Had you considered this responsibility of gigging musicians?

If you ask an unsuspecting person what preparing for a music gig entails, they are probably going to mention things like rehearsing the songs or making sure the instruments are in good condition. These are, of course, very important parts of the process, but they are not even remotely the only ones. 

An independent gigging musician is frequently their own agent, manager, producer, technician and stylist. Things like figuring out transportation to and from the venue are as much our responsibility as knowing how to play the songs of our set list. After all, it doesn't matter how good you are as a musician if you never arrive to your performance and no one can hear you!

A good example of this happened last Wednesday, when I took part of the civic flag raising ceremony that the Association of Jamaican Nationals Birmingham put together to commemorate the anniversary of the independence of Jamaica. I needed to bring my PA system for the event, which meant I had to use my car. Now, if you've driven around Birmingham's city centre as of late, you might have noticed a drastic reduction of parking spots. There are some charging stations for electric cars, but a lot of parking bays have disappeared, including those around Birmingham's Council House.

Gig days are usually fast-paced and stressful. They are not the appropriate moment to figure out things like parking. That's why I contacted the organiser of the event in advance to tell them what I needed, and they arranged a complimentary parking spot with the Council for me. That way, I could pay attention to other things during the day, and I didn't put myself at risk of getting a ticket.

The reduction of parking space isn't a phenomenon exclusive to Birmingham. This Saturday, I am performing at the celebration of the independence of Jamaica in Reading, and I've had to figure my means of transportation for that, too. London, being such a big city, presents particularly challenging circumstances. Whenever I have a gig in London, I seek to arrange everything regarding transportation and parking weeks in advance!

I advise you do the same, wherever you are. It makes gigging much more manageable and easy. Also, if you can think of other apparently small things that are actually very important for gigging musicians to keep in mind, I'd love to hear about them.