If You Want Bigger Gigs This Year, Don’t Start With a Setlist

Every January, musicians and performers sit down with the same intention:

“This is the year I level up my gigs.”

And almost every time, they start in the same place. Rewriting their setlist.

While your songs matter, starting there may be the reason your gigs haven’t grown the way you want them to.

Let’s talk about what actually needs to happen first.

Bigger Gigs Start With Clarity, Not Songs

Before you change a single song, you need to answer a simple question:

What kind of gigs do you actually want?

Not just “more gigs,” but:

• Higher-paying events?
• Weddings or corporate events?
• Better rooms?
• More attentive audiences?
• Or, just the small one at the coffee shop down the street?

Without clarity, your setlist becomes generic. You end up trying to please everyone while impressing no one.

People Book Experiences, Not Song Lists

Most clients don’t remember your third song.
They remember:

• How confident you looked
• How comfortable you were on stage
• How you engaged the room
• How you made the event feel effortless

That’s why performers who focus on:

• Stage presence
• Crowd interaction
• Clear communication
  often outperform musicians with longer repertoires.
  
  

Your Setlist Is a Tool, Not Your Strategy

Once you know:

• Your target gigs
• Your audience
• The experience you want to deliver

Your setlist becomes a powerful tool.

It stops being a random collection of songs and becomes a designed experience. One that supports your goals instead of guessing at them.

Learm Grow, & Level Up

If you want bigger gigs this year, don’t start with your setlist.
Start with your vision, your direction, and your performance goals.

The songs will follow.

If you want help developing the skills that actually move your performing career forward, explore the resources at Danny Robertson Music.

Be The Performer You’re Meant To Be.