Booking Agents
The Benefits of Having a Live Agent
Indie music artists thinking of having gigs and concerts must look for music booking agents. They are the ones who have an overall responsibility and take care of concerts, tours and other performances, whether local or international. When booking a performance, agents coordinate with the record company and the artists’ manager. They meet up and talk about the best possible venues, the date and typically everything that is needed for the performance.
One characteristic that a booking agent has is his similarity to a salesperson – he gives a good sales talk to music promoters about his artists’ good qualities. He emphasizes the triumphs of the artist to convince the promoter that the artist is ready for an exposure. Good booking agents are those who are persuasive, because they get to find more gigs and performances for the artists they represent.
A booking agent also aids indie artists who are just beginning their venture in the music industry. To be able to get publicity and appreciation of the public, it is necessary that they hear your music. But music promoters won’t immediately accept your offer if you do not have enough experience and fans to back you up. This is where the booking agent comes into play. A booking agents have several artists working with him, some of them already established. Once one of these artists has a scheduled performance, booking agents would arrange that his new artists play a part – such as a front act. They negotiate your participation with the music promoters who are usually responsible in the financing of the said performance. They usually act as the middle man between the artist’s manager and the music promoter.
A music booking agent earns by the percentage of what the band actually earns. The going rate is between five to thirty percent of the gross earnings. This is the reason why music booking agents’ objective is to get you to perform, because the more you perform, the more they will earn. There are also some instances when the music booking agent opts for a regular payment.
Online, you can surf for hundreds of music booking agents willing to get you signed. Of course, the best music promoter would be the one that is already experienced in the field, having a lot of connections and already established in the business. Here are some music booking agents that are well known in the music industry.
1. Helter Skelter – One of the most famous music booking company in the British music arena. They are in the business for more than 20 years, touring around the world with various artists that they represent. They have a rich history of bookings for new and developing artists. Many well known artist of today were aided by Helter Skelter. They offer performances from as small as clubs to as huge as concert stadiums. Currently, they represent over 200 artists.
2. The Agency Group Ltd. – this music booking agency has fifty agents catering to the needs of around 1000 artists. They have proudly won the award “International Booking Agency of the Year” for eight years now. This is due to the fact that they have been scheduling successful concerts and tours around the world. Today, they have five offices around the world, which are located Malmo, Toronto, New York, Los Angeles and London.
3. Primary Talent International - This booking is a product of the fusion of two booking companies which are Station Agency and World Service. The merge proved to be adequate and successful since the company is now on its 19th year anniversary. This booking agency primarily deals with indie music artists all across Europe.
