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If you want agents to book you, you need to protect them. They will cut and black list any act that books work directly on a job they got for you. There are a few basics you need to know to be sure that agents want to use you. Wholesale/Retail Pricing Let’s say you want $800.00 for a performance. If you tell people who call you or ask you that your fee is $800.00, how will an agent make his cut? Agents do NOT take 10% like in the movies. They want a price from you and they mark it up. If you ask for $800.00, they make book you for $1,200.00 or even $1,500.00. If they do, that means when you talk directly to people who may want to book you, you need to quote your "retail price". That is the price an agent will charge for your act. If you don’t, there is no way an agent will make money and they won’t book you. When you talk to agents speak in terms of your retail price and your agency price. As soon as you do, you will move way up the pile past your competitors who don’t get this important concept. Be Happy With Your Share If you tell an agent you want $1,000.00 for a gig and you find out they sold it for $3,000.00, be happy. You got what you wanted and you weren’t ripped off. The more they make on you, the more they will book you. If you get your price, be satisfied and happy. Do Not Put Contact Info On Promo Materials When you create promo materials, do not print your contact information on it. This is a sign to agents that you book directly. Agents do not want to compete with their acts. Have a spot for contact information on brochures, DVDs etc but leave it blank so the agent can fill in their contact info. Get Work For Them The best way to get repeat business from an agent or manager is to get them work! If you are on a job they got you and someone comes up to ask if they can book you, avoid the temptation to book the job directly. When you are on a job, all contacts belong to the person who got you the gig. Do not give out cards, take the name and number of the person who is interested. Then, call your agent and give them the lead. You will shoot to the top of people booked by any honest agent if you do this. Be Easy To Contact When work comes in, agents have to know immediately if you are available. Be sure you give mobile numbers that work and get right back to them to confirm availability. They won’t accept any excuse. Be sure you have permanent numbers that won’t be changed and check you messages often. Try Custom Packages If you are sending a demo DVD of your band or your act, try going to the agency web site, lifting their name and logo and putting it on the DVD. Open with a graphic with their name and contact info at the beginning and at the end of your DVD. The Graphic might say "Acme Entertainment is Proud To Present" It may be too ballzy for them but some agents will be impressed and will send out your DVD immediately to clients or put the video on their site. If you want to book directly only, you can ignore these techniques. If you want to work with agents try these techniques and you will see a big results. Carl Davidson has worked with booking agents as a musician and entertainer. He has also been booked on major cruise lines. In this article he discusses how to get gigs and make money in the entertainment industry.
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