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Advice on Booking Agents

  • 10-05-2010 4:34pm
    #1
    yoursaviour1989
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 288 ✭✭


    Hi,

    I'm looking for some advice on booking agents. I'm in a covers band and we're trying to move things up a step. Basically what we do to get gigs at the moment is drive to a town and hit a few of the pubs and chat the management and try convince them to give us a gig. Most of the time it doesn't really work but we've managed to keep our diary fairly full.
    The problem is that we're sick of doing all this travelling in hope. As I said, we keep the diary fairly full but between the cost of petrol etc we're only just breaking even. Also most of the places that are willing to take a chance are pubs full of oul lads that don't pay too well. We'd rather be paying in clubs to a younger crowd.
    So my questions really are does anyone on here have experience with a booking agent? Any tips on who to avoid? What kind of cut do they take? Basically any info would be helpful and appreciated.

    Would like to point out that we're not looking for promoters, we don't pay to play and never will.


Comments

  • #2
    voicebox
    Closed Accounts Posts: 18 ✭voicebox


    you don't say what kind of band you are. rock, pop, covers original, but you seem to be making it very hard work for yourselves. Rather than doing all the driving to endless pubs etc would you not consider making a demo cd,getting some half decent photos done(a friend with a digital camera),get loads of copies of each (not expensive) choose your market and then do a big mail out followed by phone calls and arranged meetings. If you want more money and a better client base you have to come accross as being more professional. as regards booking agents in my experience they charge between 15% and 20% per gig. hope this helps.


  • #3
    Waking-Dreams
    Closed Accounts Posts: 506 ✭✭✭Waking-Dreams


    Basically what we do to get gigs at the moment is drive to a town and hit a few of the pubs and chat the management and try convince them to give us a gig.

    Do you not have a website? (many cover bands do y'know - it's their business card) Phone the bar, give them your website and tell them how many people* you played to last week at some other venue.

    * don't do this if the numbers were small
    Also most of the places that are willing to take a chance are pubs full of oul lads that don't pay too well. We'd rather be paying in clubs to a younger crowd.

    So would lots of other bands too. Cover bands are a dime a dozen; really good cover bands are few and far between. You say most places that are willing to take a chance are not great venues for you guys but why would they be? You have nothing to bring to the table only your word. People who run venues and bars are business people remember, and they don't owe you anything.

    Bear in mind that lots of people are still jobless and short of money, so don't go out as often. Bars and clubs are going to be alot more picky about who they let play in front of their patrons and will also be more tighter on sharing the profits. Having a booking agent could just mean you playing more break-even gigs because the uptake in more money might just cover their percentage and nothing else. But hey, I'm sure you'd take that over playing to the half-empty rooms of aul lads, right?


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