Booking Gigs Around Festivals

By: April 15, 2019 – Posted in: Biz Booster Hot Tip! Book the Gig
Booking Gigs Around Festivals
Booking Gigs Around Festivals - by Jeri Goldstein     

Booking gigs around festivals can maximize your tour dates, build audiences and help leverage prime time performance slots at the festivals.

Since the spring and summer outdoor event season is upon us, I thought I’d kick off a multi-part series to help you make the most out of this prime touring season.

In part one I’ll focus on two things you need to be aware of when trying to book dates near festivals where you are already set to play.

The first concern that many festival promoters have with nearby dates in their market is that your other dates do not impact their audience draw.

Often you will find a clause in a festival contract that is labeled, Mileage Restriction. Simply put, this means that the festival would like you to not book anything within the indicated mileage radius, such as 50 miles, 100 miles or 150 miles. Often these mileage restrictions are very reasonable. Depending on the size of the festival, the mileage restriction will expand as the festival caters to larger audiences and covers a wider area.

Your best policy when trying to book around a festival is to find out exactly what that festival’s mileage restriction is, if any, and be mindful of that as you book your tour dates.

The second concern that festival promoters have is regarding media coverage. The mileage restriction often takes into consideration the various media outlets they use to promote their festival within their market. If you play a public gig within their market, media coverage of that event may adversely impact the festival’s ticket sales.

Your goal in surrounding the festival with tour dates is to help grow the festival’s ticket buyers as well as your own fan base. Remember that you are attempting to be an asset to the festival so they will invite you back again.

Pay attention to these mileage restrictions and be up front with the festival promoter. If you have a date that you are considering, and you are not sure whether it is too close to the festival, call the promoter and discuss the date in question. Talk about the type of performance, the venue and the organization who is promoting it. It just might work out so that you can do the extra date and the festival won’t have any problem with it. And, if they do, reschedule the date for another time after the festival when you will have built up some additional new fans from your festival performances. Everyone wins!

Next week I’ll talk about how to book dates in a festival’s market so that you build enough demand to interest the festival in booking you.

How have you approached your festival bookings? Have you ever run into mileage restrictions? How did you handle it?

Leave me a comment below.

I can’t wait to hear about your success.

Thanks to Carol Ehrlich for this week’s graphic image. Check out her work at v360.com

Now, Thanks to the Band Curfew from the UK for providing the Biz Booster theme Music, “Future Dance.” Check them out at www.curfew.co.uk

2 comments… add one
  • John Stringer April 25, 2019, 9:42 am

    Solid advice, Jerry. I’ve played several gigs with this type of restriction with my former band and we routed our tours so we’d honor these clauses. We didn’t want to “oversaturate” our best markets anyway, so these clauses can have value for buyer/promoter and artists. Now, gigs I do (e.g. spiritual centers, retreats, conferences, house concerts) are far less restrictive, but I still do the occasional festival.. and we still do our best to book smart. I’ll be checking out more of your work to help us do that!!!

    • Jeri Goldstein April 25, 2019, 9:49 am

      Hey John,
      Great to hear from you again and thanks for your comment. Hope all your music efforts are bringing you much joy.

Leave a Comment

Get Great Gigs!

5 Booking Strategies That Really Work!

Free Report

Bravo!

…nothing that I have experienced or read thus far has come close to the knowledge that I have learned from your book. Bravo! I was merely expecting a "tips for booking a tour" type book. The fact that you took the time to include what most would consider a "career...

Kellen Ross,
Opium Symphony/Man or Machine Records

How To Be Your Own Booking Agent
2018-10-02T21:15:09-04:00

Kellen Ross,
Opium Symphony/Man or Machine Records

…nothing that I have experienced or read thus far has come close to the knowledge that I have learned from your book. Bravo! I was merely expecting a "tips for booking a tour" type book. The fact that you took the time to include what most would consider a "career outline" is incredible, and reflects how much you really want to help artists out. Even though our paths may never cross, I want you to know that I am very grateful of your work, and now look forward to using your book for a business plan for our new record campaign/career outline for 2012, and beyond.

The most inspiring and influential music business book

How to Be Your Own Booking Agent by Jeri Goldstein, has been the most inspiring and influential music business book I have ever had the privilege of reading.  The book is very well laid out and has such great information that I have stopped reading all of my other music...

