|
The Ten Most Important Questions & Answers When
Booking Entertainment
From the book “Booking Entertainment”
© 2002-2007
By Don Podolor, Founder of American Entertainment
Booking talent for an event is not easy and one can get taken badly if
they don’t know what they are doing. Finding the right agent or promoter
can be intimidating and sometimes a very costly experience. Here are some
of the important critical questions that have to be answered.
1. What entertainment is right for my venue?
Before you can even begin to negotiate for the right act you need to ask
some important questions. For example, what is the purpose of having
entertainment for this event? Do you want to draw a lot of people or
simply create some pizzazz? Do you need an act with name recognition, or
simply a first rate entertainer? What are the ages of the audience and
what do they like the best – country, rock, comedy, or themes like
Caribbean, 50’s or 60’s or beach party. If Caribbean you can suggest Jimmy
Buffett, for oldies, Temptations, Chubby Checker etc, and for beach
parties, I manage one of the original Beach Boys so I suggest the
California Girls, Sufaris, Frankie Avalon etc. Narrow your focus by
answering these questions before you start looking for an act.
2. What is the most reliable way to find an act?
There are many different ways to book talent. There are major talent
agencies, small ones, hundreds of sub-agents and event planners. The key
is to find an individual at one of these places whom you can trust and who
will deal with you honestly and effectively. It’s finding that right
person for you that is the most important first step toward a successful
event. The best thing to do is to ask other buyers for recommendations on
who has done the best job for them. It is always important to check on the
routing of groups because if they are coming to your area you can usually
get a better deal.
3. How much do we have to pay for talent?
Entertainment is blind and I find that people who are looking for talent
have no idea of what the talent should cost. This often leads to
overpayment or an inability to get the level of attraction needed for the
event. Obviously budgets dictate what kind of talent you can buy, but so
often I talk to people who are trapped between a desire to have a big name
and a budget that simply won’t get them one. This is where a good
knowledgeable booker can help.
It is not fair that many of the agents
think that Indian Casinos have all the money in the world and they charge
them more than an act is worth. Many times I have had promoters calling me
for one of my acts for an Indian casino and then I find out they sell them
to the casino for as much as double using their contracts. Beware of the
con man promoter. They usually have an impressive business name and tell
the casino they can do better than anyone, but almost every time the
casino will get taken. Also you must be aware of the scam that some of
these promoters make the casino pay them a percentage. Why would the
promoter try to get a cheaper price if he gets paid on the price of the
act? I have never ever had a casino pay me a percentage for an act. the
act pays. If I go through another agency to get an act we split a 10%
commission (5% each.)
One time I sold a 50’s review to a promoter with three acts, a band,
including air for $15,000. I found out they re-sold it to the casino for
$30,000. This is not fair to the buyer. The best thing to do is to ask
other buyers for recommendations on who has done the best job for them. If
you are lucky enough to find an agent/promoter that does volume booking,
like buying several dates at a time, you may save a lot of money. I do
this all the time. An act may get $25,000 and if I get three or four
dates, I can usually get them for about $17,500. I pass on the savings to
my venues. The key to keeping an account is to save money and give good
service. Nevertheless, you can find acts for a few hundred dollars to
thousands of dollars depending on what you are looking for.
Make sure you are aware of the phony
groups. if you book the Coasters, Platters, Drifters, Temptations etc.,
make sure you can have a photo copy of their trademark certification
showing them as the name owner. So many of the scam promoters put together
made up phony groups worth a few hundred dollars and sell them to the
casinos for thousands of dollars. I have had promoters call me and try to
sell me groups that I created and managed without them knowing it’s my
group. Be aware!
4. What are the hidden costs or other expenses to anticipate?
Many acts want their transportation and accommodations paid when doing
their dates. This is pretty standard. Be sure you ask about these costs
right up front when you are first talking prices with your agent. There
also can be substantial costs associated with staging, lighting, sound and
other rider requirements.
5. How do we deal with the artist’s rider?
I feel like a specialist in riders as I have made up hundreds for my
groups. First, get a copy of the rider early on, even before you finalize
the deal. That way you won’t be surprised by various things the act wants
you to provide for them. The best time to question these things is before
you’ve committed to buy the artist and many of the items may still be open
to negotiation and/or clarification. Next, don’t just assume the rider is
set in stone, many times there are things in a rider that don’t really
apply to your show. Take out the things that don’t apply to your show.
