Music booking companies must keep up with the entertainment industry news to know where the gigs are, who's representing whom and what trends are driving the market. In order to be successful at live music booking, you must be in the loop with the latest entertainment news and find as much insider industry info as you can.

Contacts are an important ingredient in the tour booking agent playbook. Read music booking management publications that can keep you updated with news and information about which artists are winning awards, new radio venues that are booking music acts and for what the recording labels are looking. Gather a complete picture of music booking agents' news and trends.

1. Stay on top of music booking news to follow consumer trends.

2. Participate in associations for music booking agents to build your contact base.

3. Subscribe to publications for concert booking agents that provide leads to new opportunities.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Stay informed by watching trends made by booking agents for musicians

Look for news that provides information about new venues and opportunities for your clients. Check in with the sites of the major booking agencies that often set the trends so that you can find a niche for yourself and your acts.

I recommend: Keep up with the latest news for booking agents at Monsters and Critics. Find recent news about other booking agents and the work they are doing at The Agency Group.

Join music booking groups that create opportunities for members to network

Look for resources that will guide you in building the vital relationships you need to excel in music booking management. The news about your fellow agents is almost more important at times than the latest scuttlebutt surrounding the entertainers. Get behind-the-scene news and information through groups that attract booking agents for musicians.

I recommend: Make important connections and keep up with the trends through membership in the National Music Publishers Association. The news and trends that drive the music booking industry are regularly updated and reported at the International Entertainment Buyers Association.

Read about the latest tour booking agent news to look for new business

Step outside your area of expertise to get a complete picture of the music business. Look for crossover opportunities for your clients. For instance, creative country music booking agents will book their acts into rock and roll venues to get them more exposure and gain new fans. By following all the entertainment news, you won't miss the latest trends and may even start a few.

I recommend: Keep up with what is going on in the industry through Absolute Punk. Booking agents will want to keep up with all the industry news at Entertainment Management Online.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Include regular research into the news sources of other industries that utilize the services of music booking agents, such as movie and theater publications, to find even more business opportunities.

Whether you're a professional musician or have been asked to organize a music event for your business or charity organization, you'll need music booking agents. As a professional musician, a booking agent allows you to focus on your real job--music. Some music booking agencies also have exclusive rights to book certain venues, so you can only break into those markets with their help. And as a producer for a business or charity event, concert booking agents also save you endless hassle and frustration trying to locate particular artists within your budget.

There are a vast number of music booking agents in the United States. How do you choose the right one to represent you or your business? Begin by recognizing three basic categories of music booking agencies:

1. Music booking agents for nationally recognized musicians

2. Music booking management for regional acts

3. Booking agents for music that's considered "specialty"

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Entertain nationally known music booking

If you're seeking nationally known musicians, bands and singers for an event, there are booking agents who concentrate on helping you obtain them. Some book big-time stars like Celine Dion, while others will help you find one-time radio hit performers.

I recommend: Grabow does live music booking for national, high budget singers, bands and musicians. National Booking Agency provides nationally known musicians and musical groups for casinos, conventions and similar venues. JL Entertainment is a tour booking agent with nationally recognized hip hop, country, jazz, rock musicians, as well as well-known performers from other genres. Millionaire Concierge books a wide variety of famous singers and musical groups.

Score regional booking agents for music

Whether you want more affordable, professional musicians and acts for a local event, or you desire representation from a smaller-scale booking agent, regional sources are a great place for quality talent. Most regional booking agents provide entertainment for corporate events, weddings, clubs, festivals and similar locales.

I recommend: Open Booking Agency of WI books regional musical acts for weddings, clubs, festivals, fairs and corporate events. Musicians Booking Agency of NC does live music booking for rock, big band, classical, country, new age, oldies and more. For corporate events, private parties, fundraisers and similar events, Booking Entertainment of NY provides musicians from a wide range of genre styles. San Francisco Booking Agency provides jazz, big band, classical, Latin, dance and solo acts.

Rediscover favorites through music booking agencies

If you perform in a speciality act--or if you're seeking a unique act for an event--there are booking agents ideal for you. Some specialize in look-alikes, others in nostalgic music, and still others in 'smaller' genres of music like folk or gospel.

I recommend: Sparkle Agency offers bookings for look-alike and tribute performers, like Michael Jackson. The Richard De La Font Agency provides folk, African, gospel, musical theater and many other musicians for a wide variety of events. Classic Rock USA is an event and concert booking agency with well-known but "nostalgic" musicians like Chubby Checker and Little Anthony and the Imperials. Gig Salad has a large number of oldies available for events.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  For booking music, agencies receive a percentage (typically 15%) of any money you or your band earns. However, booking agents for musicians should not take a percentage of any merchandise you sell, nor should a reputable agent ask a musician to pay them directly for their services.

If your ambition is to build your career as a tour booking agent, you will need a music booking agents education and training. The challenge is that for most successful agents who are booking music, self-education is key. Many do not enter the career with specific degrees – although some have studied business or sales. Most agents learn on the job.

There are no specific formal degree programs that teach you how to be successful in live music booking, and there are not even vocational or continuing education programs for agents. Most agents learn the craft by working in the music industry and working their way up. There are no degree requirements or licensing requirements for concert booking agents or tour booking agents. However, there is a great deal of competition. To make yourself qualified for a successful career in this industry, consider:

1. Seek out one of the few training programs available.
   
2. Find internships that provide hands-on training and let you make contacts at music booking agencies and other companies.
   
3. Get practical education and training with jobs in the music industry.
   

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Look for singer booking agents programs that offer specialized training

There are very few training programs available for those looking for music booking agents education and training. However, a few programs exist and are well worth seeking out, since they generally offer more practical training and more prestige than internships.

I recommend: Job That Works sometimes offers links to training programs aimed at booking agents for music acts. The North American Folk Music and Dance Alliance Booking Agent Training School is one of the very few well-established training programs for booking agents. The program focuses on developing a roster of acts, developing business skills, learning how to negotiate and book a tour, and developing other skills necessary in music booking management. Artists House Music offers a number of online videos and presentations for those interested in the booking industry.

Seek out an internship designed for booking agents for musicians

Internships for music booking agents are also not abundant, but are worth seeking out. These unpaid internship programs allow candidates to work with booking agents, often as assistants. Internships offer practical on-site training and also provide good contacts and references that can be used when applying for paid positions.

I recommend: Tru Images posts music booking agent internships and volunteer opportunities as well as related internship opportunities in the music field. Vault lists internships for music booking agents.

Find work as a music booking agent to get on-the-job training

While it is a bit of a paradox, most music booking agents get their actual qualifications and work experience after being hired for the first time. On-the-job training is a big part of this career path, so if you have any music experience or training, apply for jobs as often as you can. Many employers are willing to train after they hire.

I recommend: Simply Hired has many jobs for booking agents and for those interested in breaking into the industry. Get Music Jobs offers an array of jobs for music booking agents across the country.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Consider networking with agencies, promoters and club managers. A concert booking agency or singer booking agency will likely be more impressed with your contacts than with training programs. Learning what promoters and club owners want from acts and what live acts are looking for from jobs can help you learn how to keep both parties happy, and that makes you most valuable as a booking agent.