The Small-Town Scene Starter Spreadsheet

Start a local scene

A FREE starter spreadsheet for original bands outside major music cities — You don’t need to play covers. You need a system for your town.

Blacktop Revival, Bellingham

17. February, 2026.

We’re not in Nashville. We’re definitely not in NYC. We’re in a 50k population town with four bars and a few coffee shops. This guide gave us a real system instead of vague ‘network more’ advice. We booked 6 shows in 2 months using the tracker alone.

Cassi

Briar & Bloom, Flagstaff

Instead of waiting around for someone to discover us or invite us to play, we built our own little circuit. It feels empowering.

Ryn

Glass Motel, Albany

Most booking advice assumes you’re chasing 500-cap rooms. This guide understands house shows, community spaces, and bar percentage deals. It’s practical and grounded.

Robin

The Paper Satellites, Bloomington

We’re not in LA. We’re not in NYC. We’re in a 30k population town with two bars and a coffee shop. This guide gave us a real system instead of vague ‘network more’ advice. We booked 6 shows in 2 months using the tracker alone.

Small-town original bands struggle because

Original bands struggle in small markets because:

• Bars want cover bands
• There are only 5–10 venues total
• Nobody tracks outreach
• They don’t know how to build momentum locally
• They feel isolated