The Science of Being Bookable
The Hows.......
This article is for every artist who’s asked us how. How do you create the right playlist? How do you build a music brand that actually sells? How do you get the gigs everyone else seems to land? It all starts with understanding that this isn’t guesswork or luck—it’s about deliberately crafting an experience that pleases an audience. It’s knowing what keeps punters in the room, what gets them buying that extra drink, singing along, filling the dance floor, and coming back for more. This isn’t about playing for yourself. It’s about designing a show that delivers exactly what the venue needs to build their business—and that’s how you build yours.
Your Setlist is Your Sales Pitch
Stop playing for yourself.
Harsh? Maybe. But true.
Your set is not your private concert. It’s a business offering.
When you stand on that stage, you’re selling three things:
✅ Your sound.
✅ Your show.
✅ Your ability to make them money.
If the crowd is sitting on their hands? That’s on you.
If they’re flooding the dance floor, cheering for one more song? That’s on you too.
Your setlist is the product. Curate it like you’re crafting a menu for the best restaurant in town.
How to Choose the Right Songs
Ask yourself: What does this crowd want?
Forget what you want to play.
You’re not there to be self-indulgent. You’re there to serve the room.
Here’s how you start:
✅ Go out. Watch live music in your region.
✅ Not just your favourite places—everywhere.
✅ Watch two full sets. Don’t judge after one song.
✅ Take notes. Actual notes.
What songs get them up dancing?
What songs make them sing along?
What songs have them ordering drinks?
What songs clear the floor?
This is research. It’s your R&D budget. And it costs you nothing but time and humility.
Build a Repertoire That Books You Solid
If you want to be booked non-stop, you need range.
Not 20 songs you love.
Not “our style only.”
You need versatility that matches what venues want.
Consider:
✅ Dance sets.
✅ Acoustic sets.
✅ Dinner sets.
✅ Pub-rock sets.
✅ Sunday session vibes.
Ask the agent: What do clients ask for most? Then build that.
Hospitality venues want music that keeps patrons in the venue, buys more drinks, and comes back again.
Your setlist is the tool for that outcome.
Reading a Room: The Most Underrated Skill
You want to be a working musician, not a busker? Learn to read the damn room.
It’s an art and a science.
✅ Watch the body language.
✅ See who’s tapping their foot, who’s glazing over.
✅ Shift tempo when energy dips.
✅ Take risks—but know when to pull back.
The best artists adapt in real time.
If you’re too busy navel-gazing to see the punters are losing interest?
That’s the gig you won’t get called back for.
Find Your Unique Selling Proposition (USP) and Point of Difference (POD)
Now, let’s get real:
The market is saturated.
20 other acts can do what you do.
So why you?
That’s your USP. That’s your POD.
And it’s not your opinion of yourself. It’s what the market sees.
“We’re tight” isn’t a POD.
“We’re professional” isn’t a USP.
“We love music” definitely isn’t.
Your differentiator could be:
✅ A setlist tailored for a niche demographic.
✅ Unmatched stage banter and crowd engagement.
✅ Next-level harmonies or musicianship.
✅ Killer marketing assets that make you easy to sell.
But you have to find it and own it.
Do the Research. Then Do It Again.
You want a career? Treat it like a business.
✅ Research your region’s live music market.
✅ See what works and what doesn’t.
✅ Do qualitative research (watch shows).
✅ Do quantitative research (track your bookings, fees, repeat gigs).
✅ Build, refine, adapt.
This isn’t a “set and forget.”
Your setlist should evolve as the market does.
Final Word: It’s all about You. AND It’s Not About You. :-)
Hospitality venues don’t book you for you.
They book you for their customers.
They’re building a destination. An experience.
Ask yourself every time you step on stage:
“What am I offering their audience?”
If you can answer that honestly—and back it up with a killer set that makes punters stay longer, spend more, and come back? That killer set IS all about YOU. Because not everyone can do that. But we bet that YOU can. :-)
You’ll get booked.
Again and again.
Want More?
Dive into Hacking the Musoverse.
We wrote it for you.
To show you how the industry really works.
Because this isn’t about gatekeeping.
It’s about getting you ready for the market as it is—not as you wish it were.
Your music means business.
And we cannot wait to do business with you when it does……
Written by Nichola Burton. I work in partnership with Agents, Artist Managers and Event Producers, who juggle a diverse range of relationships in the Musoverse, to curate, manage and measure data in systems, experience, creative and content to support the entire Musoverse operation in my enterprise A Little Pitchy Copyright 2025
