Booking a show is much more than just calling the venue and getting the doors open. The logisticals involved can be overwhelming – in fact, many bands just don’t know everything they are supposed to be doing. Finding out about things you have overlooked the hard way – when you’re on the road – is a headache, to say the least, and yet this is exactly how many bands learn the ropes of booking shows. Things won’t be like anymore, if Jay Flanzbaum has anything to say about it. His website, Onlinegigs has automated the process of concert booking for bands, from one off shows to entire tours. This website can guide you from start to finish – from connecting with the venues and promoters to walking on stage, and every step in between.

Not only can it show you the way, but it also keeps after you, nagging you to do the things you’ve been putting off, so you don’t pull up to the venue and suddenly remember you never confirmed that soundcheck time. Read on, as Jay shares the inspiration behind the site and what it can do for you:

Question: You have a background as a musician, booking agent & manager – what experiences did you have that made you want to start Onlinegigs?

I was a drummer booking my own band for a few years. We were traveling from VT to DC regularly and getting great exposure. But booking takes constant upkeep, there is always someone that needs to be called and you have to do it at just the right time and on the right day. I was lucky enough to be able to make calls during my day job and then I would go home and make calls all night. When the band suddenly broke up I was approached by a number of friends to help them put together their own regional and national tours. Eventually, I became a full time booking agent with about seven touring acts, and a bunch of others that I booked non-exclusively. I was booking tours for independent bands from all across the country and trying to take on more acts.

At some point taking on more acts means having to also take on more agents, interns and infrastructure. There are only so many bands one person can handle. Booking new bands in new markets is an extremely labor intensive process with relatively low pay off, so I needed to take on more acts to make a living. It was painfully obvious however that the things that were so labor intensive in the booking process could very easily be automated. The amount of time and energy it takes to send out press releases, press kits, create contracts or update various websites, can be better spent developing business relationships.

As I added more bands to my roster I became increasingly frustrated with just trying to run the agency and being out of business for days while I tried to get the Act contact database to work with Word; and to get Excel to work with Streetfinder. Even just trying to integrate a bulk email or fax program could occupy endless hours of valuable booking time. I knew that existing technologies could handle all of the functions I had in mind so at one point I just started building Onlinegigs. I hired some programmers and just began with the essentials. At first I only had a venue database that could be added to or edited, but slowly I built in more and more features.

Q: How did you get the ball rolling? How did you let people know you were out there and get them to come on board?

I have had the great benefit of being able to get the message out by word of mouth. I was using the site to book my own roster of bands, and they told other bands that they came across in their travels. As soon as one band was able to use the site to put themselves on the road for a few months then other bands realized they could capitalize on the first bands work. Members get money back off of their subscription in exchange for keeping the contact directory up to date. Most bands that are working constantly are also constantly keeping their own contact information up to date anyhow. Now they do the same thing in an Onlinegigs account and get free use of the automated tools. The site has grown to over 20,000 venues, colleges, festivals & media contacts with just over 10,000 performances booked to date. I am also involved with a number of non profit musician organizations and music competitions.

Q: Who is using your site?

Mainly independent bands, booking agents, managers, record companies and publicists. I recently noticed a rise in Christian Rock bands putting on church tours. There seems to be a Celtic community growing and there has always been a great singer/songwriter group of agents and managers. I have also seen a few comedians. Any type of contact can be added to the database so any type of performer can benefit from using the site.

Q: Online Gigs takes a comprehensive approach to booking shows – what are some of things users can do through your site?

The moment a member submits the performance details into their account the system will:

• automatically send a press release to the local media in any market in the country
• automatically send reminder emails to all of your fans in a particular mile radius of any performance
• automatically update an Myspace profile, (for instance, this page): The Amity Front
• automatically update any website with new tour date information, (for instance): and Milestone Agency
• automatically update Jambase, Pollstar, Sonicbids, Mojam and Lycos Concerts
• automatically issue a performance contract by fax or email
• automatically generate a tour itinerary with driving directions from one gig to the next

Aside from the automation, Onlinegigs is also a powerful contact and task manager. Members can track every single phone call, email or fax that they send or receive as well as all of the personal contacts. They can send themselves reminders by email, fax or text message about important calls or meetings; and they send html-rich email newsletters to their fans.

