Chances are if your band has been playing out for awhile, you’ve probably been involved in booking shows at venues in your own town.  Booking a tour is a very similar process but can be a bit different at the same time.  This article will explain the booking process and help you have an idea of what to expect when booking a tour.

First off, there’s two main ways of booking your tour.  One method is the do-it-yourself method and the other is to hire a booking agent to do the work for you.  Both methods can work for you, but if you choose to hire someone else, make sure to check their references.  A bad booking agent will cause you more trouble than you can imagine as they can mess up potentially good shows and can end up giving your band a bad name in places that you want to play shows.  If you do decide to work with an agent, always make sure to get a contract in writing with the terms for their pay as well as with what they are going to do for you.  Contracts keep people honest, and if they’re a good agent, chances are they won’t have any problems presenting one to you before you go any further.  Another thing to keep in mind when hiring agents is that they want to get paid.  If you’re just starting out in the touring circuit, you probably won’t be making much money on the road, so keep that in mind if you want to hire someone, because they will want a cut of what you make from your shows.  Stay away from people asking for large percentages of your cut as well, and never offer to give them a cut of your merchandise sales.  Industry standard for booking agents is usually 10% – 15% of your pay from your guarantees or door deal, so be very wary if an agent asks for more.

Since my articles are targeted towards do-it-yourself and independent artists, let’s take a look at what you need to know and what to expect when booking your tour.

Booking your own shows

When it comes to booking your own tour, there’s no magical method to use to book your shows, but there’s a lot of things you should have prepared before you get started.  You should have the following things ready before you pick up the phone and start calling clubs:  a press kit (both a physical one and an online one are recommended) a list of clubs for each area you want to play in, names of bands you’d like to play and anything else you feel will be necessary to sell your act.  You should also plan on starting the booking and networking process well in advance.  It’s almost impossible to book a tour a month in advance, so start 3 or 4 months before you want to play your first show.  Some places might ask you to call back later, but if you keep in contact with everyone and check in from time to time it helps out a lot.  Remember that it’s better to ask for a date too early than too late!

I always start the process by networking with bands and promoters in the area I’m looking to play.  You can find bands easily online through the different networking communities, and most of the sites will not only list their location, but will include information about their stlye of music and give you a chance to listen to them.  I get most of my promoter contacts by talking to bands.  A lot of bands will know who has the best connections with the clubs, so make sure to talk to them. 

When you contact promoters, find out what clubs they work with and try to sell them on your act.  A lot of the time, you can get around dealing with clubs directly this way, and promoters often get you the best deals as a lot of them are recieving kick backs from the shows they promote.

When contacting clubs directly, I recommend calling them, finding out who is in charge of booking for the venue and talking to that person.  A lot of these people are very busy, so get straight to the point and tell them what you are wanting to do.  Give them the date(s) you will be in their town and find out if they have an opening.  You should also give them an idea of what you need financially and it doesn’t hurt to throw around some local band names that you might want to play with.  If they don’t take your show, try asking if there’s other places in the area that might be interested in your show.  Always speak clearly and confidently when trying to book shows.  If you sound confident about your act, people will take you more seriously, and regardless of if they can help you or not, thank them for their time…  who knows, you might find yourself playing there next time you’re on the road!

The next step in the process once you get a club who wants to work with you is negotiating a deal with them.  A lot of clubs won’t want to pay you the guarantee you asked for, and some don’t really want to pay you at all.  I like to ask for more than we need when I call, because a lot of places will give you some kind of counter offer.  If they won’t give you a guarantee, ask if you can get a door deal.  Clubs like door deals because a lot of them make their money from drink sales, so the cover charge is something they won’t necessarily miss.  Door deals are obviously hit or miss, so if they offer one, try to make sure it’s on a night with a local band with a good repoire.  Obviously not all door deals are 100% of the door, but I wouldn’t take anything under 50% unless there was no other choice.  If you’re not sure you can take a deal at a club, ask them to hold the date for you and call other places in the area.  Sometimes you can get a better deal this way, but if you can’t find anything better, you still have a deal you can take.

Get it in writing! 

Once you and the club agree on a deal, always get it in writing!  A contract not only guarantees you will have a show to play when you get there, but it will also lay out the terms of your guarantee or door deal.  Try to avoid deals that involve the club taking a percentage of your merchandise sales.  Some clubs ask for a portion of this money, and unless you’re a big name with a huge guarantee, it’s not worth it.  Have the club send you a formal offer if they can and review it before sending them your contract.  Once you get the contract back with their signature on it, the deal is final.  I’ll go into more details about contracts in another article so you know what to look for when working with them.

Other things… 

Some points to keep in mind when booking shows is that a lot of the people involved in booking your show probably have not heard of you yet.  Have a press kit ready to send them if they ask for it, and if you can set one up online, it can help you out as well.  (I’ll touch on press kits more in their own article.)  I suggest writing a quick script like the kind telemarketers use so when you make calls, you’re ready to tell them who you are, what you sound like, and what you’re looking to accomplish.  You should also set a tour budget before you start calling people…  if you know how much things will cost you on the road, it will give you a better idea of what you will need to make from your shows.  You might find that you get your asking price at a few places, and that you can afford to take some deals because of this.  Always look at the tour as a whole as opposed to looking at it on a night to night basis and you’ll be better off in the long run.  Booking your own tour is a long process, and will take a lot of time, but if you’re patient and persitent, you’ll have a great tour lined up before you know it!