from About.com Music Careers:

Gigs aren't cheap. Not by a long shot. On a small scale, sometimes you can work out a deal with club to play for free and do some promotion yourself, but in most cases, even small, indie shows need some kind of budget. There's the cost of printing up posters and flyers, maybe the cost of renting the venue - and that's if you keep everything to the bare minimum. Depending on the size of the show, there might be additional advertising costs, the cost of gear rental and more. So - who pays? Does the promoter foot the bill? Should the musicians count on shelling out?

Click here to learn more about how gig promotion costs break down.

From Derek Sivers, Founder of CD Baby, at Sivers.org:

From 1995-1998 I made my full-time living playing at colleges. Got hired by over 350 schools for about $300,000 (gross, not net) on the East coast (from Florida to Maine, as far west as Arkansas.)

I’ll try to put into one article, here, every bit of advice or wisdom I could share with my fellow musicians, from my experience.

Click here to read Derek's full post. 

This is a list of rules you should memorize and live by when performing at clubs or other public places. I have compiled this list after years of watching acts do stupid things that really hurt them, and ultimately lead to their downfall. Don't make these mistakes.

http://digitalbear.com/articles/stagerules.html

The Bottom of the Hill in San Francisco has taken the time to write an extensive FAQ about getting booked to play the venue. This isn't just about playing the BOTH, but explains how to build a following  and promote your band in a way that will get you the opportunity to play at the choosier clubs in any city.

http://www.bottomofthehill.com/booking.html

Yes, it is so important to play as often as possible. It is also just as important to make sure you play rooms that help move your career forward. Once again this topic requires you to review your long-term goals and keep them in mind as you tackle every new aspect of your career. In this case, selecting appropriate venues can be challenging but rewarding.

 http://www.performingbiz.com/articles/015.html

You have reached that point in your career development when adding an agent to your team would be a logical next step. Before you pick up the phone and start calling around, I suggest you do the following three steps.

http://www.performingbiz.com/articles/044.html 

One method to expand your audience is to serve as a support act for a known main act on multiple tour dates or to open a show for a larger act. These are choice slots and many acts are vying for them. Sometimes you can get lucky and be in the right place at the right time. If you are more interested in process rather than chance, here are a few suggestions on how to go about landing some of these choice performance slots.

http://www.performingbiz.com/articles/021.html 

There is great advantage to concentrating the majority of your development in your hometown as you plan for future tours to new territories. I have always been a believer in starting your career in a central place, like your hometown or a town nearby that would be conducive to your career development.

http://www.performingbiz.com/articles/001.html 

No matter how good those demo tapes are, all labels– indie or major– still want to see bands live. Here are some do’s and don'ts on how to get started.

http://www.discmakers.com/music/ffwd/2004/condon-dec.asp  

Click here for tips on how not to conduct yourself on tour.

http://www.creepycrawl.com/top39txt.htm