Bands: Sometimes no booking agent is better than a bad booking agent
You're a good band, you've written some great songs, you've got them down, and you're ready to let the world know. So you want to play shows, right? And to play decent sized shows you need a booking agent, right? On the surface this can seem like the right play, but unless you have a great combination of luck and talent, this can be exactly the wrong move and can damage your band.
Anyone who knows the owners of a couple bars can call themselves a booking agent and start signing up clients. But before signing you need to do some work:
1) Get a client list. Contact all of them that you can. Find out if they are actually getting paying, well attended shows.
2) If a booking agent wants money up-front, run. This is the warning sign that they are just trying to make a set amount from each band and they will have no incentive to book you to good shows.
3) Try your own hand at booking shows. Call venues you would like to play, and arrange to send (or hand-deliver) a demo. I am sorry if this sounds sexist but if you have a female member or a female friend who wants to help, have them contact the venue, in all of my experience venue owners are more likely to book bands if contacted by a woman.
4) If you can at all afford it, have a lawyer go over any contract with a booking agent. You want a contract which will enable you to back out clean if the agent has not met agreed-upon goals in a fairly short time (no more than six months and less if you can - if they aren't going to be able to book you, you need to know that asap!)
5) If you do sign, keep on them! Booking agents can deal with dozens of bands, and the squeaky wheel gets the grease. Don't let them forget about you
6) Sadly, most venues do not promote anymore (unless you call hanging a flyer on their window promoting), they expect the bands to do that. If you aren't from their town, this can be a problem. Use Myspace to friend people in the area - especially ones who are already friends of the venue. Then you can let those people know about you and why they should come to the show.
A bad booking agent can cost you money, time and momentum. I beg you... be careful out there!
JD Chase
[http://www.davespiggle.com] will soon have information on good and bad booking agents
Anyone who knows the owners of a couple bars can call themselves a booking agent and start signing up clients. But before signing you need to do some work:
1) Get a client list. Contact all of them that you can. Find out if they are actually getting paying, well attended shows.
2) If a booking agent wants money up-front, run. This is the warning sign that they are just trying to make a set amount from each band and they will have no incentive to book you to good shows.
3) Try your own hand at booking shows. Call venues you would like to play, and arrange to send (or hand-deliver) a demo. I am sorry if this sounds sexist but if you have a female member or a female friend who wants to help, have them contact the venue, in all of my experience venue owners are more likely to book bands if contacted by a woman.
4) If you can at all afford it, have a lawyer go over any contract with a booking agent. You want a contract which will enable you to back out clean if the agent has not met agreed-upon goals in a fairly short time (no more than six months and less if you can - if they aren't going to be able to book you, you need to know that asap!)
5) If you do sign, keep on them! Booking agents can deal with dozens of bands, and the squeaky wheel gets the grease. Don't let them forget about you
6) Sadly, most venues do not promote anymore (unless you call hanging a flyer on their window promoting), they expect the bands to do that. If you aren't from their town, this can be a problem. Use Myspace to friend people in the area - especially ones who are already friends of the venue. Then you can let those people know about you and why they should come to the show.
A bad booking agent can cost you money, time and momentum. I beg you... be careful out there!
JD Chase
[http://www.davespiggle.com] will soon have information on good and bad booking agents
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