Tips For Getting Booked Next Year

Fun Fun Fun Fest may not be Austin’s biggest music event of the year, but it has the wittiest marketing strategies, and it definitely guarantees more fun than any other festival – the name speaks for itself. The folks at Transmission Entertainment interject a little bit of sarcasm and snark into their social media and e-mails in a throwback to the festival’s punk rock roots. Even as the Fun Fun Fun Fest celebrates its sixth year, Transmission still offers up the best in underground punk combined with the hottest acts in indie rock, and they’re always years ahead of the curve. The Fun Fun Fun climate of music discovery combined with Transmission’s appeal to the choosiest of musical palates makes it a breeding ground of opportunities for an indie band.

The lineup leaks start in the early spring. This year Transmission began leaking band names in April via nautical symbols – an interesting avenue for a festival that is headlining Slayer. Getting to play at Fun Fun Fun Festival means getting the intellectual hipster types at Transmission to like you, and that means playing their venues year round, not simply carpet-bombing them with music at their info e-mail address. Transmission Entertainment books some of Austin’s favorite music venues including Mohawk, Red 7, ND, Beauty Bar, and almost any other place that is popular along Red River Street. Getting your band’s name on the bill at any one of these venues very early in the year could warrant you worthy of consideration – not to mention the exposure that the New Year offers with “Red River Free Week.” Transmission books plenty of Fun Fun Fun Fest pre-parties around town, too.

This year Fun Fun Fun Festival has outgrown its original location in Austin’s Waterloo Park and will make the move to Auditorium Shores, November 4-6. The festival mixes it up with Austin natives Okkervil River and Spoon on the Orange Stage along with Lykke Li, Passion Pit, Tune Yards, and Ra Ra Riot. The Blue Stage features Flying Lotus, Neon Indian, and Diplo. The Black Stage keeps it real Fun Fun Fun style with Slayer, Danzig Legacy, The Damned, and Cannibal Corpse. As always, the Yellow Stage boasts a mix of comedy acts and other random performer.

www.funfunfunfest.com

OTHER AUSIN FESTIVALS BOOKING INDIE MUSIC

SXSW

When: Each March

Booking: Apply online with Sonicbids. Submissions usually accepted through November for the following March.

More Info: www.sxsw.com

UTOPIAFEST

When: Early Fall

Booking: contact Travis Sutherland at utopiafest@gmail.com, preferably 3-6 months before the event.

More Info: www.utopiafest.com

AUSTIN CITY LIMITS

When: Early Fall

Booking: Through C3 Presents. Online submissions preferred a few months before any C3 event. Send materials to info@c3presents.com. No phone calls.

More Info: www.aclfestival.com