How to Find a Music Booking Agency

Touring is a part of the job description for rock groups--the live show remains the best way to interest people in your band's music. But that won't happen without a modicum of local or regional popularity--which is where a good booking agent is crucial. Otherwise, you'll be stuck in poorly paying, small-tier venues, where fewer people will see you. Staying on the road means being savvy enough to book proper dates and get paid for them, which is where a good agent makes a world of difference.

Instructions

Look Appealing

1. Evaluate what kind of help you need; most booking agents want to see at least five to six live dates a month before they'll consider taking on your cause. There are no hard and fast rules, but there's no point in approaching anybody until your level of business has reached the point of getting harder to track; otherwise, you're simply blowing smoke.

2. Show yourself in the best possible light. Put together a press kit that includes a photo, bio and overview of your band or solo types of venues that you've played and your total draw, which is typically expressed in total ticket counts or an estimate of each club's audience capacity. Include references from your better-drawing or longer-standing gigs; this never hurts, especially if you're already making some noise locally.

3. Check with the club owners who hire you for recommendations. Although your experiences are mostly local at this point, club owners work with regional and national booking agents who can take your act to the next level. Once you collect some names, get some references from other bands who have hired them. Most local scenes are small enough that news of aberrant, unusual or dishonest behavior travels fast.

Work Out the Kinks

1. Arrange a showcase so agents you've contacted can see your act. This can be done at the venues you regularly play or even by special arrangement in an empty setting; you'd be surprised how many auditions happen that way. Either way, be as professional as possible. Now is not the time to pull out a brain-teasing new song that you haven't nailed or that obscure cover song that's unknown outside of the record collectors in your band.

2. Understand that if you're a new band and you don't have a lot of live experience under your belt, getting attention is tougher, but not impossible. You'll need to record a basic demo featuring your three or four best-known songs. Always put your best song up front; many people won't listen to complete tracks, let alone the ones you've relegated to third or fourth place.

3. Meet with the top two or three candidates on your shortlist and discuss your goals--with a target in mind. Without one, you're apt to fall into the directionless, unfocused rut that plagues many musicians. Once an agent checks out your band, he'll also have some notion of where to take your career, so heed his advice. Many agents are former musicians themselves who appreciate what it takes to become even moderately successful.

4. Work out the basic details of an agreement, which vary enormously. Some agents outline a specific number of gigs before they extend the relationship, while others want a yearlong commitment. Still others provide extra services, such as printing promotional fliers and sending out street teams--for an additional fee. Make sure that you understand what you're getting for the money you pay out.

5. Keep your situation in perspective, particularly on commissions. Paying 15 or 20 percent of your income may seem enormous until you realize how agents keep you working. Many agents and managers perform a myriad of tasks for which they never charge a dime, because they won't earn more than pin money until your act moves up. Conversely, hiring an ill-qualified friend or relative for the job may seem like a money-saver at first, but the old saying applies: you get what you pay for.

Tips & Warnings

• Get references from other bands. What worked for one person may not work for you, and vice versa.You also want to know how effectively other acts have worked with your prospective hire.

• Never sign any agreement without professional advice, because unless you can prove fraud or concealment as the primary reason for your unhappiness, you're often stuck with the agreement that you signed. At any rate, have an entertainment lawyer review the proposed agreement so that everyone understands what's expected of them.

• Hiring a booking agent is not the time to lay back and stop advocating for your music. You agent is simply an additional resource that you'll need to coordinate your overall operation, if your band's business has actually reached that level of success.

• Just because people demand that they involve themselves in every aspect of your business--including live bookings, merchandising and publishing, for example--doesn't mean that you have to let them. You can farm out these functions to others, or take them on yourself, if need be.