Create a Guerrilla Sticker Campaign to Land an Oslo Gig (Like a Stavanger Band’s Street Art Move)
- Tapetown
- Nov 12
- 2 min read
Trying to play an Oslo venue like Sentrum Scene or John Dee but don’t know any bookers? Getting into Europe’s music scene can feel like wandering a forest without a trail. One way to get noticed: launch a guerrilla-style sticker campaign with your band’s logo and QR code to draw fans and catch a venue’s eye. This post shares a straightforward strategy to turn stickers into a club booking, no contacts needed. We’ll also look at how a fictional Stavanger band pulled this off to score a gig, with an odd twist. Want to leave your mark and book gigs in Europe? Here’s the plan.
Make a Guerrilla Sticker Campaign to Draw Venue Interest
A sticker campaign with QR codes can spread your music and show venues you’ve got a following. Here’s how to do it in Oslo without connections:
Design Bold Stickers: Create small, striking stickers with your band’s logo and a QR code linking to your best track on Spotify or SoundCloud. Add a tagline like “Oslo’s next sound” and your band name. Use free tools like Canva for a sharp design.
Place Stickers Strategically: Stick them in busy Oslo spots like Youngstorget or Grønland, on cafe boards, bike racks, or street signs, following local rules to avoid fines. Aim for 50-100 stickers over a weekend to spark interest.
Pitch Venues with Your Reach: Track your track’s plays after a week. If you hit a few hundred streams, message Oslo venues like Sentrum Scene with a note: “Our stickers got 600 plays in Grønland. Can we bring these fans to your stage?” Share stream numbers to show demand.
This works because it proves to venues you can pull an audience with a creative approach.
A Stavanger Band’s Street Art Move
Before fictional Stavanger band Tide Pulse hit Norwegian stages, they were unknowns trying to break into Oslo in 2023. They printed 200 stickers with a QR code linking to their jangly indie single and plastered them across Stavanger’s colorful Øvre Holmegate street. The stickers, featuring a neon wave design, read “Hear Stavanger in Oslo” and drew locals to their SoundCloud, racking up hundreds of streams.
A booker from John Dee in Oslo spotted a sticker on a cafe board while visiting Stavanger and scanned it. Impressed by the song and its online traction, he offered Tide Pulse an opening slot at a 2024 show, a gig that led to more bookings. The odd part? One sticker ended up on a tourist’s backpack, spreading their music to Oslo before they even planned it. The band laughed about their “traveling sticker” in a local music zine later. Tide Pulse’s sticker campaign shows how a small move can make waves, and Oslo’s urban scene is your canvas.
A guerrilla sticker campaign is a low-key way to book gigs in Europe’s music hubs like Oslo. Design bold stickers, spread them around, and pitch your numbers to venues. No contacts? Just some art and effort.
Read about the legendary recording studio 'Sound City' here: