How to Avoid Phony Music Management Agencies

As a professional writer and occasional music manager, I often encounter bands and solo musicians that work very hard to attract attention from music management agencies. I’m often asked to help a band or solo musician get a contract from a music management agency. At first, it’s exciting because we have the chance to represent the artist on a worldwide tour and make a good living by working for them. We could earn a lot of money and feel good about ourselves in the process. We wouldn’t have to work a 9 to 5 job and would be able to devote more time to the band.

Unfortunately, as many musicians and bands start out, they fall by the wayside. And the ones that are well organized, widely heard, and have built a strong fan base often have difficulty convincing the music management agency administrators of their worth. They often don’t have the necessary resources or experience to get a contract because they are often too stall on the phone, not very knowledgeable about the jargon, or simply don’t have the band and artist department skills to sell them. In many cases, music management agencies can take a band anywhere from a couple of nights to a couple of months to get them booked and informed of new gigs.

So, how do musicians and bands rise above the deluge of musicians and bands that want to chase the brass ring and the brass ring? Well, aside from developing a reputation as a great live act, the most important thing is to work with a music management agency that understands the music industry. They don’t do this kind of thing on their own. Believe it or not, the best record companies in the music business work with established artists and acts. They understand that booking top acts and acts requires planning, hard negotiation, and the presentation and execution of planning materials.

Good music management agencies are respective, interactive, and aggressive. They’ll work with you, but they also won’t work with you until you have a contract. These are professional musicians and performers who understand that the music business is a business, and not just benefit like crazy. It’s absolutely essential that you work with a professional music management agency. They will work with you by finding venues to play, hotel rooms, and other resources.

A good music manager handles many of the tasks that used to be performed by a music management agency. They know which venues to get booked at and they know how to work with other music management agencies to help you book shows.

A good music management agency is not just in business to run your music career. They are working for you as an artist, and they are in the business of booking shows and promoting your music career. They’ll give you the attention and experience you need to grow your career and your fan base.

Most of us who have been in the music business for a while know that finding and booking top act and music management agencies is now very easy. Booking is now not only easy, but it’s also fast and very competitive. The music industry is wide open for musicians and artists, there are millions of virtually limitless acts out there all wanting to play. What is tough is booking them all and getting your paychecks every week from them. That’s why a great music management agency can be a real benefit to you and your music career. They do this by focusing exclusively on booking top acts, music management agencies, and music events.

In a nutshell, you need a great music management agency that focuses exclusively on booking top acts, music management agencies, and music event promoters. They work with you, book the shows, lead marketing exercises, and communicate with you to prepare the show and run everything step-by-step from ceremonies and ticket Releases to delivering out the equipment and crew.

Of course, you can book shows on your own. You have to be very creative about it. You’ll have to build a massive contacts list all across the country and make sure that your shows are always filled. Once your shows are booked, be sure that someone in your circle of trust knows every aspect of venue selection, as many other important factors are taken care of by a seasoned industry professional.

Also, any bands on your tour will need to have their own promotional program for you to distribute to clubs, radio stations, and message boards. Be sure that you are aware of any regulations that may apply (such as cover songs that may or may not be played) and proceed at your own risk.

Finally, developing your own fan base in your local area is as crucial a step as booking shows. Promote often, set up a base of fans in your local area who want to find you. Keep your website updated often, but don’t focus too much time there. Simply communicate with local clubs and radio stations that may have an interested audience for your act. Send out invites to all your friends and remind them to pass this along to their friends.