As a booking agent, you have the exciting opportunity to connect musicians with venues and audiences. Whether you are booking small gigs for local musicians or coordinating tours for established artists, the skills you develop as a booking agent can help you succeed in the music industry. Pair your innate skills with the best artist management software and band tour management software, and you’re bound for success.
Let’s explore why managing small music gigs is essential for mastering booking big music gigs. We’ll review some of the best tips on how to transition from small scale bookings to larger tours with the help of band booking software and custom software for booking agencies.
For booking agencies, smaller music gigs might seem far from glamorous. Although they might not feel exciting at first, it’s important to keep in mind that they’re a necessary stepping stone for future, larger opportunities. Smaller gigs are a great way to get in some necessary training time with artist management software. Although the software is intuitive, there’s still a learning curve associated with becoming a master at band booking software.
Using the opportunities presented by smaller gigs will help you sharpen your skills, master the software, and become more efficient in your work. That way, when it comes to planning bigger gigs, you’ll already know the ins and outs of band tour management software and the steps you need to take for success.
When you book small gigs, you have the opportunity to learn about the local music scene, develop relationships with local venues and promoters, and fine-tune your negotiation and communication skills. These experiences can help you develop a better understanding of the needs and preferences of musicians and venues, which will be invaluable when it comes to booking larger gigs.
If your goal is to work your way up from small gigs and into larger ones, there are some tips you should keep in mind to help you be prepared for the transition:
Networking is key when it comes to transitioning from smaller to larger gigs. This doesn’t just mean handing out your business card– it’s much more beneficial to actually immerse yourself in the local music scene. This way, you can introduce yourself in a meaningful way to other booking agencies, venue owners, promoters and artists. You’ll grow familiar with the bigger names and consistent faces, and yours will grow more familiar to others as well. This legwork is critical for laying the foundation for lasting connections and future collaboration opportunities. You can keep track of important connections in your band booking software and compile a list of contacts over time.
Booking agencies wouldn’t exist without the artists, and it goes without saying that you should understand who you’re representing. With that being said, however, you need to take the time to learn the ins and outs of the musicians you’re working with. This means understanding their target audiences, music, performance styles, and preferences. It can be a lot, but you can easily create profiles with this information inside of your artist management software. Use this information to you and your artists’ advantage to match up the best venues and promoters for each gig. Practicing these skills over time will help them feel like second nature once it comes time to begin booking larger gigs.
Leverage band tour management software to make your job easier and adjust to having all of your information in a single hub. You’ll be more successful if you start honing in on efficient processes while your workload is lighter. The more volume you have coming in, the more difficult it will be to create a sense of order or adjust your booking management habits.
Get ahead of the game by implementing best practices with your band booking software: this means using the calendar to organize schedules, referencing contact sheets, building contracts, sending demos, completing day sheets and more. Learning how to automate or streamline these processes will ultimately save you time and help you improve as a booking agent. This gives you more time to focus on your artists and building opportunities for larger gigs.
As you transition from booking small gigs to booking larger ones, you’ll encounter new challenges and experiences. Make sure you take the time to reflect on each gig and learn from your successes and failures. This will help you develop a better understanding of what works for you as a booking agent and what you need to improve on in the future. Keep track of this feedback, reflect often, and use this information to set new goals.
Small gigs are a necessary stepping stone toward lengthy tours and multi-state concert tours. You’ve got to start somewhere, and appreciating smaller gigs for what they’re worth will help you see that they’re valuable learning opportunities to help your professional and creative development. Use them to your advantage when it comes to mastering artist management software. This way, when it comes time to book your first large gig, you’ll already know the ins and outs of the industry-leading software geared toward your success. Learn more about how to get set up with our booking software by calling our YourTempo team at 629-895-5285.