So you want to play an in-store at Amoeba?

This is a brief primer on our booking policies to give you the overall view of how in-stores get booked.

Keep in mind that Amoeba is a RECORD STORE…
Not a club/bar/art space/warehouse or any other sort of venue you may be used to playing. This means that booking and playing a show here is different than you may be used to.

We can only do a small number of shows a month on the Amoeba stage and there is simply no way we can accommodate everyone who wants to play here. We have to say “no” to a lot of artists – sometimes because of time schedules and sometimes because the music isn’t the right fit for a live show in a record store like Amoeba.

So who CAN play at Amoeba?
We have hosted a huge range of music - from Sonic Youth and Jurassic 5, to new independent local artists. You don’t need a manager and you don’t need to be on a big record label, but you do need a record. If Amoeba isn’t selling your music, that is your first step. If you have a CD, LP, 7”, or some other recording that Amoeba isn’t selling, then it’s probably too early to be pursuing an in-store.  You can start by bringing in a couple copies of your release to the buy counter. They may buy one or two to start (this is at the buyer’s discretion) and then we’ll be able to track how your release sells in the store and you can send your fans into the store to buy your release. If you don’t have music released or your music is not yet on the Amoeba racks, please take care of that before calling about an in-store and realize that it may be premature to book an in-store performance.

How we choose who plays:
There are a lot of factors that go into our in-store booking and selection. We want in-stores to be a positive experience that is beneficial to the artist as well as the store. If you haven’t played much locally and no one has heard of your band, or if you’re big in your hometown, but you haven’t played yet in California, it’s not the right time to play at Amoeba. If we’re considering booking an artist, we do our research and see if people have heard of you. We ask our staff and we check sales history to see if people are buying your records. If no one is going to come to see you, it won’t be a good in-store. Watching a band play on the Amoeba stage with no one watching is not fun, and being that band is not fun either. If you don’t have an audience, please consider gigging locally and building a fan base before you try to play here. At a club there are usually multiple artists playing so you get the benefit of all the other bands’ fans being there. At Amoeba you are ON YOUR OWN and playing a show to empty record store won’t do anything positive for you.

What about weekends? The store is full of shoppers and I’m sure they’d LOVE my band!
This is true. On a Saturday afternoon the store is packed with people; tourists and families and all the sorts of folks who come to shop on weekends. This can be very good exposure for a smaller band, but with it comes some major restrictions. Weekend bookings are generally focused on “mellower” music. World music, folk, jazz, soul and country are what we’ve found works best on weekends.  Which brings us to…

Music we can’t do.
There are some styles of music that just don’t work in the big record store space that is Amoeba... Hardcore, black metal, experimental noise, blatantly offensive lyrics, and bands that perform naked, are just not going to work for an in-store (remember, it’s a record store…).

“My band has some fans. We’ve had some successful local shows (or a successful tour). Our record is in the store and some people have been buying it.  What do I do now?”
Send your promo and press kit. Send it EARLY (a month at LEAST). Include with it a note telling us that you want to do an in-store and WHEN you are looking to play. If you are from out of town and on tour, send it VERY early because you probably only have one or two days available. It’s always good to try and do in-stores around the time of a record release or a big local show.

If you have any questions before sending in your press kit, you can email: in-stores@amoeba-music.com.

Mailing addresses:
San Francisco
Amoeba Music
c/o: Naomi Salazar
1855 Haight Street.
San Francisco, CA 94117

Los Angeles
Amoeba Music
c/o: Kara
6400 Sunset Blvd.
Hollywood, CA  90028

Not to give the standard “don’t call us, we’ll call you” line, but that ends up being the case due to the quantity of inquiries we get.  We receive A LOT of in-store submissions are not always able to get back to bands right away. If the music is something that could work for an in-store we’ll keep it around for future consideration if the schedule doesn’t work out for the immediate future.
If you follow up with us, we WILL get around to checking out your CD and if it’s going to work out for an in-store performance, we will call or email you then, and keep in mind that we have to say no to a lot of artists for different reasons all the time. Maybe when your next album drops or you’re back in SF or LA on the next tour. Keep in touch and let us know what you’re up to.

What to send for in-store consideration:
 If you don’t have a prepared press kit, just make sure to include (with your CD):
A BRIEF history/band bio, a discography, some press that you think is USEFUL and INFORMATIVE, and maybe a photo. And most importantly, CONTACT INFO (phone and email contacts). That’s all we need.

When you play at Amoeba you also agree to have your performance filmed and posted on our website for fans to view. We will eventually be streaming the in-stores on our website and by playing in the store you’ll be a part of the live music archive on amoeba.com!

Hopefully this gives you a realistic idea of how setting up an in-store at Amoeba works. Good luck and have fun!