Becky Coke,
Musician

How To Be Your Own Booking Agent
2018-10-02T21:40:40-04:00

Becky Coke,
Musician

How to Be Your Own Booking Agent by Jeri Goldstein, has been the most inspiring and influential music business book I have ever had the privilege of reading.  The book is very well laid out and has such great information that I have stopped reading all of my other music business books and have started focusing solely on the content of this book.  The chapter on funding sources gave me many helpful resources for the artists I have been working with.  I especially love all of the inspirational quotes on each page and all of the resources located at the end of each chapter for further in-depth study.  How to Be Your Own Booking Agent not only gives essential information for the performing artist/booking agent but helps break it down into very manageable, concrete steps so that the reader is not completely overwhelmed by all of the useful knowledge that has been discovered.  I recommend this book to anyone interested in having a career as a musician or who is interested in learning the business side of music and the performing arts.

THIS WAS ONE OF THE BEST DECISION I’VE EVER MADE!!

How To Be Your Own Booking Agent was the missing link to my future success as a performing artist. I was at a pivotal moment in my life where I was either going to hold a regular job or excel in my true profession. Jeri's book was recommended by my...

Christine Dominguez,
Musician

How To Be Your Own Booking Agent
2018-10-02T21:50:24-04:00

Christine Dominguez,
Musician

How To Be Your Own Booking Agent was the missing link to my future success as a performing artist. I was at a pivotal moment in my life where I was either going to hold a regular job or excel in my true profession. Jeri's book was recommended by my digital distribution company and I was smart enough to take their advice and buy a copy. THIS WAS ONE OF THE BEST DECISION I'VE EVER MADE!! It launched me to a professional level and solidified my work as my own Booking Agent. This book teaches you everything you need to know and includes important web links and contracts that we need to be self-sufficient. I feel like I owe a lot Jeri Goldstein-Thank you for sharing all that you've learned in your years of experience!

Any band leader or manager simply must read this book.

Any band leader or manager simply must read this book. Those that do will become among the best-organized bands and people in the business. It’s also great to help you focus your activities on the things that will help you to achieve your goals in life as well as music....

Martin Lawrie,
Musician

How To Be Your Own Booking Agent
2018-10-02T22:03:53-04:00

Martin Lawrie,
Musician

Any band leader or manager simply must read this book. Those that do will become among the best-organized bands and people in the business. It’s also great to help you focus your activities on the things that will help you to achieve your goals in life as well as music. Very readable, well laid out in relevant chapters, great forms, and worksheets to get you organized and the "hot tips" every couple of pages are great. I keep referring back to this book whenever I feel I'm letting things slip and going off track - so I'm reading it a lot!

Required reading for any professional performer

"How To Be Your Own Booking Agent" is required reading for any professional performer whether you have an agent or you wish you had an agent. While I've read a lot of "marketing for artists" books in the past, Jeri Goldstein's is by far the best. She distills her decades...

Kevin Strauss,
Author, Storyteller

How To Be Your Own Booking Agent
2018-10-02T23:29:36-04:00

Kevin Strauss,
Author, Storyteller

"How To Be Your Own Booking Agent" is required reading for any professional performer whether you have an agent or you wish you had an agent. While I've read a lot of "marketing for artists" books in the past, Jeri Goldstein's is by far the best. She distills her decades of agent experience into terms that any performer can understand. But she doesn't sugar-coat anything. She starts you out by asking you to do what most artists hate doing: setting some goals. While that seems like a simple step to take, most performing artists don't do it until they are forced to do it, by an agent. Once you have goals, then it is a lot easier to plan how to market yourself. Goldstein then takes readers through the steps she has taken to help her clients take their careers from flat to fabulous. Unlike some books written by performing artists that primarily show you how they market themselves, Goldstein has enough marketing experience to give you the marketing "big picture" and to help artists find effective marketing techniques that work for them. While this book discusses examples of how to market musicians, as a professional storyteller and keynote speaker, I found Goldstein's advice equally applicable to my line of work.

One of my most used reference books!

I have read this book cover to cover 3 times and reference it many times a month since I first bought the book almost 2 years ago. Being an independent booking agent, I have been able to increase my business dramatically by following the guidelines that Jeri has laid out...

Matthew Rizor,
Booking Agent

How To Be Your Own Booking Agent
2018-10-04T05:19:00-04:00

Matthew Rizor,
Booking Agent

I have read this book cover to cover 3 times and reference it many times a month since I first bought the book almost 2 years ago. Being an independent booking agent, I have been able to increase my business dramatically by following the guidelines that Jeri has laid out for the reader, step by step. In addition, this book will inform the reader on many more topics than just booking shows. From planning to setting oneself up as a business, to creative ideas on how to make the most money on the road, she covers it all. I have recommended this book to many artists in the business as well as managers and agents. One of my most used reference books!

You’ll find yourself reaching for this book over and over again.

I've been working as a full-time musician for going on 15 years and I still find valuable information in this book. Right off the bat it helped me re-vamp and streamline my promo kit, and that was just the beginning. From practical tour planning to negotiating the deal to executing...

