Articles

Booking conferences seem to be cropping up in every state during all times of the year. I thought I would offer some tips on how to approach attending a large booking conference. Let me make a few distinctions first. Among the many varieties of conferences one may attend, some are geared toward bookings, (agents and artists connecting with promoters and club bookers) and other conferences are more media events where an artist may connect with prospective agents, managers, record labels and create a media buzz about their act. Promoters do attend these media events as well, and there is always potential for getting gigs, but much less so than at…

Playing clubs usually involves door sales. Depending on the deal you negotiate, it is very likely that your income will be partially or wholly dependent upon a percentage of the tickets sold.Many clubs have official box offices and sell pre-printed tickets, but many simply tear a ticket from a roll of non-specific tickets or simply take the customer's money at the door and stamp their hand. When you play clubs that don't offer advance ticket sales nor have a real box office selling pre-printed tickets, your income is at the mercy of whoever is collecting the money at the door. Do you know that person? Are your interests their utmost…

Up until now, we've been concerned about getting the gig. But, what happens if either you or the promoter has to cancel the date? The first item of business is to make sure you have a good cancellation clause in your contract.Let's establish some basics. The first one, and most important, is that you have an entertainment lawyer help you create your performance contract or at least review it for proper inclusion of clauses pertinent to the state from which you operate. Each state may have specific legal items that you need to be aware of and entertainment lawyer licensed to practice in your state will be able to inform you…

Whether you are booking your own band or have an agent, it is important to establish your value within your particular market. When there is demand for your act, your fees will increase and bookings will be easier to contract. At the beginning of your touring career, there is probably little or no demand, therefore, the fees are low and there is more difficulty booking dates. While you are building your reputation and following, it is important to keep track of the following factors, enabling you to begin to establish a track record and some value. Establishing a value for your act helps to create some leverage when negotiating with promoters…

Each industry has its own jargon. Those in the know are able to move about more comfortably. I thought I would lay the foundation and provide you with a glossary of basic terms. As you continue in the business, feel free to email me with questions regarding new terminology that continues to stump you. From time to time, I'll add to the glossary since there are sure to be many more than these. I will group terms according to categories rather than an alphabetical listing so that you can get a clear sense of their relationship. I'll start with two basic terms whose roles are so often confused and misunderstood,…

Building your audience and growing your fan base is your golden ring to success. None of the industry executives at labels, management firms, booking agencies, the media or retail can ignore a demanding, loyal fan base. Job number one, in that case, is to nurture your audience.It is not enough to simply have someone come to one show. You want them to sign on for the long haul. You plan to be around for a while. You want the fans to grow with you. In order for that to happen, you need to care about them by providing them with something more than just the show. Here are a few…

As a touring musician, you encounter a variety of situations that have the potential to disrupt your day's plans. The attitude with which you meet these daily challenges can influence your success or failure as you move through your career. There are plenty of obstacles thrown in your path. You may choose to approach them with a positive, "can do" attitude or a negative, "why me" attitude. The method you choose affects those around you and may even be partially responsible for getting or not getting some of the breaks you clearly think you deserve. I'd like to examine some of the situations that may arise where your attitude may…

One method to expand your audience is to serve as a support act for a known main act on multiple tour dates or to open a show for a larger act. These are choice slots, and many acts are vying for them. Sometimes you can get lucky and be in the right place at the right time. If you are more interested in process rather than chance, here are a few suggestions on how to go about landing some of these choice performance slots. Whether you are attempting to open a single date or be considered as the supporting act for a full tour, there are three methods to follow…

The holiday season has begun and that should signal year-end planning and assessment. Some acts may be performing a great deal during the holidays, with private parties and special events scheduled. Others may be entering the "slow" season and find you have some extra time on your hands. This is a great time to take stock of your supplies and inventories, evaluate how well you did financially and do some end of the year tax planning.The first place to begin is to review this past year's income. Gather all of the touring expense receipts and personal expenses. Make an appointment with your accountant to do a preliminary review if you haven't…