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IOTM Member Benefits for Venues and Promoters

Posted: Nov 26, 2025

Category: Indie on the Move

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IOTM Member Benefits for Venues and Promoters


While non-community members can still access certain bits of information and some functionality on the site, a free user account is going to expand on those features quite a bit even for music venues and promoters. Some big differences include the ability to post and respond to show availabilities, member to member messaging, and photo/video tagging.

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What are recently emailed venues?

Posted: Oct 29, 2025

Category: Indie on the Move

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Recently emailed venues


For those of you that have used the QuickPitch functionality on the site, you may notice venues getting marked as "recently emailed" from time to time. This video explains how and why...

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How to Only Show Followed in Directories for Venues & Members

Posted: Sep 23, 2025

Category: Indie on the Move

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Only Show Followed for Venues & Members


If you are familiar with the site, then you may be aware that you can follow not only venues, festivals, and colleges, but also other community members. This information is readily available in the follows section of your account, but it is easier to browse and interact with that information via the corresponding directories. Here's how you can do so...

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What classifies a venue as "excluded" when using the IOTM QuickPitch functionality? [Updated]

Posted: May 27, 2025

Category: Show Booking

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Whats an excluded venue-2


There are a couple of reasons why a venue would be classified as "excluded" when using the IOTM QuickPitch to reach out to music venues and colleges/universities: 1. That venue does not use email to book. 2. That venue only or mostly works with local talent. 3. That venue is primarily a rental facility...With that being said though, there can be a lot of valuable options in the excluded list, so do not hesitate to go through it individually once your QuickPitch is approved.

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How to Follow Up w/ Venues Included in an IOTM QuickPitch Email [Updated]

Posted: Apr 29, 2025

Category: Show Booking

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How to follow up QuickPitches - Updated


Following up with music venues that do not respond to booking inquiries is an important part of the booking process. After all, persistence is key to landing the most gigs. Things do get a bit more complicated though when you are talking about sending a second cold pitch to a group of venues included in an Indie on the Move QuickPitch email. The first step is to remove the venues that did respond initially so those conversations can continue individually. Then once the venues list is updated, you can very easily add a relevant follow up message and new pitch name. You'll see we already took care of the proper formatting. This video will show you the rest of the process.

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How to find support acts in cities which artists are unfamiliar [Updated]

Posted: Mar 25, 2025

Category: Show Booking

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How to Find Support Slots 2025


1. Ask the talent buyers for recommendations. 2. Ask local people that you know. 3. Check out the venues' websites. 4. Post a show availability on IOTM. 5. Use YouTube. 6. Search for acts via the IOTM members directory.

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The differences between Indie on the Move subscriptions and how to use those features [Updated]

Posted: Feb 26, 2025

Category: Show Booking

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Diff bw Prem and Deluxe - IOTM - 2


Indie on the Move offers a couple of different account/subscription levels: free, premium, and deluxe. While you can find a point by point breakdown of those features on the site's pricing page, this video shows you how those features can be put to use as it relates to your show/tour booking through the platform.

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The best way to get shows and tours booked with Indie on the Move [Updated]

Posted: Jan 29, 2025

Category: Show Booking

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Best way to get shows/tours booked IOTM 2025


While we do have community driven sections of the site, specifically the availabilities, the most effective method of using the platform to get shows and tours booked is via direct outreach to the venues, colleges, and festivals in our venues database.

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Let Clubs Close: A Controversial Solution to the Live Venue Crisis

Posted: Nov 12, 2024

Category: The Musician Business

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**Guest post written by Bruce Houghton, Founder and Editor of Hypebot, a Senior Advisor at Bandsintown, President of the Skyline Artists Agency, and a Berklee College Of Music professor, originally featured on Hypebot.com.

 

Let Clubs Close - Hypebot


"Overall concert attendance grew 20% last year, but smaller independent live music venues are closing at unprecedented rates. Music industry commentator’s Bob Lefsetz has the solution: “Let clubs close.""

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How to Add New Venues or Edit Existing Listings in the IOTM Venues Directory

Posted: Aug 28, 2024

Category: The Musician Business

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Add/Edit Venues on IOTM


While the official venue listings on the site are administratively curated and controlled, we do still encourage community input as it relates to additions and updates to our venues directory.

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Where to network and gig swap for a tour

Posted: Sep 20, 2023

Category: Live Performance

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**Guest post written by Adam Percy of Bandzoogle.

 

BZ Gig Swap


"No matter your genre or style, if you’re a musician, chances are you’ll be looking at playing shows on a tour. For a lot of musicians, crossing the country and playing in other parts of the world is the dream - and it can be a huge component for your success as you reach outside of your core local fans...One of the best ways to set up a tour and hit the road effectively is to network and plan gig swaps. It’s a helpful way to find suitable venues as well as broaden your audience reach. Here we’ll look at figuring out if gig swapping is a good fit for your band, and how to get started with it."

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5 Tips for Choosing the Perfect Music Venue for Your Live Act

Posted: Aug 8, 2023

Category: Live Performance

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**Guest post written by Frankie Barclay of Sugar Studios, originally featured in Soundfly's Flypaper blog.

