Contact:
Jacey Bedford of
Jacey Bedford Tour Management
01484 606230
agency(at)jacey-bedford.com
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Why you (mostly) don't need an agent.
By Jacey Bedford
Many newcomers assume that in order to get gigs, they need to get an agent and they spend fruitless days, weeks and months sending promo packages to every agent they can find in the listings. What they don't realise is that an agent can't manufacture gigs for them. There are only so many gigs to be had on the folk scene and an agent is no better at accessing them that an artist is. Maybe an agent is worse.
No one will be a better agent for you than you can be for yourself. That's a very simple but true statement. You will always be your own best agent because you will always have yourself at the top of your priority list. Agents may have ten, twenty or even more artists on their books and may make a decent living, but the individual artists may get relatively few gigs each.
It takes as much effort to get a £100 gig for an artist as it does to get a £500 gig. In fact it takes more effort to get a £100 gig for an unknown artist than it does to get a £1000 gig for a well known, top-notch artist. At 15% an agent makes £15.00 out of one and £150.00 out of the other. If you are a new artist, struggling to establish yourself, and therefore your fee is at the lower end of the scale, you are going to be, in your agent's eyes, little reward for a lot of work. This will give you a rough idea of your place in the pecking order. (The figures are examples and in no way are meant to suggest fee values.)
Until you have built up a fan base and your name has some pulling power your fees will be modest and your value to an agent as a business proposition will be small.
Of course, you may find that a perceptive agent will spot your emerging potential and will work with you to build your career. If so, then you may be one of the lucky ones who will find the right agent to give you a helping hand. However, you should always work with an agent or manager, not for them. Remember, it's your vision that counts, not theirs. Your artistic integrity is always your own, but you may find many benefits in working with someone with much more experience that you. If an agent tells you that festivals and clubs are looking for acts that can talk to an audience between songs or tunes rather than play faster than the speed of sound with their heads down for forty five minutes at a time, you'd better believe them. If an agent tells you to start wearing low cut dresses to show more cleavage, politely tell them where to go (especially if you're a man!).
When do you need an agent?
Once you have established yourself on the folk scene and have built up your fan base so that your name on the bill will be some kind of draw, you'll start to get busy. You may find that you are on the road for days or even weeks at a time and that you are even touring abroad fairly frequently. When you are gigging so much that you can't be at home to make the phone calls this is the time when you begin to need an agent.
How to find one that suits you:
At this stage you should look around and ask around. Which agents have the best reputations? How many artists do they have on their books? What type of artists do they represent? What type of gigs do they appear to get for them? Are they proactive (seeking gigs) or reactive (arranging gigs when bookers call to enquire). Don't forget you need to convince them that you are going to be an asset to their agency business. Can you provide them with all the right promo material they need to sell you? Do you work hard to get and maintain a profile in the folk media - local and national. Even better, do you employ a publicist? (Or have you got the backing of a record companies publicity machine?) Are you willing to provide a complete contact list for the venues you've played before? Are you willing to pass on all future gig enquiries, even the ones you've dealt with personally for years?
If an agency is too big, they may be overstretched if they take on your work. If they are too small, they may not be handling performers on your level and may set their sights too low. Talk to them, court them, see if they are interested, ask about the way they work. Arrange a face to face meeting. If your wants and needs seem compatible with their methodology and if they are willing to invest time in you, then maybe you've found yourself an agent. Don't expect miracles immediately, however, because it takes time for an agent to draw you in to his or her established 'family'. and there's often lead time of six to twelve months on gigs, so any agent taking you on is not going to start making money out of you (and you out of him) for a year or so. Make sure your forward gig list is healthy enough to cover the slack in the changeover period.
Exclusive or Non-exclusive?
Some artists may think that they can take on an agent on a non-exclusive basis - i.e. continue to get some of their own gigs and let the agent top-up with extras. This is not generally a good idea because no-one has 'the big picture.' Both you and the agent may approach the same venues, confusing the venue bookers and making the second caller (you or the agent) feel slightly foolish. If you're going to sign with an agent, you should be prepared to let them do it all. You should even be prepared to pass on any gig enquiries that come in straight to you, much as it may gall you to lose 15% on something you feel the agent has not worked for. From the agent's point of view, these hand-overs help to make up for the gigs that are really hard to win.
Multiple Agents
Sometimes you see that artists have signed non-exclusively with two (or more) agents. The same applies here as applies in the paragraph above. Agents don't want to be treading on each other's toes, or getting into any kind of competition with other agents. Their enthusiasm for booking you will wane very rapidly.
Pecking Order
Always monitor the gigs that your agent is getting. When you are newly signed to the agency, you may find a hundred - or more - gigs a year rolling in, but in the second year, your gigs may be fewer for a number of reasons:
The agent has been especially enthusiastic for a new act and has given you more time - pro-rata - than his other artists.
The agent now has some new acts who have diverted his enthusiasm.
The agent got you gigs with every one of his pet venues in your first year but it will be two years before they book you back again, so he has less venues available to him in your second year
The agency has become too big and the agent's time is spread too thinly
You've picked the wrong touring period and are trying to draw on the same clubs and festivals two years in a row.
Some of these are issues which a gentle but firm business meeting will address, others are not. If the number of gigs the agent is getting you steadies to a reliable and economically viable rate, then be very happy. If the number of gigs decreases steadily, be aware that you will have to extricate yourself from the agreement and either go elsewhere or take on your own gigs again.
Other Forms of Agency Representation
Signing with an established agent is not the only way of getting representation. There are many performers who have a willing spouse or mother who can learn to become an agent. This sort of situation can often be the best one. They are your personal agent, working for no one else, and as such they are as hungry for gigs as you are. You learned how to be your own agent, they can learn too.
Similarly, you may decide to employ someone to work exclusively for you. they may work from your office and generally help out with the paperwork that always has to be done. (Never underestimate the amount of paper that needs pushing around just to keep you on the road.) Or they may just take on your agency work and work from their own home. You may pay them by the hour or on a percentage basis. They may already know the music business, or you may have to train them from scratch. Whichever way it works, if you get the right person doing the job, this can often be the best way of working.
Never forget, though, you are your own small business. Ultimately the responsibility is yours.