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Booking Strategies for Musicians |
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Written by Dirk Hagemann
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Booking Strategies for Musicians & Performing Artists Establish Your Market Value for Better Gigs
Author: Jeri Goldstein
Jeri Goldstein, former agent, manager, now author, music business and performing arts consultant offers strategies and techniques on booking tours, negotiation techniques, marketing, music business ...
Booking better gigs requires that you establish your value in the market. Creating a record of all previously played dates is one of the most important things you can do.
Keep track of the following information and review it before making your booking calls:
a. The venue seating or standing capacity
b. The number of tickets you sold at the venue, what you got paid and the type of deal contracted c. The ticket-price or cover charge
d. The weather that night (it may influence audience turnout)
e. How much merchandise you sold
f. What kind of promotion was done? (Press releases; advertising; posters/flyers; media coverage)
g. Was there any other major event in town that night? (Large cities will always have many events occurring on the same night, small towns may only have one other event which could influence the outcome of your date.)
As you call new venues in a town where you have previously played, have the above information close at hand to help you negotiate a better deal. If you have previously sold out a 150-seat venue at $10 per ticket and now you are attempting to book a 200-seat venue, the promoter has something they can reference. This establishes your value. This information places you on equal footing with other acts that are able to sell 150 tickets. Now you can begin to command fees according to your established track record in that area.
When booking dates in a new area where you have never played, you can still use the above information for comparison and to demonstrate what you have been able to accomplish. Don't expect to get the same kind of fees in an untested market, but the information lets the promoter know something about your professionalism and methods you use to develop your audience.
Once you get in the habit of keeping the above records, you will begin to refer to the information automatically. Booking calls will become more conversational and you'll find yourself using these pertinent facts which continually boost your act's value. Your negotiations will be based on factual information rather than emotion. As you become more adept at this, you will find that you have some leverage in many of the venues where you regularly perform. As you establish your value in each new market, demand for your act will increase and booking the act will become easier.
And, I invite you to learn more about creating your market value and other topics important to your career development and to sign up for free weekly audio Biz Booster Hot Tip! Every Monday you'll get another valuable strategy and technique that you can put to use immediately. You'll find helpful books, career development seminars and information on booking tours, the music business and performing arts. It's all waiting for you at http://www.performingbiz.com
From Jeri Goldstein - Get Great Gigs & Book Better Tours for your Music and Performingbiz
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jeri_Goldstein
Jeri Goldstein - EzineArticles Expert Author
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