Guides
Guides for bands and venues
Straight answers to the questions gigging bands and independent venues actually ask: how to book a small room, where booking contacts really live, how to run an open mic sign-up, and which tools are worth using for set lists, chord charts, and rehearsal takes.
For bands
- Best free setlist apps for gigging bands
What to look for in a set list app, and how the main options compare on price, offline use, and sharing with people outside the band.
- Best apps for storing chord charts and lyrics
How to keep one songbook the whole band works from, with transposition, auto-scroll, and share links that work for people outside the band.
- How to book a gig at a small venue as an unsigned band
Find the right rooms, pitch dates that are genuinely open, and follow up without becoming the band the booker mutes.
- How to find venue booking contacts without cold emailing
Why the info@ address is hit-or-miss, and the routes that reliably reach the person who books the room.
For venues
- Top 10 ticketing platforms for small music venues
A research-backed comparison of ticket fees, contracts, discovery, box-office tools, and the workflow between independent venues and bands.
- Top 5 booking platforms for small music venues
Purpose-built venue systems and common DIY workarounds compared on open dates, artist intake, advancing, ticketing, price, and band relationships.
- How to run an open mic night sign-up
Replace the clipboard with a digital sign-up, a phone-managed running order, and a lock window that ends the 9pm scramble.
For bands and venues
- How far in advance should a band book a show?
Typical lead times by room size, plus the promotion window that decides whether the booking was worth it.
Free to start. No card, no trial clock.
BANDANA is free for bands and venues. Sign in with a magic link or Google and bring your bandmates along.
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