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Guide

How to Pitch a Venue

A venue books acts that fill rooms. Your pitch has one job: show them you will. Keep it short, lead with your numbers, and ask for the night.

The short version

  • Lead with your numbers in the city: listeners, streams, past shows, ticket sales.
  • Say what night you want and what you bring: your draw, your opener, your promo plan.
  • Keep it short. A venue reads dozens of pitches a week.
  • Pitch the venue, not a stranger. Send it to the room that fits your draw.
  • Track every pitch you send, so you know who answered and who to follow up with.

What a good pitch says

  • Who you are, in one line. Your sound, your city, your latest release.
  • Your numbers in their city. Listeners, streams, and what you drew last time you played there. Numbers beat adjectives.
  • The night you want. A date range, not a demand. Offer two or three options.
  • What you bring. Your opener, your promo plan, and how you will fill the room.

What to do after you send it

  • Track every pitch you send. Nice Set tracks your pitches from the site, so you know who answered and who has not.
  • Follow up once, about a week later. Short, polite, same numbers.
  • If the venue says no, ask what would change the answer. A bigger draw, a different night, a local opener. Then go build that.
  • If the venue says yes, confirm the details in writing: date, time, pay, and who brings what.

Questions artists ask

What should I include in a venue pitch?

Who you are in one line, your numbers in their city, the night you want, and what you bring. Keep it short.

How do I find the right venue to pitch?

Pick a room that fits your draw in a city where your listeners already are. Nice Set ranks venues by your audience and lets you search by city, capacity and genre.

How long should I wait before following up?

About a week. Follow up once, short and polite.

Do venues pay artists?

It depends on the room and the deal. Confirm pay, door split, and terms in writing before the show.

Pitch the venue from the site

Your listeners are already telling you where to play.