Learn how to snag a booking agent with file sharing services.
There’s already so much involved in jumpstarting a music career, but here’s another item to check off of the list.
With all the work that has gone into your career so far, it’s likely you wouldn’t be able to do it on your own (if you can, good for you, but consider getting some help). While it’s great to have a support system of friends and family to encourage you, it’s vital to have an artist manager to help you spread your sound, build a fanbase, and book shows.
Once you start getting into the flow of that, you may want to consider hiring a booking agent — someone who can book venues for your performance and other public appearances.
A large part of the budding relationship between a performer and a booking agent is sharing music, ideas, and other content. If a booking manager decides they like your sound and are interested in pursuing a contract of sorts, then you will likely have to send over plenty of music files and possibly video recordings of live performances.
You’re probably aware of how much space those files take up on your computer. But just think how big of a pain it must be to send them! Luckily, Dropbox makes this entire process super easy.
n this article, we will discuss:
- What is a booking agent and how to find one
- Sharing files with a booking manager
While you may have had to deal with massive email files and long chains before, Dropbox allows an artist and a booking agent to really focus on the music instead of getting wrapped up in the technicalities.
What is a booking agent?
As previously mentioned, a booking agent is the person in charge for scheduling live performances and other public appearances. As your fanbase continues to grow, you’re going to want to keep booking shows, hoping to eventually headline them, and begin touring. Performing live is vital to your burgeoning career, since booking gigs and delivering killer performance will build on existing buzz about you.
With all of the different venues and people involved in that process, it makes sense to have a person responsible for booking those dates for you. Here are some other things a booking agent will take care of for an artist (in addition to help from the manager):
- Establish partnership with venues
- Set expectations for a performance
- Ensure excellent hospitality at venues
- Organize travel
- Handle PR
Booking managers certainly take a load off the performer and allow you to focus on the music and the things that matter to you most. If you can land a booking agent, it probably means you already have a decent buzz going around about you. A booking agent can help keep this process moving—they book venues to capitalize on your existing buzz, then the killer performances and tours at large venues help create even more buzz. Makes sense.
How do I get a booking agent?
When it comes to finding a booking agent, it’s all about networking. For one thing, grow your own network. Establish relationships with others in the field, such as:
- Radio promoters
- Venue buyers
- Publicists
- Label reps
By getting in contact with the right people, they can get you connected with others who are possibly interested in your sound and advancing your career. Connecting with these people can help you book more performances. These performances can land you on a booking agent’s radar, potentially ending up for a contract.
You might want to look at the booking agent situation with a “whatever happens, happens” kind of approach, but it could be useful to streamline your search. Connect with venues and people in the industry you know are associated with your type of music, and go from there.
When searching for a booking agent, make sure you know yourself and your sound. A booking agent is unlikely to pair with an artist if the agent doesn’t normally pursue the same type of music. So this may seem obvious, but try to deliver your music to people who want to hear it.
Delivering music, you say? How does that work?
Sharing large files with booking agents
Networking seems to be all the rage in all kinds of businesses and the same goes for the music industry. Once you establish those connections—particularly, with a booking agent—it’s likely they’re going to want you to send over some of your stuff. They might want to see a live performance video, or snatch a recording of your new EP. Of course, you have all of this stuff stored on your computer somewhere, but you might be a bit lost when it comes to sharing those files with everybody else.
Fortunately, Dropbox gives artists the perfect platform to send large files to a booking agent. All you need to do is locate the file and create a shared link for it using Dropbox, then send the link in an email or text for instant sharing. These links can be sent from any kind of device, be it your Mac or iPhone.
In addition, these files will be in your control for the duration of their journey from your computer to your booking agent’s, or anyone else who may be involved. Links are easily shared and have the option of being password-protected in order to edit the file, or you as the sender of the file can set an expiration date for your file link.
While the entire process of finding a booking agent and sealing the deal can be very daunting, Dropbox makes the file sharing part—a part that you will most definitely encounter—that much easier.
What other questions do you have about sharing large files with a booking agent? Let us know in the comments!