Thursday, March 31, 2011

Getting A Booking Agent To Take Me and My Band Seriously?

The answer to this question is simple, straightforward, but not necessarily the easiest to stomach. So here goes:

Drum roll.....The best way to get booking agents to take you seriously is to ignore them, not worry about them at all and wait for them to eventually approach you.

Ignore them?

Not worry about them?

Wait till they approach you?

Is This Guy For Real?

Think about it for a moment. In the most simplistic sense booking agents see you and your band as a commodity that has a certain price tag associated with it. For example, let’s say right now your band might only be worth $100 for a thirty minute slot on a Saturday night. When you’re able to demand $1,000 a show and can sell out a 250 capacity room without much effort, you’ll be sure to grab the attention of a booking agent – and they’ll take you very seriously.
Guaranteed!

By then, the issue of will they take you seriously will no longer apply because your value as a band to them is far greater and they will take you seriously automatically as they now see possible financial reward from investing their time into your commodity, which is your band.

Granted, this description sounds dry and un-arty, yet the reality is that this is what really happens and to really understand the answer to this question, it’s important to understand the mechanics of the situation. No agent will every speak like that or make you believe that’s the case, however at the back of their minds when they know they’ve got bills to pay and they’re under pressure by their superiors to bring in the commissions, what else would be at the core of their thought process?

A booking agent sits on the phone all day long, cutting deals, booking rooms, organizing tour schedules, gossiping and a whole lot more. To get one of them to take you seriously, you must be able to prove worth. In doing this, by default you are also getting them to spend less time booking their other bands and tasks which could potentially bring in the payola.

Not an easy task.

However when you can understand what motivates them and what will get them excited, you’ll certainly have a better chance at getting them to take you seriously.

Remember that it is their job to be finding the next great talents of the world and if they haven’t come knocking at your door yet, there is probably a good reason why.

This does not mean to say that you should throw in the towel and give up either. Rather it means that more work and effort needs to go into your career before you reach that next step of getting a professional to do all the bookings and talking for you.

As a result, the whole concept of dealing with booking agents at the beginning of a bands music career is generally very misunderstood. By realizing the above, you’ll slowly start to realize booking your own shows until you can prove your value and pulling power might be the best way to go and ultimately you’ll be able to get agents to take you seriously.

In my humble little opinion this is really the only way to get an agent to take you seriously.

The Upside To This Approach?

This might not be the answer you wish to hear and nine out of ten bands I’ve ever spoken to always say the same thing, “We just want to focus on our music,” but look at the flip side, imagine how much more knowledge and understanding you’ll gain by starting out yourself, not to mention the network you will also carve out as a result!

The more hands on experience you can endure at the beginning of your career, the better shape you’ll be in when agents come knocking at your door and ultimately take you very seriously.

Booking

Successful booking is one of the life-bloods of all Indie Female Artist.  Most Indie Artist have to initially book themselves because booking agents, for the most part, don't want to waste their time on any new Indie Artist, especially females Indie Artists. After all if you can't book gigs, how are you going to grown your fan base and how will you meet all your fiscal responsibilities?

Whether you contact a venue by email(lest recommended), by phone, or you drop by in person, you must be well prepared as most of these folks are on tight schedules, which means you must maximizes the time you have with them.  Here are a few questions to ask:

  1. What genre of music do your patrons prefer?
  2. What nights of the week do you have live music?
  3. Are there nights you prefer acoustic and bands?
  4. Do you require artist/bands bring a certain amount of paying fans?
  5. Currently I am booking for ......... and for .........?
  6. How does your calendar look for those time periods?
  7. Ask about sound system and sound engineer.
  8. Get information rates they pay and the best time to reach them by phone.
  9. Get all their numbers you can: work, home, cell, and personal email.
  10. Give them your business card with all your information on it, including your website.
  11. Make sure you reenforce that you will do exactly what they require to keep a crowd happy for the allotted time frame you will be performing.
  12. Show the Booker a few of your song set list for their review and comments. 
  13. Inform the Booker how many songs are in your repertoire.
  14. Make sure you know the expected off-load times and by when you must be ready to start.
  15. Above all be polite, respectful, and courteous.  If you do book one date, try for one or two more.  Many venues like to have the same bands come in for 1-3 nights every 4-6 weeks.

Monday, March 7, 2011

Indie Music SUCCESS = ENDLESS HOURS OF WORK

Indie Female Success is dependent on how much time you will consistently dedicate to being pro-active to promoting and developing your career.

You should be thinking: Today is the first day of the rest of your life/career. Achieving your goals means taking all the necessary steps in a prescribe order. This will prevent repetition and redundancy on this Indie Road you travel. Sometimes your 'steps' will be short; sometimes they will be long, but, remember every step takes your forward towards achieving your dreams.

As an Indie Artist it's difficult to know what your next step should be, let alone know when your next paycheck will come. Every new fan; every new gig is progress. Each day there are many things to do. Most days your preparation is doing the same things over, but, with the goal of improving or doing them better.

Independents wear many hats because for a long period of time, they must do everything themselves. If this isn't your calling, you may want to think extensively about seeking another career, either inside the music market or outside it. Just Remember: The harder you work the luckier you get!

Creativity


To live the life of a creative person is a rare gift. This alone should be enough motivation to do whatever it takes to have it become a reality. Surround yourself with creative people with whom you can share dreams, goals, insights, strategies, resources, etc. You want people around you who encourage, think positive, inspire, and who will give you candid inputs, both good and bad. Be patient, for non-patience has been the downfall of many potentially great artists.