Most musicians struggle to get big shows, schedule concerts, and book tours. This affects their talent, as they have little time to write and produce music. The artists can have a good relationship with promoters, venue managers, and festival organizers thanks to the music booking agents.
Music booking agents can give a musician the necessary support when they understand their musical style and ownership. They also research venues and negotiate with and promote musicians, which boosts their income and fan base. However, the agents don’t just walk out on the streets; you need to find them.
So, how can you find a music booking agent? This guide will show you how to find a booking agent.
Steps on How to Get a Music Booking Agent
As an artist, you need to reach a certain level to be ready to work with a booking agent. First, work with Novecore to have all your music available on major platforms, reaching millions of listeners. More listeners create a solid fan base, translating to good money during concerts.
Below are some steps to help you get the right music booking agent for your career to grow.
Work on Your Music Career
Working with a music booking agent is advisable if your career is well-established. Work towards having a popular brand by creating a good social media presence, a good following, and outstanding live performance records.
An established music career helps many people recognize your brand and be willing to join it during live performances. Before you make the bold step, you need to have enough experience in live shows to ensure your fans enjoy every bit of the performance. Also, have unique music that sells on its own and can attract a good crowd.
Research on Several Agents and Agencies
Before settling on a music booking agent, research many of them to know what each offers. Remember, several music booking agents have different experience levels and expertise. Analyzing many agents will help you understand what each offers and their preferred genre and scene.
It’s advisable to have a list of agents to pick the best from and look at how they work with other artists or bands. You can also look at the reviews from various musicians to help you choose the top one on the list.
Talk to Different Promoters and Venues
After that, talk to different promoters and venues to know how the agent relates with them. Doing this will help you settle for a music booking agent with the best relationship with venues and promoters, which will not inconvenience your performances.
You can ask the promoters and agents whom they prefer working with and why. Then do the same for venues and approach the recommended agents.
But don’t underestimate the smaller agencies; many are good at what they do. So include them in your list and interview them with top-recommended agents with good reviews. Talking to the promoters or venue owners can also help you position your career correctly.
Contact the Agents
You need to create time and take the bold step of approaching the agents. Do this after selecting your preferred music booking agents. Contact them through emails or phone calls and schedule a meeting.
Also, invite the agents to your upcoming event for them to gauge your performance. Ensure you give all the details they need to convince them to sign you into their agency. When contacting the agents, provide directions to your performance venue, date, and time.
Also, send your social media handles, website, or Spotify links. If you send the music agent an email, keep it short and direct to the point.
Do Follow Ups
It’s also good to follow up on your email to ensure the booking agent received it. A follow-up helps maintain communication and assures you of the commitment of the agent to appear in your live performance as earlier planned. You can call, text, or email to get assurance and avoid disappointment on D-day.
Keep Working or Signing Deals
As you wait to receive feedback from the music booking agents, keep working on your music. Make a new album and allow it to trend through Novecore, or sign a label deal. Such progress can help you attract more fans and the agent’s attention.
You can update the preferred agent on such success as they prefer trending artists. Also, post all the progress you make on your social media platforms. Your would-be agent or fans can get interested in your content through them.
Stay Positive
Sometimes you may not get a reply from any of the agents. It might also take time for the agent to reply. But this doesn’t mean you’re a failure or doing the wrong thing. The music booking agents may fail to come to your show because of a given reason, which you should find out.
While researching what you didn’t get right, remain positive and keep working on your music career. Do what keeps you happy and work tirelessly until the agents come looking for you.
Tips to Help You Attract the Right Music Booking Agent
If you want to succeed in getting the right booking agent, consider the following tips:
Work on Your Brand
Having a famous brand helps attract the attention of many agents who look forward to working with you. To have a popular brand, ensure you give your fans what they want through your performances.
Also have a great bio, high promo photos, and a huge fan base on social media. Invest your money and time in your brand to earn followers’ trust and be the talk of the town.
Have a Reliable Management
Most music booking agents prefer working with musicians with management. To attract their attention, look for reliable management to help you maneuver the industry.
Good management helps you make quick decisions and establish good relationships. The administration also helps your team stick together, which is vital for success.
Plan for Many Shows
You need to have as many concerts as possible to attract the agents’ attention. Let each show be extraordinary and trend for days to make the agents curious about you. Avoid show-stopping mistakes. Instead, keep looking for any errors and working on them.
Even though only some of your shows will hit, having an excellent interactive session with the crowd can help you trend. Also, work on giving the show nothing but your best.
Have a rollout plan for your performances, collaborations, and various appointments. If an agent sees how organized and serious you are and your accomplishments, they might want to sign you.
Concentrate on Attracting Crowds
You hire a music booking agent to have a successful live show or concert. However, the success of this concert mostly depends on your contribution. Look at how to attract more crowds to your shows by giving memorable performances.
Ensure your music is of high quality and pleasing to the ears. Also, have good coordination between the team members to avoid time wastage on stage. Don’t forget to produce content that will sell automatically.
Market yourself worldwide through your content, and let your fans demand your performance in their area. If you have good music, more fans will prefer to attend your live shows and concerts, and you’ll earn more.
De-Emotionalize the Process
It’s best to keep your emotions out of the whole process to avoid messing up. Remember, this is a new connection you’d wish to last forever, and see that you secure the bag.
Be respectful to the agency, as it’s impossible to approach an agency you don’t value. Don’t brag before signing the contract or lament if the agency fails to sign you.
Be Empathetic and Humble
If you succeed and secure a contract with the best music booking agency, remain humble and empathetic. Remember, the agents are also humans who might face the same challenges you faced while doing things yourself.
So if they fail to meet your needs, understand that’s part of business challenges. Also, know that the industry changes and anything is possible. Be humble and maintain your worth for the relationship to last.
Network
Networking also helps musicians reach great heights in their music careers. Find friends who can help you scale your music by connecting you to established musicians, venue owners, or agents. Friends in the media or at local radio stations can be of great help.
Having such a connection can give you the right insights into what you need to do. Don’t create confusion and tension if you have established networks and work with an agent. It’s best to let your agent know who you’re working with without showing off.
Maximize Public Relations
Public relations helps artists become popular through interviews, album reviews, and press releases. A musician must work to get noticed using different marketing tools. Look for a good marketing team that can employ PR and marketing strategies to push your music.
A good PR campaign is important as it earns exposure and opens up new opportunities. Research PR strategies to help your music reach beyond borders and gain credibility.
Why You Need to Work with a Musical Booking Agent
A booking agent is crucial, as they help musicians coordinate and book live shows. Remember, live shows are a good source of income for most musicians, and they allow them to interact with fans.
The agent ensures you have a good relationship with different venues and establishes a lasting relationship with promoters and venue owners. They also help you understand audience behaviors and expectations in various settings. An agent can also advise you on the right things to do to make your show successful.
How Much Does It Cost to Hire a Music Booking Agent?
Most booking agents charge a 10% commission on your earnings per show. However, some charge more or less. But a good agent shouldn’t charge you more than 15%, as this could be considered exploitation.
What Do Music Booking Agents Look for in Musicians?
Before signing a contract with you, the agents determine if you can afford to pay them a 10% commission after the shows. They also look for a musician to attract good crowds that guarantee good commissions. The agents also seek an established musician with a good reputation who will not tarnish their brand.
Bottom Line
Working with a booking agent is beneficial as it gives musicians enough time to produce and write music. The booking agents also help musicians get more popular as they know the best venues for any genre. They also have established relations with venue owners and promoters, which are essential for the success of any live show.
But before signing any contract with a music booking agent, do some good research. Once you find one you’re comfortable working with, contact them and wait for feedback.
