Being a booking agent is no easy job. Getting your artists bookings, keeping up with promoters, and keeping business going is tough. However, there’s a way to make it a lot easier - by building stronger relationships with your artists. With a more personal approach, you’ll find that the ins and outs of being a booking agent can become simpler. All you need to do is to be the best booking agent for your artist!
So, how do you do that?
Beyond the tasks of processing bookings and running the ship, you also have to make sure that you’re up to speed with your artists. Regular check-ins are really important for any team to work efficiently, and booking agencies are no exception.
Make sure to set aside time for your artists, and to remember stuff about their personal lives. Music is a personal business, so make sure that your artists know that you’re on their team!
Otherwise, you may start to encounter resistance, strange problems, and you may eventually lose your artists if they don’t feel that they’re being listened to.
A good way to achieve this is to organize regular outings for your artists, where they can connect with each other and with you. The more tightly knit a group is, the more effective they will be, so make sure that you see your artists regularly and keep up to date with them!
Often, artists will feel uncomfortable bringing up complaints about their booking agency, so it’s your job to make sure that they feel heard. Not only should they feel heard, but they should also feel like that you have an interest in their wellbeing - which you should! If you sense some weirdness with your artists, be the one who brings it up, and get to the root of it, if you want to avoid problems in the future.
I know what you’re thinking - artists will just complain about not getting enough bookings, getting bad time slots, etc. While that is true, that doesn’t mean you should avoid the conversation. Artists should know exactly why they are in the position they are in with their booking agency. Promoters don’t want them on the mainstage for some reason? Tell them why! Otherwise, they will just blame it on politics and badmouth you to other artists.
Dealing with artist expectations and concerns is the toughest part of being a booking agent, and it sets aside those who succeed from those who don’t. A combination of kindness, business sense, and basic friendship can go a long way. If you guide your artists and let them know where they are struggling, your booking agency will be more valuable, and your job as a booking agent will also be easier.
So, what are you waiting for? Get out there and be the best booking agent that you can be!
