Getting Started as a Musician in the Glasgow Scene

GETTING STARTED AS A MUSICIAN IN THE GLASGOW SCENE

To preface, the aim of this article is to provide some practical beginner information towards songwriters or performing artists looking to get a start in the Glasgow scene and as such will not have a huge focus on audience building or how to get started in non-performance roles. Both of these topics have some great articles and guides already written across OTR including the one linked directly below.

https://www.otrscot.com/music-industry-in-minutes

As a city, Glasgow is lucky to have one of the strongest grassroots music scenes in the UK as well as a hugely diverse population from countless different backgrounds. With this in mind, this article is aiming to serve as a guide to some of the resources and tips that I found useful when getting started in the local scene leading up to my first show. 

A huge part of the Glasgow music scene is the sense of musical community that flows through the city. As such, the first focus of this guide is towards the places and groups where you can find bandmates and/or musical collaborators for your project. 

If you were looking to use social media to find likeminded individuals a great place to start is the wealth of Glasgow Music Facebook groups that contain people from a variety of backgrounds, ages and abilities. On top of this, these groups often highlight opportunities across the music industry.

Although not at all an exhaustive list, here are two of the more active Glasgow Music Groups that I am personally a part of:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/156810767841342

https://www.facebook.com/groups/830339656979446

Of course, outside of social media there are great ways to find fellow musicians. Although perhaps it seems unorthodox, attending local shows and speaking with fellow attendees is a great way get involved with the community and can often lead to meeting other musicians. On top of this, band societies at universities,  open mics and jam sessions are also amazing ways to find likeminded people in the scene.

https://wiki.glasgow.social/open_mics (This is a 2023 list of open mics in the city so some may not still be active)

https://www.strathunion.com/groups/find-a-society/society/bands/

Another key aspect of getting started in the scene is finding a place to rehearse your project. As a city, Glasgow contains many practice rooms and spaces that cater to the needs of bands  and projects in a variety of sizes and genres. Three of the most prominent criteria to separate these spaces are convenience, price and standard of equipment each of which can be heavily varied across the spaces on offer. Finding a good practice space can take some patience and time, while long term room rents are available, a great place to start is with a pay per session room.

The three rooms I have used most often:

https://www.berkeley2.co.uk/ (My personal favourite, Berkely 2 has amazing equipment at a slightly higher price point than some competitors)

https://pirate.com/en/locations/glasgow/ (As a 24-hour space, Pirate is incredibly convenient but as such doesn’t contain the best amps and drum kit)

https://carltonstudios.uk/rehearsal-rooms/ (Carlton Studios has great pricing and location but doesn’t have the same equipment and space as some competitors) 

With collaborations and rehearsal spaces covered, it’s important to highlight some of the aspects of preparing for your first show that don’t directly involve your music. The first is establishing an idea for your project’s identity. Early into your journey, this does not need to be set in stone - but it’s good to have a short bio about your project and its member(s) available once you go public. 

Following on from this, setting up social media for your music is a key step towards your debut show. Even if you are not yet ready to start posting regularly, having a landing page to direct friends and family towards is incredibly valuable. It’s also good to do this early to secure the name/handle that you are looking for.

Every social media caters to different needs and wants, you may find that a particular site is more appropriate for your project than others. With this in mind, however, it should be highlighted that as of publishing this; Instagram and TikTok are the most commonly used social media for musicians. This is due to their engagement levels and the opportunities to interact with followers and their communities.  Social media is a huge aspect of the current music climate and takes a great deal of time to understand and use effectively, regardless of the size of your project.

https://pirate.com/en/blog/how-to-promote-music-social-media/ (An article highlighting some of the best practices for social media)

Looking next at the promoters and opportunities for gigs in Glasgow, it is easy to be overwhelmed with who to get in touch with regarding your first show. However, this is just an indicator of how expansive the music community in Glasgow is. Promoters in Glasgow can range heavily in the way they do business and how many venues they book. On top of this, some promotions such as DF Concerts live under the banner of bigger organisations like Live Nation, whereas some promotions are entirely independent and grassroots such as Crowded Flat. When it comes to familiarising yourself with promoters, the best way to do research is by attending as many gigs as you can and interacting with the communities that they serve. This gives an insight into if the promoters are a good fit for your project.

A small list of the promoters I have worked with or that are very prominent in the scene:

https://www.instagram.com/crowdedflat/   (Crowded Flat)

https://www.dfconcertsandevents.com/ (DF Concerts)

https://www.instagram.com/b12entertainment/ (B12 Entertainment)

https://www.instagram.com/432presents/ (432 Presents)

https://www.instagram.com/oneroofmusicmanagement/ (One Roof)

Once you have found a few promoters that match your style, the final part of the process is getting in touch to playing a show with them. Pitching yourself and your project is something that could be the focus of several articles and can vary massively depending on the genre or community you are trying to get featured amongst. However, the one thing that remains consistent between almost all pitches is that of staying polite in your interactions. Although a fairly simple point, being friendly and relatively professional will help you build relationships with the different people behind the promotions. 

To conclude this article, there are three things that come up often when discussing success as a new artist that should be highlighted here. If possible, these should be kept in mind at all stages of the process, even long after your first show.

Firstly, attend as many gigs as you can and interact with as many people as you are comfortable with. Attending local shows not only helps support the grass roots music scene but is also a great way to learn the different aspects of being a performer. 

Secondly, expect to hear no or get no response fairly often and aim to build a resilience towards this as much as possible. Finding bills and opportunities for your project can be a lengthy and frustrating process so aim to refocus your energy into ensuring that it’s the best it can be.

Finally, following on from the previous point, aim to adhere to the mantra of “don’t ask, don’t get”. A huge amount of Q&As with industry professionals highlight that politely asking for opportunities is the number one way to be considered for them. Although daunting, once you have built some confidence, this will become one of the most useful pieces of advice regarding your music project.