Originally Posted by usakos
Okay, let me see if I can help.
Here is what you do;
You already know most of the artists, you listen to music, you know which most people, your audience like; so that's who you want to focus on to.
The type of the artist you are considering has to be able to fill the venue you have in mind. I have worked with artists like Seal, Boyz II Men, Simple Minds, Paul Simon, etc., so I don't really know how to book a small act. I am currently in the middle of the negotiation to do a show with some of the world's best acts in Johannesburg in October of this year.
So, this is what I usually do; I first figure out the type of music I want to have a concert and the artist(s), and then I check out the venue, it has to be the appropriate venue, the venue that my prospective artist can fill out at capacity.
And then I check out if that artist is on tour and if he or she is, if will be in the proximity area. Because if they are on tour, you'll get her or him cheaper.
And once I check out their tour schedule, and even if they are or not on tour, then I contact their management. You can find their management contact information everywhere, CD covers, official web sites, etc., and if you can't find his or her management contact info, I contact his or her record company, and this is what I say when I contact his management.
hi, my name is this and that, would you please give me the booking contact info for your artist "artist name". And they will be gladly give it to me, no further questions asked.
And then I contact their booking agent, and this is what I say. I am usakos with "company name" and I am interested in booking "artist name" for a show in "city name", and then they may cut me off and ask me, what venue, and I tell them the venue. If they are not familiar with the venue, they will ask me how many people does it hold, and then I tell them because I have already checked it out and know it well.
And then, they may ask me what is our budget, and here is where I don't tell them how much I have, because they are simply trying to figure out how much to charge me. And I simply tell them that I'd like to know their fees, and they will ask me how much will I sell the tickets for, and then I give them a bulk figure.
Then they may ask me if the artist will be the headliner and or will there be other artists and I tell them yes or no, depends on what/how i am doing the concert.
And then they give me a bulk figure of how much the artist charge, including lodging and air flight and ground transportation. Then if the price is reasonable, I may proceed. What they will need from me from there on is a an offer from me stating exactly my offer to the artist, fees, etc, for the artist to do the show.
This is where the catch comes in. Your letter has to be worded professionally and on a company letterhead. Because they will take that letter and evaluate it and then decide whether to accept the offer or not.
If they accept the offer, they will contact you, if they don't, then i contact them to follow up in a day or two. Then once I or they call me back, then they will, not me, draft up an agreement with all the details; including their Rider, which simply details their production requirement and stuff, such as their sound, lighting requirement, etc.
They will likely require a deposit depends on your letter offer, they may require 50% up front and the rest on the day of the show before the show or a few days before the show, this is really just depends on how they trust you and believe in your ability.
Your question I think was about how you come up with the contract, and the answer is no, you don't write the contract, they write the contract, they send you the contract and you sign it and send it back with the required deposit.
But before you sign and pay your deposit, make sure you also have talked and secured the venue for the exact date and time.
There are many details and stuff that leads up to the show. I used to do this full time. I am a certified audio and multimedia engineer, worked for NBC and many other TV networks in Europe, doing TV news, ENG, live sound, studio recording, engineering, mastering, sporting events production, etc., and concert production. I have worked on a concert at Roskilde Musik Festival in Roskilde, Denmark, one of the worlds' largest out door concerts with The Rembrandts, and many acts. So, have the experience and skill in doing this.
I still do that but only part time because I love it. So, if you need help, PM me, but typing these long stuff is just too much time consuming, but I don't mind helping you out. And I am located in Columbus, Ohio and I go back and forth to Los Angeles and Boston and New York. So, if I can help, just let me know.
Hopefully all works out for you, and good luck!
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