B.A.N.D. Workshop Review: Booking 101
(Cultivating Good Relationships with Bookers)
by Alex Walsh
From Musical News, March/April 2006
This workshop on February 8 was the first in the series of B.A.N.D. (Booking And Other Necessary Details) Workshops for 2006. These workshops will be held monthly, with the last one in December being a holiday party.
Booking 101 was a basic overview of booking and the booking process. The night started with a definition of terms. An Agent is someone who sells a performer (band, solo artist) to a Talent Buyer. Most musicians starting out are their own agents, unless they can get a friend/family member to do that work for them. When are you ready to hire an agent? That topic is covered in a future workshop. A Venue Booker is a Talent Buyer who works for a venue for the purpose of bringing in entertainment to create the atmosphere of the club. Venues have many different kinds of people working as bookers (talent buyers). They can range from owners of the club to dedicated bookers, to employees assigned to that task (which you might find in some restaurants). Promoters put together entertainment packages and present them in various venues. They can be as large as companies like Bill Graham Presents or Clear Channel or smaller operations which usually work in certain clubs that they’ve had success in.
Research--the place to start the booking process is to list all possible places you want to play, get their contact info, figure out how they want to be contacted, and contact them in that way. The web is an excellent place to start, as are the free weekly papers. Once you have an idea, GO OUT. Check out the venues. Something that has changed over the years is the idea of a cohesive music “scene”. For various reasons, “scenes” have become highly specialized. For example, there are many types of jazz. Find your niche. Consider the networks of people you already have in your life and work them. You never know who might know someone that can help you. Over time, build a community of mutually supportive musicians.
There is a tremendous amount of competition for audience attention, from the allure of staying home with the television to the wide variety of music available. Audiences are basically asking themselves, “Where’s the best party?” Consider yourself an event planner. Create a theme for a night with like-minded bands and present it to a booker, this will make points with the booker as it makes their job easier. As an alternative to clubs, there are venues and opportunities out there for creative “lifestyle” marketing if you are willing to think outside of the box. Alternative venues such as farmers markets and retail stores can be found if you can identify your audience demographic and bring your music to them.
There is a difference between a booking package and a press package. In a nutshell a booking package consists of a recording, one sheet or bio of your project, photo, press if you have it, song list if doing covers, and contact info on everything. A press package can also include different story ideas or interesting facts about you that a writer might be able to use in an article. For the press, send your packaged CD (take shrink wrap off). For a booking package a full CD is not necessary, 3-4 full songs is enough.
When calling bookers, be prepared to answer these basic questions honestly: 1.Where have you played before? 2. Who do you sound like? 3. How much is your draw? If you do not have a draw, say you’re working on building your draw and are more of an opening act at this point. Remember, bookers working in the same genre talk to each other, so represent yourself as accurately as possible. At the end of the day, booking is sales, so do not take it personally if a booker does not return your call. Be persistent, patient, and courteous, and call them back.
During the gig make sure you show up on time, are courteous and nice, don’t complain about the sound, get offstage as fast as you can so the next band can set-up, network with other bands, and tell everyone working that night that they did a great job. This professional attitude will get back to the booker and make it easier for you to get another gig the next time around.
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