subject: How to get a Music Booking Agent (and why you might not need one) [print this page] How to get a Music Booking Agent (and why you might not need one)
Certainly, as a performer, having a good and successful music agent will enable you to get more shows and, more importantly, bigger shows opening up for larger acts. However, getting a good booking agent will be just as hard as getting a record deal. Geoff Meall of the Agency Group (the UK agent for Nickelback, Muse, My Chemical Romance, and Super Furry Animals) says that any band he considers for representation should be "either signed or close to being signed because [he is] not going to waste [his] time on touring something that has nothing outside of just being a live band."
With that in mind, It may be a distraction to spend time and money trying to secure an agent at the start of your career. Although an agent can get you shows, and a good agent can get you really good shows, you have to remember that superstar agents such as Geoff Meall have a reputation, and his involvement with an act really only starts when the act has some success.
You should not despair though. As with record companies and artist management, booking agents need to know that you are capable of putting in the hard work and building a fan base on your own. Artist managers and booking agents are not going to do the work for you there is no such thing as an overnight success.' You need to keep playing gigs; spreading the word and building up your fans.
As booking agents work on commission they are going to ask you two important questions:
Can you draw a paying audience into your shows?
Once you can draw a crowd, can you sustain those numbers at every show you do?
Never underestimate the importance of a consistent draw; solid audience numbers mean you are reaching people and entertaining them, and they want to come back for more. Promoters and music agents only want one thinga guaranteed amount of ticket sales for any given show. Can you honestly approach a promoter and say that you can guarantee X number people at every show you do?
Concentrate on the ticket-selling potential and audience-pulling power of your act. This may mean forgetting about taking your shows to the next level for a significant amount of time. Build yourself up as a quality act, and the booking agents labels will come to you. It is far better for your career to play two or three shows a month for six months and have 100 people turn up for every single show than it is to play one show in front of 2,000 people and then not play another show for six months. You are the best band/artist in the world (yes, you are!), but has anyone else heard of you yet?
Make sure you captivate your audience, no matter how small, at every show you play and in every set you perform. Compel your audience to come to your next show by being professional, good-natured, and well-rehearsed, both to the audience and to the behind-the-scenes workers. It does not matter whether you are playing to 10 or 1,000 people, you should still act professionally. In fact, it is more important if you are playing to 10 people! Those 10 people are at least there to see you, so treat them with respect and get them to spread the word for you.
