Once you have identified who you want to work with. The agent will need to sell their services, it’s a big decision for any artist so be prepared. And be prepared for a grilling!

When an agent starts working with an artist it is a relationship that may continue for decades. It’s super important that we make every effort to make the right decision in advance to avoid wasting a lot of time.

Once the tour is routed and signed off, there’s a lot to do before it gets announced. In this post, we dig into some of the things that need to be considered before it can be released into the big bad world!

In Part 3 of routing a tour we get down to walking the walk and getting the job done. It takes a certain type of dogged and tenacious individual to route a tour – especially with emerging talent – do you have what it takes?

Before we start writing emails and making calls, it’s good practice to map out the best tour you could book in the tour window you have. A tour where you managed to hit all the cities you want. A tour with the most suitable venues and promoters. We call this our Ideal Tour.

Booking a great tour can be a very satisfying achievement. A great tour will create shows that artists and audiences will remember. It will also raise the profile of the artist. A great tour will also work financially and minimise travelling. To get this right the agent needs to do their homework first!

In this post we take a closer look at the Music Business Conference. They form an integral part of a typical booking agent’s calendar. They provide an opportunity for agents to meet with talent buyers face to face, show-case artists, learn from industry leaders and generally have a good time in a city somewhere else from the normal place of work. Fun it may be, but it is still very much work!

In this post, I get under the bonnet of the dreaded VAT as it applies to bands and the deals we strike. There are not many people who are fascinated by the intricate workings of VAT – but truth be told – booking agents need to have a reasonable understanding of VAT so they can quote their artists correctly and spot a settlement that’s been worked out incorrectly.

What it says on the tin! In this post we go through the five most common types of deals that music booking agents strike with promoters. Agents need to know when to use each type of deal and understand what they mean for their artists’ income.

In this post I’ll take you through the process of taking a one-off show through from its beginning to its end. It could be a festival, a ticketed show or a private event. It could also be a workshop.