Also, take out the things you simply can’t provide for legitimate reasons
– liquor etc. American Entertainment owns it’s own state of the art sound,
lights backline etc. We won’t let anyone put something over on us. I
always negotiate with the production companies and save the venue
thousands of dollars. Most promoters don’t understand riders, so remember,
it is always important to study the rider very carefully. If you overlook
one little thing it can cause problems. For example, ground transportation
is very important. A group comes into the airport looking forward to
putting on a great show and no one is there to pick them up. Already they
are discouraged and they may have a bad taste for the job.
6. How long a show do we need? How much time will an artist perform?
First, realize that the length of time an act performs will have little or
no bearing on the price they charge. It takes the same amount of effort
for an artist to do a 20-minute show, as it does for an hour or more. Many
acts are reluctant to agree to a short show because it’s harder to score
with the audience. However, too long a show can sometimes get a little
boring. Many times I can have the artists do two shows for two different
audiences. Sometimes they may hesitate but again with my personal
relationship with the groups, they hardly ever say no. Use your best
judgment and advice of your agent as to the show length.
7. Can we get the artist to tailor his or her show for the event?
I always try to get the artist as much information about the venue they
are playing as possible. It helps them to relate better to the audience
and also makes the buyer happier with the end result. On a tour I did with
Leanne Rimes, I gave her the name of the tribal chairman at the Indian
casino where she played, and she dedicated a song to him. He loved it. The
information I give to the acts will be used in a humorous or effective way
in the program. You need to get precise information to the artists well
ahead of the engagement and in a form easily absorbed by the performer.
Things that will be funny are particularly of value. Not every artist will
want to do this, but most will do something that is pertinent to the
immediate situation.
8. What things can we do to make the show go smoothly?
It is such a fine line between a good and a bad experience, and for the
act that you purchased, that first impression is critically important. You
want to be sure that the artists and his representative (agent, road
manager etc) perceive you and the others working on the show as
professional and well organized. They want to know that you have carefully
gone over the rider and, if anything, provided even more than it asks for.
They don’t want last minute surprises or unreasonable delays in starting
the show. They want a backstage under control with clear understandings
about whom in the organization the artist needs to meet, when and where
this will happen. Gain lots of points by learning as much as possible
about the artist’s personal likes and dislikes as well as their background
and interests. Sometimes a small gift is really appreciated, or flowers
for a female act.
9. What’s the best way to protect us from misunderstandings with the
artist, and his representatives and the agency?
When something goes wrong, when some item in the rider is missing like the
proper microphone, for example, the buyer will be the first to be blamed.
Even if the fault lies with someone in the artists organization, the
finger will be pointed at the buyer. Thus, you want to keep thorough notes
on everything discussed (or even record calls,) and write or e-mail
confirmation of these things to the person who will be on the scene with
the act, with copies for everyone else involved. Have your own copies with
you on the night of the show. You may need them. I try to run all my shows
with precision and accuracy.
10. How can we learn from this show to improve things for future shows?
The best thing you can do for yourself and those in your department or
organization who may be putting together shows in the future is to keep a
record of everything that happens from the time you initiate the process
until well after the show is over. Leave those breadcrumbs along the route
so you can follow them again. Keep notes on how the act did, how those who
booked him/her dealt with you and the others working on the show and be
sure to completely document any mistakes you made that should be avoided
in the future.
So that’s it. 10 questions you need to
have the answers to in order to stage a successful show.
Most importantly use your own good judgment and don’t be afraid to ask
more experienced people for advice. Good luck
Since 1965, The American Entertainment Booking Agency founded by Don
Podolor with American Recording operated by Don’s brother Ritchie were
responsible for aiding in the careers of The Beach Boys, Three Dog Night,
Steppenwolf, The GoGo’s, The Bangles and many more. American Recording was
the first record producer to receive a platinum record for Joy to the
World by Three Dog Night.
In 40 years, we have booked thousands of artists and have established long
term working relationships with the biggest names in the entertainment
industry.
Click to see artist roster |
