Individual artist and label efforts to sell recordings vary greatly according to the size and means of the labels. One very obvious way to gain exposure for the artists and therefore sell more recordings is through the live performance. Performing and touring Touring is probably the lifeline for most folk artists. Singer-songwriters Chris Smither and John Gorka place much emphasis on touring as they believe that this is critical to their success. Touring is an essential part of the mix for artists represented by booking agents Fleming and Tamulevich who have developed a list of more than 4,000 venues and promoters with which they work to book their artists, including Gorka.
Artists also reach audiences in performances outside of venues.
Some organizations bring in artists to teach music classes or to play during children's events or adult socials. The Guardian label reported that it had set up a heavy schedule of promotions and performances to let retailers, consumers, and radio know about Curtis. She played at a distributor's convention, for management meetings of major music store chains, and for Borders Books in a series of in-store concerts. A coffeehouse might be run by a group of people who host monthly or quarterly concerts in a local church basement or community hall. Some may have 20-30 attendees, and others may have more than 200 for each show.