Booking Live Shows – Booking Agency vs. DIY

Artists and DJs can spend countless hours honing their craft and creating a sound that defines the essence of who they are. Once their sound is ready and it’s time for a live audience, unfortunately, independent artists and DJs can hit a wall booking shows. Artists can end up spending just as many hours hustling to book shows as they do on their craft.

This begs the question: Should an artist or DJ sign with a booking agency, or do they book shows themselves?

The Booking Agency

A booking agency gives artists and DJs freedom from the headache of having to hustle and book their own shows. Artists and DJs do not have to countlessly research, email, call venues, and figure out who the talent buyer is; figure out who is a good promoter and who isn’t. A booking agency is an excellent resource at any artist’s disposal when trying to make a career out of music. 

The hassle of an agency is finding one who can deliver on getting paid gigs that will also promote and help the artist grow their craft. For example, a DJ or solo artist can play in small rooms like bars and pubs regularly. Your agency gets you booked consistently as a solo artist or DJ, and at first glance, it seems excellent, paid gigs more frequently.

Downside of the Booking Agency

But for an artist or DJ looking to grow, this could be a revolving door of booked shows, plateauing at a level and never really going up to the more serious venues. Depending on the agency how well-connected it is and the relationships. Some agencies could have you play the same kind of shows over and over again, with no real longevity or relationships. The downside is it appears you’re getting regular work but the work doesn’t make your longevity lasting. The revolving door of regular gigs but you just keep playing the same kind of pugs and clubs with no way to break through that ceiling of establishing yourself as a prime entertainer or performer. Agencies should not just get you gigs but also guide you on a journey to becoming an established artist or DJ.   On top of that revolving door, you must pay the agency 15% of what you make at each show (15% is the industry standard, not necessarily every artist’s contractual amount and some artists may have to give up more or less to their agencies). 

Booking agencies are an excellent tool for taking your music to the next level and should be considered if you feel it’s the right option. They take the headache away of having to do it yourself and can help elevate your craft to bigger and better audiences. A booking agency’s primary goal is to get you booked. Still, it’s also A/R and artist development, taking an artist or DJ and molding the potential into the best possible version of what your career and artistry should be. 

Funktasy/Vancouver Queen Elizabeth Theatre

Booking Shows Yourself 

As an independent artist or DJ, booking your shows is not impossible, but it does give you a headache of doing everything an agency does but doing it yourself while you’re also trying to develop your craft and garnering a fanbase. 

You get to keep all the money but contact talent buyers, and go on a huge research endeavor of venues that play music and figure out even if they would have you perform. It is not impossible; just look at the Wipers who did it before the internet and had access to an actual vinyl press to be able to pr and Machine Girl, the hardcore electronic duo from NY. The Wipers were the pioneers of DIY because they had access to a vinyl press and self-established themselves as opposed to any other rock band or artist at the time in the late 70s. Machine Girl broke out in 2013 and used the internet to mind connections and promotions of their hardcore punk-inspired techno that allowed them to flourish in the DIY scene.

Booking your shows can be a hassle because those venues as an artist, depending on how far along you are in your career, may not take you seriously. It’s no secret that the music business can be gatekept and sometimes shady. The most famous example is Mo-Town Records with Barry Gordy who took advantage of young and up-and-coming artists paying them little for their music and Barry making millions off impressionable new artists.

Booking-Agent-io

Booking-Agent.io

As an independent artist, if you don’t seem to know what you’re doing, they can hang up on you, not give you correct information, just waste your time, and take advantage of you. This is where an agency has the reputation of its business to be able to get that information. 

Is there a way for artists and DJs to make it easier on themselves to book shows to elevate their careers? 

A new AI software called Booking-Agent.IO that launched this year is helping independent artists and DJs make booking shows even less work for themselves. 

Funktasy sat down with the founder Ryan Abraham of Booking-Agent.IO and asked him about Booking-Agent.io

How Does Booking-Agent.io’s Software Make It Easier to Book Live Shows?

“The standout feature of Booking-Agent.io is the ability to search by artist or band name and allows users to identify venues where similar artists—those in the same genre or with comparable fan bases—have previously played,” Abraham says. “From there, users can access direct contact information for the venue’s talent buyer, booking manager, or other key decision-makers.”

Abraham says Booking-Agent.IO If you’re an emerging artist or DJ, helps find venues that align with your sound using its state-of-the-art AI software so artists and DJs can work with the most up-to-date data on venue curation.

“Booking-Agent.io bridges that gap by giving artists the same level of access to key venue contacts as a booking agent would,” Abraham says.

Do Artists Consistently Get Booked Using Your Software?

“Booking agents prioritize more established acts, leaving smaller, up-and-coming artists to fend for themselves,” Abraham says. “Booking-Agent.io bridges that gap by giving artists the same level of access to key venue contacts as a booking agent would. 

“Many artists using Booking-Agent.io have successfully leveraged [the software] to book multiple shows, expand into new markets, and build momentum in their live performance careers, whether it’s filling a last-minute slot in a neighboring city or planning a multi-city tour,” Abraham says.

Booking Shows Independently Has Become Easier in The Last 10-15 Years…

Artists are beginning to have more power than ever before. But you can’t deny the ease with which agency representation elevates your music and audience. How an artist or DJ should choose independent or agency representation just depends on who the DJ or artist is.

Funktasy Booking Agency

Funktasy Booking Agency is a boutique agency specializing in connecting DJs and performers with venues worldwide. If you’re an active artist looking to take your live performances to the next level, explore the opportunities with Funktasy Booking Agency today!