Music agencies serve as intermediaries that handle administrative and organisational tasks in delivering a service.
This week, we’ll look at their role in your growth and what you need to be successful in gaining more paid work!
How to Work with an Agency
There are two ways you can start working with an agency:
- Go to them directly: Reach out with an email or telephone call, introduce yourself, and ask them questions. They may request a showreel, your social media profiles, and a bio for your act to put you forward.
- They may approach you: The more often you perform, the more opportunities will arise. Playing open mic nights and busking can increase awareness of your act. Ensure you have a strong social media presence and keep networking!
Key agencies around Berkshire include 8Ray Group, Live & Love Music, and Jamma Music.
Benefits of Using an Agency
A good agency will manage important aspects of the service for you, giving you more time to focus on your craft. Their main responsibilities include:
- Sourcing shows and matching you to venues
- Managing contracts and cancellations
- Supplying your promotional material to venues
- Managing payments
Agencies can also put you in touch with photographers, videographers and other great networking opportunities who can help you grow your act.
Disadvantages
Agencies are businesses and will take a portion of the fee to cover staff, overheads, and other costs. Therefore, you can’t expect to be paid the same as if you approached clients directly.
Secondly, do not approach venues sourced through an agency directly. Some venues may try to cut out the agency, but we strongly advise against this.
Working with agents is beneficial for gaining shows, which helps build your experience and benefits you regardless of the fee. It also burns bridges with those agencies, who work hard to stimulate the local music scene.
An agency can take between 20-45% of a fee, depending on the client. They can justify the higher end if it’s a show that exposes you to better opportunities.
WHAT YOU’LL NEED
Equipment
Generally speaking, you will need to provide your own sound equipment for gigs. This includes instruments, speakers, stands, cables, and mixers.
You can find more details about what you’ll need in previous newsletters.
Showreels
A showreel is a 5-10 minute clip of your musical repertoire. This is an investment, but generally speaking, the better the quality of your showreel, the better your chances of landing superior shows.
An agency will need your showreel to upload to their website and supply to clients upon request.
Insurance and Testing
Agencies can open the doors to bigger and better shows, which often have policy requirements to ensure your equipment is safe to use. There are two main elements to consider:
- Indemnity Insurance: This type of insurance provides compensation for damage or loss. For musicians, it generally covers if someone damages your equipment, if they injure themselves on your equipment, or sometimes in the event of theft.
- PAT Testing: This is a requirement for most equipment insurance, providing a certificate to ensure your equipment is safe and technically sound. PAT testing usually costs around £1-3 per item and should be done annually.
We are going to organise group PAT testing sessions to reduce costs. Sign up to the mailing list for information on how to sign up.
Music agencies definitely have their place in your journey to grow your act!
Remember that you have a mutual interest, so be sure to negotiate and make a deal that benefits everyone.
We’ll go into detail about other marketing strategies to get paid work in future newsletters, so be sure to sign up for more tips and advice!