I am approaching a month of officially being in business as a booking agent, and I am finding that most artists don't really know what the role of a booking agent is and more importantly, what it isn't!
A booking agent is responsible for finding work for individuals working in the entertainment industry. Agents continuously work to find jobs for musicians, bands and singers and are employed independently or work for an agency. A booking agent represents the talent and negotiates a contract with the talent booker. Talent Bookers are responsible for booking musical acts into venues and are the booking agent's point person. Music booking agents might also be involved with promoting the events they book.
The negotiation process includes reserving the performance dates for the venue and determining the artist's fee or percentage of ticket sales.
Booking agents work strictly on commission and take a percentage of anything the band makes for a show. Typically, a booking agent will take anywhere from 5 to 20 percent of the booking fee or the artist's income from ticket sales. Some agents also take 5 to 20 percent of merchandise and CDs sales.
A few other things to remember:
- Always confirm your start and end times with the venue you're booked with the day before you are scheduled to perform because performance times can sometimes change.
- Always take your signed contract with you to your booking.
- Always make sure you get your money before or after you perform and count it before you leave the venue. Booking agents are not responsible for any short falls in pay. This fact is usually stated in the contract.
- Always remain professional in front of the client.
I hope this information is helpful to anyone currently working with booking agents or hoping to do so in the future.
Gloria
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