booking agents

Hey Tony!

There are two ways to go here (in the UK at least).

Agents require a liscence which can be expensive which goes on to your percentages, but they make their money by getting you work DO NOT PAY AN UP FRONT FEE!!! - If they can't be sure of getting you work, they aint worth having. You may be required to provide CDs, posters and promo bumpf.

A manager, on the other hand requires no liscence and can, effectively, do the same job. If you can't find anyone doing either job, check around for other musicians who have their own circuit and offer them a percentage for getting you gigs.

Also befriend these other gigging bands/artists and ask if you can play in their break as an advert for the landlord/entertainments manager of the venue (many will agree to this as they appear better value to the venue - Don't do this often at any one venue or you will get a reputation for playing for free and no-one will want to pay you!

Make friends with your local rag and get them to list your gigs in their What's On guide; this may be seen by other venue managers and is always a good way of showing how busy you are (i.e. worth employing!)

Before doing anything where newspapers are concerned, MAKE A PRESS RELEASE that explains who you are, what you do, etc if you do not provide this you can take pot luck as to what they say about you!!!!!!!!!!!

I made a dream come true for a disabled, wheelchair-bound musician at my own, not inconsiderable, expense, by making an album for him in between doing jobs for the BBC, the Gov't and a company that makes power stations. I didn't give them a press release, told the reporter it was a project done with no budget and in the paper the first line described me as "a low budget recording studio"

BE WARNED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hope this helps!