Members MartinC Posted June 23, 2007 Members Share Posted June 23, 2007 My agent wants me to hand out only his business cards at a gig, and I'm ok with that. But sometimes, he doesn't supply them. So, I don't have anything to give out. People get annoyed sometimes. But, over the years, I've given out many cards, and am pretty sure that it never ever led to a decent gig. So, since my agent would be pissed if he found out that I was giving out my own, and he often leaves me without his, I just tell people I do have a card, it comes with a cd, and cost 20.00:p I know, I can be a smartass, but do you all feel that giving out your card at gigs has been productive? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Blackbelt1 Posted June 23, 2007 Members Share Posted June 23, 2007 Unless I had an exclusive agreement with an agent, whereby he/she earned a cut off of every gig I played (whether found & booked through the agent or not), I would hand out my own cards at gigs. ~Blackbelt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ChordGirl Posted June 23, 2007 Members Share Posted June 23, 2007 We don't have business cards. We hand out 4X5" schedules on cardstock with our contact info. We have gotten a handful of small parties and some bar gigs this way. Then again, we don't have an agent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members fingerpicker Posted June 23, 2007 Members Share Posted June 23, 2007 It is common to hand out the agents card, with your name/group on it, at the agents gig.If you run out of cards you should have him give you more-- beforeyou run out. If he never has any to give you then I don't know... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Crownman Posted June 23, 2007 Members Share Posted June 23, 2007 If the agent isn't getting you the cards when you ask for them then he has no right to get pissed about you handing out anything else. He's causing his own loss, not you. Business is business. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mrcpro Posted June 23, 2007 Members Share Posted June 23, 2007 Business cards are essential if you want to score those lucrative private parties, wedding receptions, class reunions... that sort of thing. If your band isn't into those kinds of gigs, it's not that big a deal I guess. I've got tons of private gigs off card response, but bar gigs are a different matter. There are a couple that have my card pinned up on an office board for handy reference though. Here's what I'd do. Make up your own cards, put your name and contact info on it instead of your agent's, and don't pay a commission on any jobs that result. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members crossways Posted June 24, 2007 Members Share Posted June 24, 2007 That seems so shady to me. You pay for his services, but YOU have to give out the cards?!?!? On one hand I guess that if he scored you the gig, then that I guess I might be able to understand a little bit. But not much. He probably used some kind of line like "your the musician, your job is to play and entertain. Let me do the grunt work of securing your shows." Yeah..... So after you play your set, then you have to go around making the connections and networking for him. hmmmmmm.....I don't like that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members rhat Posted June 24, 2007 Members Share Posted June 24, 2007 That seems so shady to me. You pay for his services, but YOU have to give out the cards?!?!? If you can book a gig without the shark ,,, do it. Its not like the guy owns you or anything. Unless he is paying you a paycheck every week gig or no gig, its pretty well a free for all. If he books a show , he gets paid, If you book one ,, he doesnt. It would be stupid to give exclusive rights to your bands bookings to anyone who just works on a comission. If he can keep you booked ,, you wont have dates open to book yourself, so the guy has nothing to bitch about..... rat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members fingerpicker Posted June 24, 2007 Members Share Posted June 24, 2007 If the agent finds out you got a gig on your own from one of his gigs he probably will not hire you anymore. I've done both ways, using an agent and on my own. When I was on an agents gig if someone wanted to hire me, I would give out the agents card, with my name stamped on it. All fees were agreed on before hand, so I was making good money, and so was he.If I would've snaked him he would eventually have found out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members rhat Posted June 24, 2007 Members Share Posted June 24, 2007 If the agent finds out you got a gig on your own from one of his gigs he probably will not hire you anymore.I've done both ways, using an agent and on my own. When I was on an agents gig if someone wanted to hire me, I would give out the agents card, with my name stamped on it. All fees were agreed on before hand, so I was making good money, and so was he.If I would've snaked him he would eventually have found out. That seems like a fair way to do it .... but then if its private party and you were actually the one that sold it on a break. That is a grey area... it wasnt like that agent was at that gig working the crowd for leads for you now was it? I guess i am not the kind of guy who farms out sales on anything. I bought and sold my own home without an agent ... and used to buy and sell airplanes without agents. Never had a band booking agent. I always felt that i looked out for myself better than an agent would. Personal preference i guess .. some people dont like sales or making sales calls. I never minded it ,, even when i was young playing in bands. rat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members coyote-1 Posted June 24, 2007 Members Share Posted June 24, 2007 You need to be up-front when negotiating with an agent. Let him/her know that you ARE available for hire elsewhere, that you are not the agent's exclusive property - unless the agent gets you good gigs and "helps you