Welcome to installment number four of the "Bandleader" series. So far, in the first and second articles of the series we've talked about the pros and the cons of being a bandleader. Last month's article dealt with the topic of getting the most from the people you work with, and for this month's topic we'll discuss keeping your band working!

Using Agents

Having an agent can be a wonderful thing. It can save you a lot of work and can keep your band booked consistently. Having an agent booking your band can also be a huge headache, a source of constant rescheduling of dates, gigs being double booked, and losing work at the last minute.

Some musicians will tell you there's really no such thing as a "good" agent and that if you have to use one, it's just a "necessary evil." Often this can be true, but I've found some agents to be better than others, and some that are even actually even human!

Talk to other bands and players in your area and find out who they are using. You'll probably hear plenty of horror stories, but just remember to consider the source. Try to talk to bands and musicians that seem to have it pretty together, professionally. They'll probably be able to give you the most objective views on the agents they use. If you talk to bands and musicians who seem to be a little less than professional, they may be the ones who cause some of their own problems when it comes to dealing with the agents. But of course they'll just tell you how bad the agents are, and even though the band started late every night, trashed the rooms they were staying in and were rude to the other guests and employees of the hotel, it's the agent's fault that they can't stay booked consistently!

Agents will often have favorite bands. This will generally be because these particular bands do well where they work, they don't cause problems on the gigs, they pay their commissions to the agents on time, are generally easy people to deal with, clubs keep asking the agent to book them back, and they keep their schedules flexible and are willing to help the agents out every once in a while, maybe taking a less-than-desirable gig now and then. Working with agents can often be a two-way-street. The more you do for them, the more they will do for you. Just be careful not to be taken advantage of. Because an agent will definitely do that!

Just keep in mind that, while in theory, the agent is supposted to be working for you, he's really working for the club first, keeping their best interests in mind, because that's really where he's making his money from.

Booking Rooms Directly, On Your Own

If you're up to the task, booking rooms directly can save you a lot of headaches. However, it can create a few more. One nice thing about using an agent is that they do a lot of the phone work. When you book directly you are on the phone constantly. If you're the kind of person that thrives on this kind of activity, this could be the way to go.

When you book a club directly, there's a much smaller chance that you'll ever lose that date. When you use an agent, they have several bands and rooms that they're working with. Often it can happen, that the agent will have to do some last minute shuffling and you'll get bumped out of your gig at the last minute. Generally there's a much smaller chance of that happening when you book the club yourself, unless the club folds, or just decides to drop live music.

Some rooms have an agent that they use and you have to go through that agent to get into the room. If your bent on booking the band yourself, book all the rooms and dates that you can, then use agents to fill the holes in your schedule.

Timeliness

Find out when rooms start booking for the year. Some clubs may only book a month in advance, while other rooms may want to start booking a year in advance! Find out when each room books and make sure you don't wait to late in the year to start filling your calendar.

Get It In Writing!!!

Whether you use and agent, or book the band yourself, USE CONTRACTS, AND MAKE SURE THEY GET SIGNED!!! As long as you have a SIGNED contract, your chances are smaller that anything will go wrong with your bookings. Plus, if anything does go wrong, you've got a signed contract to walk into court with and get paid.

Often you'll get the contracts in the mail, but they won't be signed. They'll just be an information contract. When at all possible, make sure you have a signed contract as early as possible. You may run into situations where some clubs won't send you the contract until two weeks before the gig. Or they'll have a policy in which you won't receive a signed copy of the contract until you show up for the gig. Sometimes that's just the way some rooms or agents operate. Then you just have to decide on whether or not you want the risk. That's where it helps to know the reputation of clubs, and agents when it comes to how trust worthy they are. Again, talk to the other bands that work for them.

Booking the band yourself can be the most dependable way to go, but if you want to keep your band working full time, you'll probably have to employ the services of an agent at some point. Either way you'll definitely have your share of headaches, frustrations and yes, even good days too! Just keep your head on straight, talk to as many other people as you can when you're starting out, and be smart about how you run things.