Judy Pancoast,
Children’s Musician

How To Be Your Own Booking Agent
2018-10-04T05:21:59-04:00

Judy Pancoast,
Children’s Musician

I've been working as a full-time musician for going on 15 years and I still find valuable information in this book. Right off the bat it helped me re-vamp and streamline my promo kit, and that was just the beginning. From practical tour planning to negotiating the deal to executing the contract, you'll find yourself reaching for this book over and over again. I own a ton of books on the music business but I only keep four on my desk and THIS is one of them. If you want to make a living in the touring music business then it should be on YOUR desk, too!

Jeri Goldstein doesn’t miss a beat.

Jeri Goldstein doesn't miss a beat. This book was so informative that I read it once, put it away for a short time, and then read it again. I couldn't believe how many details I had missed! The most recent time, I studied it with highlighter and pencil in hand....

Rebecca Fuller,
Musician

How To Be Your Own Booking Agent
2018-10-04T05:24:30-04:00

Rebecca Fuller,
Musician

Jeri Goldstein doesn't miss a beat. This book was so informative that I read it once, put it away for a short time, and then read it again. I couldn't believe how many details I had missed! The most recent time, I studied it with highlighter and pencil in hand. (*My favorite information-discoveries were in the side-bars*) I believe this book is very important for those looking to help their music career along. As a musician, I need to learn to get my foot in the door to new venues. I have implemented several techniques and ideas already this week. Read, then re-read my friends. You'll be glad you did.

I highly recommend this book

I think Jeri Goldstein wrote How to be your own booking agent for folks like me who fell into booking bands. After I read it from cover to cover I began using it as a reference manual and it has helped me keep The Medicine Men booked consistently. I highly...

Lance Boyd,
Musician

How To Be Your Own Booking Agent
2018-10-04T05:26:17-04:00

Lance Boyd,
Musician

I think Jeri Goldstein wrote How to be your own booking agent for folks like me who fell into booking bands. After I read it from cover to cover I began using it as a reference manual and it has helped me keep The Medicine Men booked consistently. I highly recommend this book for bands that are beginning to play out and for seasoned vets with a few miles under their belts.

This is the best personal and highly professional tour guide in book format

How To Be Your Own Booking Agent by Jeri Goldstein is the best personal and highly professional tour guide in book format, on the market for career musicians, written by someone who has all the necessary credentials and expertise as an agent herself. Every detail of the booking process is...

Sharon Riggen,
Musician/Teacher

How To Be Your Own Booking Agent
2018-10-04T05:31:24-04:00

Sharon Riggen,
Musician/Teacher

How To Be Your Own Booking Agent by Jeri Goldstein is the best personal and highly professional tour guide in book format, on the market for career musicians, written by someone who has all the necessary credentials and expertise as an agent herself. Every detail of the booking process is shared in a very understandable, readable language. There are many forms and suggested steps to follow for each necessary process. Here are excerpts of many of the topics you’ll master: Cold calls; Promo package and an EPK; Negotiation techniques & types of deals; Tour budget & contract forms; Local, regional, and national tours & the types of venues & concerts available; Crossing our U.S. borders with your tour; Role of the road manager and working with agents & managers; Expand your markets at conferences; Find funding resources from grants; sponsorships and record company tour support; Create your marketing plan and create all media print; Get your music heard on radio and TV; How to make the internet work for you; Create the ultimate one-year or more touring plan. We must become independent entrepreneurs if we want to survive in this business since there are no safe umbrellas out there. Jeri will teach you how to book the next gig and plan for the entire year ahead. If your goal in life is a professional career in music, Jeri's book will help you produce results. I’ll look forward to seeing you out there at the next venue, community event, festival or concert hall.

There is no better book that I can think of that covers this material

I have used this book in courses that I teach. This book is well written, and well thought out. It has a pragmatic focus that identifies the steps needed for an artist/band to present themselves professionally. If you are experienced, the resource guides at the end of every chapter are...

David Herrera,
Professor-Music Business, Belmont University

How To Be Your Own Booking Agent
2018-10-04T05:34:56-04:00

David Herrera,
Professor-Music Business, Belmont University

I have used this book in courses that I teach. This book is well written, and well thought out. It has a pragmatic focus that identifies the steps needed for an artist/band to present themselves professionally. If you are experienced, the resource guides at the end of every chapter are worth the price. The book's perspective is for a musician or band and is delivered by organizing and presenting the nuts and bolts of content and process. There are no shortcuts. This is a great reference to measure your needs, as well as a basic process on how to get it done. Interestingly, I am aware that both career development and artist management courses use this book, as well as concert promotions courses. There is no better book that I can think of that covers this material--Good job.
0
0
How To Be Your Own Booking Agent