help him". The agent should be giving you boxes of cards! This is a no-brainer - in the old days, my bands got a great deal of work based on the job we were doing. If the agent expects a cut, he's gotta earn it. If the agent finds out you got a gig on your own from one of his gigs he probably will not hire you anymore.I've done both ways, using an agent and on my own. When I was on an agents gig if someone wanted to hire me, I would give out the agents card, with my name stamped on it. All fees were agreed on before hand, so I was making good money, and so was he.If I would've snaked him he would eventually have found out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members fingerpicker Posted June 24, 2007 Members Share Posted June 24, 2007 You need to be up-front when negotiating with an agent. Let him/her know that you ARE available for hire elsewhere, that you are not the agent's exclusive property - unless the agent gets you good gigs and "helps you help him". Well of course!! The reason I used an sgent was he provided me with high paying gigs. I still had gigs that I was doing on my own that he had no part of. I was also playing like crazy, 6-8 gigs a week. He made 20% of the gross on the gigs he booked. I actually saw most of the contracts so I new the real amount was the amount he was saying. This guy was up-front, and honest. To give you an idea:Wedding ceremony----classic guitar $200 gross (I get $160)Partys -----100+ an hour (I get 80+ an hour)A few "regular" gigs: 3 1/2 hours I'd get $125In New years 1999 I did a duo gig through him and my cut was a GRAND. Now I moved, getting gigs on my own, and can't break past $150 for a four hour regular. Most wont pay past $100. To stay competitve with parties I've dropped my rate to $75 an hour.(Solo) I'll work with my old agent any day! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members newmaxnew Posted June 24, 2007 Members Share Posted June 24, 2007 We hand out our band business cards when asked. It has led to several decent gigs. We also give them to people who want to find out where we are playing next because it has our web address on it. We do have a band member that abuses the cards a bit and uses them to try and impress girls when he is out drinking. Max Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members rhat Posted June 24, 2007 Members Share Posted June 24, 2007 We hand out our band business cards when asked. It has led to several decent gigs. We also give them to people who want to find out where we are playing next because it has our web address on it.We do have a band member that abuses the cards a bit and uses them to try and impress girls when he is out drinking.Max Any card you can get into someones hand is going to do you some good. Even if its just some drunk girl at a bar. It gets your bands name out there. You never know whos hands that card might end up in. I know i used to get calls two and three years about seaplane lessons after i shut down the business. People would say ,, i came across your business card. People tend to hang onto business cards ... and you never know when they will turn into work. rat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members MartinC Posted June 24, 2007 Author Members Share Posted June 24, 2007 That seems so shady to me. You pay for his services, but YOU have to give out the cards?!?!? On one hand I guess that if he scored you the gig, then that I guess I might be able to understand a little bit. But not much. He probably used some kind of line like "your the musician, your job is to play and entertain. Let me do the grunt work of securing your shows." Yeah..... So after you play your set, then you have to go around making the connections and networking for him. hmmmmmm.....I don't like that. No, it's not like that. i don't go around networking-if someone approaches me and asks for a card, I give them the agent's card, that's it. I don't hustle gigs anymore. I used to go out and target the clubs I wanted to work in, and deal direct with the owner or manager and we would make maybe a hundred a man. This agent does corporates and weddings, and some really high end rooms in big hotels. I can't get to those clients directly-they are his clients. He asks me what I want to charge for every gig, then adds his 20% and trys to sell the gig. Since I provided him with a cd, our fees have gone to no less than 400 for a solo, up to 3k for a four piece. I'm happy to do the 10 -15 gigs a year he throws my way, and don't really want to do three sets in a club for a hundred anymore. Paid semi retirement. Severance for thirty years of guitar playing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members lonotes Posted June 24, 2007 Members Share Posted June 24, 2007 You never know whos hands that card might end up in. Or where those hands might have been... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members crossways Posted June 24, 2007 Members Share Posted June 24, 2007 No, it's not like that. i don't go around networking-if someone approaches me and asks for a card, I give them the agent's card, that's it. I don't hustle gigs anymore. I used to go out and target the clubs I wanted to work in, and deal direct with the owner or manager and we would make maybe a hundred a man. This agent does corporates and weddings, and some really high end rooms in big hotels. I can't get to those clients directly-they are his clients. He asks me what I want to charge for every gig, then adds his 20% and trys to sell the gig. Since I provided him with a cd, our fees have gone to no less than 400 for a solo, up to 3k for a four piece. I'm happy to do the 10 -15 gigs a year he throws my way, and don't really want to do three sets in a club for a hundred anymore. Paid semi retirement. Severance for thirty years of guitar playing. Ok, that's seems much more reasonable. I guess I misunderstood. Sounds like a good situation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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