gori Women's Choir and produced by Melua herself, revealed a new depth to her artistry.
Her recent work is her most personal: 'Album No. 8' (2020) and 'Love & Money' (2023) drew some of the strongest reviews of her career, and 'Live at the Royal Albert Hall' (2024) celebrated two decades at the top of British music. She remains a captivating live performer, touring extensively across Europe and beyond.
