How to Become a Music Agent

Musicians may have lots of talent and a passion for their music, but if they are ever to become successful in the music industry, they'll need a "music agent". While musicians concentrate on their music, instruments and performance, someone else needs to handle the "business" part, which involves booking performances, negotiating contracts, collecting payments, overseeing the musicians and the logistics of getting to and setting up equipment, and promoting the musician or band. If the band is to seriously advance their career, a music agent who is dedicated to making the contacts and doing the hard work at "lining things up" is a necessity.

Learn as much as you can about business, the record industry, and even some of the basic technical aspects of music recording and production. It is not necessary to have a college degree in business or in the recording industry, but a background in sales and general business is a big plus. You will be dealing with legal contracts, so form an association with an attorney whom you can get advice from when contract questions arise. You will need good organizational skills and the ability to juggle and track dates and meetings, and to return calls at prearranged times. The ability to communicate clearly and effectively with others will be an important asset, as you'll be talking extensively with club owners, record companies, music promoters, engineers and the musicians whom you represent. The more you know about every aspect of the industry, the better prepared you will be to handle any problems that may occur, and you'll be better equipped to talk to others intelligently, such as studio engineers and sound check board operators. Learn the basics of recording, mixing and standard digital production software programs such as ProTools. Some studios, colleges, and even online courses are available that teach many different aspects of studio recording.

Set up an office with at least a minimum of office supplies, a computer, an Internet connection with an email account, a dedicated phone number, and an answering machine. A cell phone will also be important, as you will be spending much time on the road meeting club owners, radio DJs, be at band rehearsals, and the like. If starting on a shoe-string budget, you don't need to rent office space. Simply set up a dedicated room in your home to get things rolling. Go to your bank and open a checking account to be solely used for business expenses. Keep track of mileage and other expenses either in a business journal or on your computer with software programs such as QuickenTM and QuickbooksTM. Word processing and scheduling programs will also be valuable.

Meeting people in person and building a list of contacts is essential, but takes time. While much work can be done on the phone and with email, there's no substitute for physically meeting one-on-one to form business relationships. You'll need a car. Check with local and state labor laws and unions in the event you will need any licenses (music agencies that act like employment agencies, for example, require a license in some states such as California). Get information from the American Federation of Musicians for more information. If possible, talk to as many people in the music business as you can. You can learn something from just about everybody!

Record a "demo" CD. You'll need a sample of your "product," that is, a representation of what the band sounds like (a video DVD is also a possibility). It's worth investing a little money to get a good recording in a studio and to produce several hundred CDs. This CD will be used in many ways. You'll take it to club owners to book performance dates. Send copies to all the local radio stations and local newspapers that have entertainment sections. Plan on giving away copies to fans that attend the clubs during performances. Building a fan base is vital to continued bookings. Ask local music stores if you can leave some copies to give away to customers. Run a few ads in local newspapers with play dates and locations to bring the fans out.

Contact-building will be your next order of business, assuming you already have musicians and bands that you represent. You'll want to build a strong following for you band locally first, and then expand the area where they are well-known. Make appointments to meet all the local club owners. Make appointments with the DJs of the radio stations that you sent demo CDs to, and ask if they would like an interview with your band. Do the same with local newspapers. Write press releases ("Local Band Makes Good"). Promotion is extremely important, and all forms of media, including the Internet, should be tapped for as much publicity as possible (check out www.MusicBizAcademy.com for information on promoting music on the "net"). Sponsors and concert promoters will also be people with whom you will need to develop personal relationships. Eventually, you'll want to begin investigating record companies, both small independent companies and big corporations, to work toward getting your band signed. Once signed, the record label will do much of the work regarding recording, artwork for CD covers, and marketing.