Booking FAQ
Interested in performing at Songwriter Sanctuary San Diego? Here's the deal:
If you read or partially skimmed the above and you're interested in performing, here's a button to press:
- Do you book out of town/touring artists? We mostly showcase local talent, with the rare out-of-town guest who usually also has some connection to San Diego.
- What does "in the round" mean? It means our three acts are all "on stage" at the same time, and performances move from act to act in a circular pattern, one song at a time. We typically do three rounds, followed by an intermission, then three more rounds, with each act playing six songs total.
- What configurations do you book? Since our sound tech is accommodating three acts at once, we *usually* limit bookings to solo or duo performers.
- What genres do you book? Any genre is welcome, but intimate arrangements with stripped-down instrumentation work best.
- What are other booking considerations?
- We invite established and emerging artists who are on our radar, while also actively reviewing submissions and extending invitations to artists discovered through that process.
- It's Not About Numbers: We don’t care about your follower count, stream numbers, or how polished your videos are. We care about your ability to write and perform original music and how you engage with audiences (a must for an intimate, in-the-round format).
- Other Considerations: Location, performance experience, online presence, and easy access to your music/bio/promo materials are all factors. They’re not singular deal-breakers but help with curation and promotion. Recommendations from trusted pals, pros, and alumni artists also go a long way. It's a big ol' jigsaw puzzle with only so many pieces and there's truly nothing personal if we don't reach out.
- Community Impact: We notice artists who contribute to the safety and wellness of their communities. If you're out there strengthening your scene, speaking truth to power, and investing your energy toward building a better world, then we're going to invest more time in exploring your work.
- Representation: We aim to showcase a range of artists and styles that reflect our diverse and vibrant songwriting community. If artist availability aligns, we curate around various calendar and cultural observances like Black History Month, Women's History Month, LGBTQ+ Pride, Disability Pride, etc. This is not to tokenize groups of people, but to celebrate and highlight their important contributions and achievements, to educate our communities about the issues impacting our artists and community at large, and to emphasize the important intersections between art and identity. (If any part of this paragraph makes you feel uncomfortable or annoyed, this series is probably not a good fit for you.)
- We invite established and emerging artists who are on our radar, while also actively reviewing submissions and extending invitations to artists discovered through that process.
- What's your payment policy?: Three acts split presale tix, door donations, and tips. $100 guarantee per act, but usually ends up being much more when everyone is working together to promote. Great promotion from everyone will yield closer to $400 per act.
- Are artists required to promote? The venue is beautiful but not situated to attract street traffic, so we need support spreading the word to your networks. Since we don’t take a door cut, your promo efforts directly benefit you and your fellow performers. Plus, it's just respectful to the series and to the other artists on the bill. You don’t need a huge following, but please have a small, reliable friend/fanbase before requesting a booking.
- How far in advance do I need to submit? We book a whole season (year) at once, starting around late fall. Get your submissions in any time to be considered for the following season.
- I submitted a booking request. When can I expect a response? Unfortunately we don't have the staff/capacity to respond to all submissions. If it has been over a year since your last submission and you want to re-submit with updated music samples, please feel free!
- I am an alumni artist. When can I come back to perform? It may be some time before we re-book you because we produce so few shows per year and have such a long list of incredible artists to showcase. You're on our radar for when we need a pinch-hitter! You're also welcome to reach out to Normal Heights directly to organize your own one-off event. We do approach our alumni artists as a creative cohort, striving to stay connected and offer resources/support in many ways beyond your performance.
- I regularly attend and support Songwriter Sanctuary. Can you book me? We're thrilled you're here, and we love when artists support artists, but that's not how booking works. We wish it was - we'd buy season tix to the Hollywood Bowl!
If you read or partially skimmed the above and you're interested in performing, here's a button to press: