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Gosh darn booking agents!!!

#21
DWBass said:
That was NOT a 'booking agent'! Just some scheduling hack. A real booking agent does their job because they get a commission!
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This. Lots of clubs just use anybody who feels like taking on the job to book gigs. Usually they have little or no experience in these matters.

That being said, here's my advice for you. Never EVER wait that late to confirm details. That is where YOU dropped the ball. ANY time someone says "I'll get back to you" you can translate that as UNFINISHED BUSINESS. At that point you do NOT HAVE A GIG. If you couldn't get up with her way back when, that should have been a sign that something was wrong. Next time, do not assume you have a gig until you are CONFIRMED.

(I just use caps for emphasis. I'm not cyber yelling at you. Most of us had to learn these lessons the hard way.)

Better luck next time.

By the way, you need to tell you buddies to get some game if a hotel room is the only way they will get laid. :cool:
 
#23
IPYF said:
Not talking $$ here. We get a worksheet for every show and all legitimate venues here will do worksheets. It's just a basic contract that tells you your set time, load in and line-check time, rider and pay (usually there's none of either), venue details.
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I don't think your talking about bar band gigs. My band played 150 gigs last year state wide. Except for fair & fest gigs there were no contracts or worksheets.

For example, I have had several emails today, because someone in the band has to pick up copies of contracts, wrist bands and itinary for WI State Fair we have 4 bookings between 2 resturaunts next week.

Blue
 
#24
The music business is fraught with disappointment due to unprofessional people. Be prepared for this eventuality and work hard to prevent it! Luck favors the prepared.

Also, everyone's scene is different. What some people can expect / reasonably request will not be the same in different locations and different scenes. Having played in four major markets and one minor market you cannot make generalizations.
 
#25
gustobassman said:
You do have your email correspondence. Light up her cellphone and get to the bottom of it. Don't be a jerk, just get some clarification. Who knows, she may realize she f'ed up and give you guys something better.
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That's how I would handle it. It may have been a simple mistake. I know it sucks, and it might feel satisfying to trash the booking agent in public all over the place, but I try not to burn bridges unless I'm really certain that I've been deliberately mistreated.

Bar owners, booking agents, sound engineers, and band leaders are people I try to stay on good terms with. It's a small world.

My $.02, ymmv, etc.
 
#26
agreatheight said:
The music business is fraught with disappointment due to unprofessional people. Be prepared for this eventuality and work hard to prevent it! Luck favors the prepared.

Also, everyone's scene is different. What some people can expect / reasonably request will not be the same in different locations and different scenes. Having played in four major markets and one minor market you cannot make generalizations.
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+1

Blue
 
#27
harshmistress said:
FYI - we're an original alternative rock band, so we get paid minimal.

A few months ago I booked my band a gig about two hours north of our city. The club offered us a friday night slot, perfect for weekend warriors. I have email correspondences confirming the date, etc. I asked for our set time, and the last I heard from the booking agent was that she would get back to us with those details.

Fast forward, we're about a week away from the gig, so I emailed again re-confirming, and asked for our set time. I never heard back. So, I went online to do a little sleuthing, and saw an event line up that guess what? - didn't include our band!

So, I guess at this point we're not playing that gig.

My band mates thought it would be a fun adventure to book a few hotel rooms and bring our girlfriends/wives in tow, so now I have to break it to them that not only do we not have a gig, but you just lost your hotel reservation and you're not getting laid.

Any advice? War stories?
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Late entry to the thread ~

Bummer.

Yeah, just tell it like it is to your band mates, kiss the venue off, and book another gig somewhere else - maybe one closer to home.
 
#29
harshmistress said:
A few months ago I booked my band a gig about two hours north of our city...Fast forward, we're about a week away ,from the gig so I emailed again re-confirming, and asked for our set time.
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I think there's the problem. Too little follow up too late.

When someone offers you a gig, ask for a contract/purchase order with all the details.

If they say they'll get back to you, ask them "by what date?" Gotta pin them down.

If they don't get back to you by that date, follow up until you get the contract/purchase order or give up trying.

Lack of planning part did your band in. :atoz:

Since you didn't perform any services, if you go to small claims court, you won't get anything out of it.
 
#30
stagebanter said:
Did you really use a booking agent who works without a contract? If so, shame on you!
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Again, not HIS agent. It was the venue. And, again, I think we have established that it wasn't a real agent, rather a hack who happens to book shows for the venue. The term "booking agent" gets used very loosely in some markets. A friend of mine handles the calendar for one small club for a small, monthly, set fee. He calls himself a booking agent, although I have corrected him numerous times.
 
#31
It's not uncommon to get an email confirmation 1+ months away, and not follow up again until closer to the date. And, booking agents/managers work for a specific venue. (At least everyone calls them agents). I think we're talking apples and oranges when it comes to signed contracts, and agents booking directly for the band. We're an original indie rock band playing small circuit clubs that book 4-5 bands every night. We get paid based on how many people we wrangle in, and our set time is only 45 minutes. My drummer calls it the nascar circuit. It is what it is. But, after playing the same city for what feels like forever, it's nice to travel a bit further out and hit a new city. Which means hotels/travel expenses. We're all in our 30's so no one is looking to couch surf or hit the floor of a dorm. And often times we are passing up on other real world work opportunities to make these out of town gigs happen.

That being said, I will be more cautious next time.
 
#32
A lot of people here are getting on their high horse for no reason. I agree that it's pretty unprofessional of the person who offered the gig to have no point of contact with the OP's band. That's not great at all, but it's hardly the most surprising thing that's ever happened in music. Getting dropped off a lineup, prior to being confirmed totally sucks, but it's hardly a rare occurrence. You can still go all torches and pitchforks but this is just the nature of the beast.

What the OP and his band did that was wrong was they booked their accommodation prior to being announced. Maybe people in the US are not accustomed to worksheets or contracts for small venue gigs, but there's still no excuse for booking in your accommodation before someone formally confirms that you're on the bill.

We used to play a lot of interstate shows and we would never phone the airline, bus company, hotels etc. until we had a set time on a run sheet or at the very minimum until we had been publicly announced by the venue. Until that point it's simply not worth the financial risk.
 
#34
harshmistress said:
When the booking manager sends me an email saying "your band is confirmed" I consider that confirmed.
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No offense yeah, but it seems that this is exactly what's caused you to unstuck in this case.

Sure, maybe a brief email confirmation is fine for a local show, but if you're going as far afield as to need to book a hotel I would be looking for something a bit more solid than that.
 

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