Do you need to Find a Band for an event such as a wedding, birthday, your music venue or corporate event? Then to help save you a lot of time we have outlined the key points in not only how to find a band but also how to select the best band for you.

So how can you find a band for your event?

You can start with some of your local papers and publications. The benefits of these guides are that you will find bands that play in your local area and you can also go and see them perform live before you hire them. The negative aspect about these guides is that the information provided to you is very basic. You may only see the band's name, a photo, contact information and their genre of music. Before you hire a band you will want to listen to samples of their music to make sure that they are appropriate for your customer base or audience.

Utilise the power of the internet. For immediate and instant access to information there is no better tool than the internet. In saying that, there are still some issues you may face when searching the internet in that you may have to search through several websites and sources before you find what you want. This is why we have completed this research for you in trying to find a band. Firstly, here is the selection criteria for choosing these websites or music networks when looking for band:

• (1) They must have a simple and organised structure to search for bands in your local area. You can narrow your search down to not only your country but also your state and city.

• (2) Music samples - you can listen to sample songs from the band that you may be interested in. There is no better way to actually listen to a band performing live or to one of their recorded songs. If you like what you hear with the first song be sure to listen to several more of their songs before you decide to progress to the next step in contacting them.

• (3) Music Videos - Once again, to see how the band performs live is a great way to see if they are right for your audience. A band may sound great but if they don't how to entertain a crowd or work the crowd then they may be too boring or dull.

• (4) Contact Information - these sites allow for you to contact the band directly via an internal email system without charging you a fee. Also, you want this contact information to be up to date. Bands survive on performing gigs so they should be professional and prompt in responding to your query. If you have to constantly chase them or wait for a reply then this could just project some of the issues you may face down the road with them.

• (5) Forum and comments - this is not a major factor for a site to have; however, you can search these forums and read comments about the band you are interested in. If you find a significant number of complaints or bad comments then this may be a red flag. Also, a large fan base is a good sign as people like to be a part of a successful band, not a bad one!

• (6) Photos - like forums this is not a major one but seeing photos of the band may allow for you to see what they wear and if it is appropriate for your audience. Some band may not wear tops or may wear tops with offensive language on it. Some bands may promote political statements which may offend or go against your target audience. For example, you wouldn't want to employ a band for a corporate gig for a major energy company if the band is focused on pushing across their views about the environment.

• (7) Events and Gigs - these sites allow for bands to post their calendar of upcoming gigs and events. This will help you see if they are already booked for the date that you may need them. This also shows you that if they have a lot of gigs booked then they may have a lot of experience performing. If they are booked for repeat gigs at the same venue then this may also be a good sign.

So, if you are looking to find a band for your next event and have immediate access to all of these features outlined above then you should start your search at MySapce.com, MyBandMate.com or a local site that meets this criteria when searching for a band. Many music sites will help you find a band but most lack the ability for you to listen to sample songs from the band, lack the ability to watch a video of them performing live or lack the ability to contact them without having to pay a fee.

Here are some key points to check off before hiring a band:

• (1) Right from the start they need to have good communication skills. By this I mean that they promptly respond to your calls or emails and provide you with clear and accurate information about how much they charge for a gig, the duration of their performance, what other requirements they may need and be able to answer your specific questions. Prepare your list of questions in advance so that you can cover all bases.

• (2) How long will they play for? If you require the band to play for a certain period of time be sure to ask them this up front. You may also need the band to perform in three or four segments to allow for speeches or presentations in between.

• (3) How much do they charge? You will also need to talk to them about how to pay them, the way they wish to be paid and also have a contract in place to cover all unlikely occurrences such as the band not meeting the required terms of agreement set out by you upon hiring them.

• (4) What is their song list? Can you request certain songs? Can you request certain songs not to be played for various reasons?

• (5) Do they have all of the required equipment? Or do they require for you to provide certain pieces of equipment?

• (6) Do they use offensive language? This may not be an issue if you require them to play in a nightclub environment but it will if you are booking them for a wedding, religious or corporate event.

• (7) At what time can they start? It may be an afternoon gig or a late night gig? Many bands have to drive a long distance to get to a venue so be sure to ask this obvious but important question.

• (8) Will you have to pay for their accommodation? If a band has to travel a significant distance to get to your location will they ask for you to pay for their hotel costs as well? Will they expect for you to pay for their drinks and food as well? You may need to budget this in as it is often a requirement for travelling bands.

• (9) Do you have a cancellation policy in the contract? What if they cancel the week of or even worse the day of the event? Do you have a backup plan? Will you be reimbursed for costs you have already outlaid in preparing invitations, posters etc promoting their band and event. These last minute cancellations happen so have a plan in place! Will the booking agent be responsible in finding you a new band? Will they still want their booking fee.....?

• (10) Bands are always breaking up, changing band members and so on. What happens if you love the band with one singer and then you come to find that by the time your event comes around they have a new singer who is not as good or has not been briefed on the requests you have put fourth in your initial consultation with the band.

As you see, don't think that you can just book a band and not put in some research or work. These plans only make things run more smoothly without hidden surprises and ultimately make it a less stressful task for you. A good booking agent will be able to answer these questions for you and advise you of the best bands that are ideal for what you are looking for.

Just be sure to save time and utilise the top music network sites such as MyBandMate.com and MySpace which provide you with all of the features you need in researching a band. Good luck with your search and make a list of your own requirements, questions and expectations!