How to Book a Gig at the 930 Listening Room

Booking in Louisville Ky

Wednesday, 02 September 2009 19:55 Written by Paul

Booking at the 930 Listening Room

Getting booked is a difficult task if you don't know who to ask or where to look. We got in contact with Kevin over at the 930 Listening Room for some details on how to go about getting a gig at their venue.

According to www.the930.org:

• You may send only electronic press kits to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it It’s likely that we won’t be able to respond due to the many requests we receive.
• The 930 has two rooms for concerts.
• The larger room has 450 seats.
• The smaller room can hold 250 standing or 175 seated.
• Genres: Americana, singer-songwriter, quirky indie rock, bluegrass/old-timey all do well

Kevin's Response to our inquries:

Let me preface all these answers with the following: we are a destination venue, meaning we don't necessarily have a built-in audience. We're a non-profit arts center housed in a multi-purpose community center of sorts that shares space with Sojourn Community Church, a congregation of 1500+ that uses the space quite often. Sunday and Wednesday shows are never an option. We're a non-alcohol venue. Also, due to the limited availability and multi-purpose nature of the space, we operate more like a neighborhood arts center with only 2-3 concerts per month.

TLS: Who does the band need to contact to book a show and how?

Kevin: Email requests to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . EPKs are honestly rarely looked at. The best thing is to simply email a MySpace link where I can quickly hear some music. Recommendations are highly valued, but they need to be honest ones. In other words, no name-dropping just for the sake of name-dropping. No snail mail will be considered.

TLS: What info should the band send to book a show?

Kevin: Links preferred only. EPKs are rarely looked at. Recommendations from other bands who've played here sometimes go a long way.

TLS: What genres of music are a good fit for your venue? / What genres are not a good fit?:

Kevin: Americana, singer-songwriter, quirky indie rock, bluegrass/old-timey all do well. Pretty much anything that demands attentiveness. Sometimes jazz works, depends on the draw an artist has. Genres that don't work: metal, punk, bar rock, jam bands, blues. Not that we are opposed, they just don't fit from our experience. We're a quiet listening room (and we have no bar or liquor license).

TLS: What age groups are allowed at show at your venue?:

Kevin: All ages all the time. Kids 6 and under free with adult.

TLS: Does the band need a PA system?:

Kevin: No, we're fully equipped.

TLS: What does the band need to increase their chances at getting booked at your venue?:

Kevin: Honestly, a built-in local following. Drawing 50 people may pack out a coffee shop or bar, but barely fills either of our two rooms (small room capacity is 250 and auditorium capacity is 450). Due to the nature of the room setups, the smallest I can scale down the small room is to 150 or so. Otherwise, an opening slot may be considered or a free gallery opening show.

TLS: Please let us know of any other info the band needs to get booked at The 930 Listening Room

Kevin: As mentioned above, we have free gallery openings nine times per year (roughly every six weeks). Our art gallery connects both music rooms and showcases national and local artists on rotating exhibits. On opening nights, we book local/regional bands to play free shows. The bands are paid flat guarantees, however. There's more of a built-in audience for this type of show. For those local bands that may not be able to draw 50 or more on their own yet, these gallery shows are a possibility.

I get a decent amount of requests daily to play here so PLEASE FEEL FREE TO SUMBIT REQUESTS. HOWEVER, YOU ARE NOT GUARANTEED A RESPONSE.

The 930 Art Center
930 Mary Street
Louisville, KY 40204

www.the930.org