Also in this issue:

The Booker & The Artist

More and more artists are looking for new avenues to promote and distribute their music. Self financed albums, press campaigns, and independent releases have increased noticeably in recent years.

Despite all of this effort, there has been a consistent decline in album sales and a weakening of college radio relevance. And, with album sales slowing, record labels have less money to invest in new projects and upcoming bands.

This has caused the music industry’s focus to shift back onto touring and live performance. Artists are gaining the most momentum, visibility, income, and success building their fan base while on the road. Thus, the booking agent plays a crucial role in the business structure of an artist.

The primary responsibility of the booking agent is to seek, negotiate, and contract offers for live performances on behalf of the artists he/she represents. A good agent works directly with an artist’s manager on developing goals and planning an appropriate tour campaign to meet them.

With a carefully planned tour schedule in strategically planned venues, a booking agent builds the artists demand and performance fee. The agent also drafts and executes a legal contract with each promoter or venue, and provides the signed contracts with detailed information to the tour manager. This greatly reduces the burden on the artist and ensures that the gig can be properly advanced.

So why work with an agency whose focus is distributed amongst multiple artists, and who takes a percentage of the performance fee rather than having a band member or manager book the gigs? Why not go DIY and do as much in-house as possible? Though this go-it-alone strategy may work for some, most successful artists do not book their own shows.

Booking agencies have spent years developing and maintaining relationships with thousands of promoters and venues throughout their region. It is to an artist’s advantage that a booking agent is working with promoters and venues continually throughout the year with multiple artists, rather than just once or twice a year when they pass through town. It is these carefully developed relationships that a booking agent calls upon to introduce an artist to a new market, a new festival, or new event.

Booking agencies also have relationships with other managers and other agencies, allowing more support slot opportunities for developing artists. In addition to the immediate database of contacts that will be available to an artist, the booking agent also becomes an experienced consultant regarding intelligent routing, markets to target, tour goals, etc. Most importantly, working with a booking agency also allows the artist the time needed to focus on recording, composition, staying creative, and remaining inspired.

Not just any agency or agent will suit an artists needs. It is crucial for an artist to find the right agency and the right agent. So how does an artist choose an agent? Many people think the bigger the company the better. They think bigger agencies will provide bigger opportunities and bigger gigs. This is not always the case, especially for developing artists or artists working in mid-size venues. The fact that big agencies generally have the most well-known, best paid artists on their roster doesn’t always benefit the other artists on their roster.

Many developing artists, or even successfully established artists, sign with big agencies and don’t receive enough attention. Big agencies that specialize in mega acts sometimes have more leverage with festivals, large venues, and big promoters, but the majority of their attention is given to artists selling thousands of tickets a night, as opposed to the equally deserving artists selling less. These lesser-known artists often find themselves getting far fewer gigs than anticipated when with a big agency. With rosters that can boast 200+ artists, big agencies often find it difficult to keep all of their artists on the road and happy.

Finding an agent who can provide the attention required to meet an artist’s goals, and an agent who genuinely believes in and likes the music, is a rare gem. Thus, it may be beneficial for some artists to consider working with smaller agencies. A smaller agency has to very carefully choose a limited number of artists to work with and put all their energy into making sure these artists are successful. Smaller agents handle both established and developing artists, work with grassroots and large events, and like big agencies, have the contacts, resources, and drive to successfully help an artist meet their goals on the road.

Finally, a word to artists seeking help with booking: having an agent who is dedicated to your project and works on your calendar daily is important, and can often be the element that makes or breaks you. Not everyone out there in the industry is a suit and tie businessman who doesn’t understand artists. Many of us are even artists ourselves.

Chris Richards is co-owner of Origins Music - an agency dedicated to working with artists that are contributing to a creative, conscious, and sustainable future for our global community. We believe in the healing power of music and the effect it can have on the individual, their community, and ultimately the world. Our roster is kept small on purpose, so every artist gets the appropriate care and attention needed for success. At Origins Music we genuinely care about the artists we work with, and do all that we can to further their careers.