 

5 Tips for Venues - Flypaper
"Choosing the ideal music venue can be tricky. You need the right acoustics, size, location, and more to really get things right. Whether you’re an aspiring artist planning a gig or a devoted music lover seeking the ultimate sonic escape, finding the perfect venue is crucial...Here’s what you need to consider and why. Are you ready? Let’s go!" View Full Article

24 Ways to Promote Your Streams Part 1

Posted: May 3, 2021

Category: Promotion

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**Guest post written by Leonard Patterson of Artist Collective AKA @ac_leonardp. This is an excerpt from his new book, 365 Livestream Ideas For Musicians.

 

AC Leonard Patterson


"1. Custom Domains 2. Custom Overlays 3. Partner with Venues..."

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Live Music Industry Predictions For 2021

Posted: Jan 11, 2021

Category: The Musician Business

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**Guest post written by Jordan Gates, of Megaphone Agency.

 

Megaphone Predictions


"Even through all the challenges this year has brought, the industry hung on through remarkable resilience. Live streaming, drive-in shows, fundraisers, even lobbying the government – there’s nothing we won’t do to keep the culture alive and the music playing. Music isn’t going anywhere. It’s only a matter of time before we can get back to that unparalleled feeling of experiencing it live and in person again."

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NIVA’s Statement On The Passage Of The Save Our Stages Act

Posted: Jan 4, 2021

Category: The Musician Business

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**Guest post by CelebrityAccess Staff Writers. Originally featured on CelebrityAccess.com. Reprinted with permission.

 

NIVA


"T​he Save Our Stages Act...just passed as part of the COVID-19 Relief Bill. The Save Our Stages Act will provide financial assistance to independent venues and promoters that have been devastated by the pandemic’s shutdown. The Save Our Stages Act will enable these locally owned businesses to hold on until it is safe to gather, reopen fully, and once again return to serve as economic engines for their communities."

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Why would I be a support act?

Posted: Mar 2, 2020

Category: Live Performance

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**Guest post written by James Redhead, one half of the duo behind the music podcast Anyone Can Play Guitar.

 

ACPG - Support Slots


"We thought it worthwhile to give a balanced view [about support slots] based on what we’ve learned so far, to help all you bands and artists make as informed a decision as possible when you’re presented with such opportunities, or even before you start actively seeking them out. Let’s start with the negatives…"

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Music Business After Dark Ep. 2: How Do I Get Opening Slots on Tours?

Posted: Oct 14, 2019

Category: The Musician Business

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**Guest post by Jeff Lysyczyn, music industry veteran, educator, and creator of Music Business After Dark.

 

Jeff Lysyczyn - Ep 2


"Episode 2 of Music Business After Dark, a series of informative vlogs by music industry veteran and educator Jeff Lysyczyn."

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16 Types of Shows We've Played on the Road

Posted: Jul 8, 2019

Category: Show Booking

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**Guest post written by Ellisa Sun, Jazz/Soul musician formerly based in San Francisco currently full-time RVing across the USA.

 

16 types of shows - Ellisa Sun


"8 months ago, me and my partner/percussionist Ken quit our day jobs, sold our stuff, and hit the road in a used 30-foot Winnebago to play as many shows as possible...Here are 16 types of shows we’ve played. Remember, my experience will be different from yours."

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4 ways musicians can use an EPK

Posted: Jul 1, 2019

Category: Online Presence

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**Guest post written by Dave Cool of Bandzoogle.com.

 

4waysepk - BZ


"An electronic press kit (EPK) is essential for making a strong first impression on promoters, bookers, media, and other music industry professionals...You can use your EPK to help you get more press, more gigs, and come across as a serious artist."

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How to Approach Venues About Booking

Posted: Nov 19, 2018

Category: Show Booking

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**Guest post written by Jordan Gates, of Megaphone Agency.

 

Approach Venues Megaphone Agency


"Booking shows can be difficult, especially if you don’t have an experienced booking agent working with you...Most artists start out booking their own shows early on in their career...Knowing how to properly represent yourself to venues and get booked is an essential skill for independent artists. There is no definitive playbook for getting gigs, but here are some things that can help get your foot in the door."

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The Benefits of Collaborating with Fellow Artists

Posted: Oct 22, 2018

Category: The Musician Business

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**Guest post written by Cloe Matheson as featured on The Music Entrepreneur HQ.

 

Benefits of Collab - Music Entrepreneur


"Are you an aspiring musical artist looking to increase your bandwidth with listening audiences?...Thinking like an entrepreneur means realizing that when you combine your talents with those of an artist or musical act who are perhaps more established, you’ll expedite your own songwriting, music production, and promotional success."

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SEO for Musicians: Use Link Building to Improve Your Ranking

Posted: Jan 18, 2016

Category: Online Presence

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**Guest Post written by Melanie Kealey of Bandzoogle.com.

 

Bandzoogle Link Building Blog
"So you're looking to continue to improve the SEO for your band's website...One of the most important things you can do to help with your website’s SEO is link building...the more high-quality websites that link to yours, the higher your website will place in search engine results."

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