Q: The site only services US based users at the moment – do you have plans to roll it out internationally? Any other plans for the future?

Yes, I am adding Canada in 2008, with Europe and Australia coming online in early 2009. There is a new interface coming that will be easier and faster to use. My new syndication service, GigSync, is always adding new partners. I am also finished with the Sonicbids API, that will update EPK’s in real time. I am always working on something.

Given your experiences, what is the best piece of advice you can give bands about booking shows?

Booking gigs and tours is a full time job that requires persistence and repetitive actions. If you are a new band in a new market then you have zero value in that market. If you have zero value then an agent’s commission is not going to amount to very much at the end of a tour.

Most professional agents are not able to justify picking up a band with only a moderate fan base and no history in the regional markets. This also applies to the much coveted opening slots. The whole reason for openers is to put people in the room, usually to help expose the headliner to a particular local crowd. If you have never played in a market before then you are most likely not getting the opening slot for any major headliners there either.

But you can start working on your own booking and promotional relationships right away. Start researching venues, colleges, festivals and press contacts in other markets, begin the process of establishing relationships with talent buyers in your region. Reach out, send them your press kit, do consistent and professional follow up and be persistent. You have to develop these relationships overtime, if this is going to be a career then you need to realize some of these relationships may take years to develop. Trust takes time and most talent buyers are not going to book you because you send them a generic email about your band. So there is no time better to start on these relationships than right now.

Always try and turn rejection into a long term relationship with the talent buyer. Ask for their honest evaluation and acknowledge that you might have some polishing to do. Ask them if it is okay if you keep in touch and be sure to just say hello every few months. Do not put them on your mailing list unless they tell you it is okay. You will be amazed at how receptive they can be and one of those times you call, it’s going to be the time they just had a last minute cancellation. Play smaller rooms than you need, its better to have a line at the door than it is to have 100 people in an empty cavern. Always interact with the crowd after each show, save your performance critiquing for the van. Your fans will give you places to stay, they will feed you and help you get to your next stop. They are your most valuable resource.

Written by Heather McDonald

For more education on careers in the music industry, check out: www.Music-Career-Guide.com

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The information here is general in nature. There are many different kinds of deals for shows, and your own circumstances may be different.

A. There are a few different ways opening acts are paid, and much of what determines what kind of deal you get depends on what kind of show you are playing:

The idea here is that the promotional benefit of the show is payment enough. In fact, in some instances, opening acts “buy on” to large tours, which means they pay a fee for the chance to be a support act. Although this happens, you should never commit to this kind of deal without having the advice of an agent or manager. This kind of deal is also not for you if you are not in a position to take advantage of any buzz generated by your shows – having a record deal or distribution for your music is a must to get the benefits of a buy on tour.

So, what does it all boil down to? There are not really any hard and fast rules governing deals for opening acts. In many cases, you have to approach a support slot at a gig as a promotional opportunity and not a money making venture. Think of it this way – you’re taking advantage of the change to play in front of an audience to turn those people into fans, so you can be the headliner some day.

That doesn’t mean, however, that you should accept any opening offer slot that comes your way. Although they are good promotional opportunities, you should weigh up the expense of playing the gig with the benefit you will get from it – for instance, if you have an indie rock band, it’s not worthwhile to travel 500 miles to support a hip hop act. Also, especially if you’re not getting paid, make sure you will be allowed to sell merchandise at the show. Some headliners can get weird about openers selling their albums, because it may take sales away from them, but that is one demand you should try to stick to – you may want to bend for a major opening slot opportunity, but for indie shows, you should be allowed to sell your merch. If you can, try to get in on the rider action, and try to keep your costs down by sharing gear with the headlining band.

Written by Heather McDonald

For more education on careers in the music industry, check out: www.Music-Career-Guide.com

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