HOW
TO BOOK YOUR OWN CONCERTS
INSTRUCTOR:
ROBERT BESEN
MANNES COLLEGE OF MUSIC
EXTENSION DIVISION
SPRING 2001
Purpose
Most artists are not
fortunate enough to have quality professional management. These artists
(and even those who do have management) stand to benefit tremendously from
a thorough knowledge of the process of booking a concert engagement.
These skills will serve them well in:
-
Getting the work that
will launch and sustain their careers.
-
Developing their careers
to a level at which they will be attractive to management agencies.
-
Giving them an understanding
of how concert presenters and agents operate, and the savvy they need to
work effectively with them throughout their careers.
It is a myth that concert
presenters are willing to hire only artists with management; indeed, the
majority are willing to work directly with artists, and many prefer it.
This course provides an in-depth and practical look at the process of finding
and communicating with concert presenters: learning how to make one’s
work interesting to them and their audiences, negotiating fees, drawing
up contracts, and seeing events through to a con-clusion so that the needs
of artist and concert presenter alike are met. Interactive role-playing
with concert presenters from around the country (using a speaker phone)
will allow students to gain practical experience.
Course
Outline
Week 1. Introduction &
Getting Your Materials In Order: Basics of Press Kits & Recordings
Week 2. Who Am I?: Gaining
a verbal understanding of your own work; understanding your work in the
context of the industry
Week 3. Who’d Be Interested
in Me?: The Research Process
Week 4. Tooting Your Own
Horn (Part I): Getting a presenter’s attention
Week 5. Tooting Your Own
Horn (Part II): Keeping a presenter’s attention
Week 6. Tooting Your Own
Horn (Part III): The follow-up process
Week 7. Tooting Your Own
Horn (Review) & Getting Someone Else to Toot Your Horn: Finding &
Training a Personal Representative
Week 8. What Am I Worth?
(Part I): The Art of Negotiation
Week 9. What Am I Worth?
(Part II): The Art of Negotiation (continued)
Week 10. At Your Service
(Part I): How to Read & Write Contracts
Week 11. At Your Service
(Part II): Logistics: From the Contract to the Concert (And After)
Week 12. Final Exam: Turning
in of research lists and oral exam
BesenArts
HOME