getting an agent. whens the right time?

[rhythmtech]

been thinking bout this a lot lately.

although im getting plenty of gigs over here in ireland its very hard to get anything sorted for uk and europe as its impossible to network in person. was thinking the time might be right to try and get an agent as my third release is due anyday now.. maybe its too soon?

anyone got any experiences with agents, advice on who might be suited or general opinions on the matter?

thanx

[dan the acid man]

i think if you have the time to do it yourself, then keep doing it yourself

[rhythmtech]

time isnt the problem though.. i have more than enough time to organise my gigs.. but outside of ireland and uk i really dont know any promoters.. and its very disheartening when email after email dont get replies.. whereas an agent would have the network already there..

i'd still look after my own gigs here though

[eyeswithoutaface]

with all due respect, you'd have to be someone pretty well on their way to being massive already to have an actual agent take you on. It's agencies who you should target if you wanna go through that route. I personally wouldnt, it's a personal thing i'd say i wouldnt trust anyone else to sort out my stuff for me in any respect, agencies are different in the sense that if you want to just pull in as many gigs as possible they will no doubt help you, but you have to work alot harder to make them wanna keep hold of you. 3 releases in probably wont tempt many of them unless your a really, really good dj too who is likely to bring enough gigs in to make their 10% or whatever it is 10% of something worthy. Business comes into it alot more as soon as agencies are involved.

good thread actually, food for thought at least. I personally wouldnt really wanna sign with an agency but i'm not pushing myself in the sense of wanting to be out gigging every weekend so i'm happy.

be interesting to see how u get on if you do approach a few, let us know mate

[rhythmtech]

well i'll see what happens.. might leave it till new year.. theres another few releases planned for after xmas and one is quite big so that might het me a bit more attention?

[eyeswithoutaface]

well how big the producer deems their next release to be wont matter much at all to an agency, they would want to see it sell very well and for the next few eps to do just as well to be convinced that your worth taking on. That coupled with great skills as a dj etc etc. There are all kinds of reasons how people get onto agencies, dont forget alot consist of tight knit groups of friends who probably arent even bringing it that many bookings, but are able to at least SAY they are an agency, if you get me? It's different with say the top agencies like Dynamix where their artists are all proven at what they do

[The Overfiend]

I think you should do what you feel is more condusive to your own career.
If you feel obtaining an agent would help further your chances of getting booked, which via the monster called networking may help.
Then so be it.
At the end of the day your releases serve as a promotional tool to your dj career in some instances.
But if you truly feel you have the talent and the chops to hang with the big boys then I see no reason to hold yourself back and not obtain a booking agent.

[The Overfiend]

It's all about initiative in the present state of things.
Everything is a risk.

[rhythmtech]

@ eyes:

its more the label thats big rather thhen me thinking thhat the release is gonna be big (unfortunatly, much as i would love to, in this day and ahe i havent a clue if it will be a big seller), but i do get where you're coming from.

@ sam:

you're right, everything is a risk these days but hopefully some agencies are willing to take a risk.. i cant see how taking on an artist is any big outlay for an agency (but then again i dont know the ins and outs of how they work).

does anyone know of any agencies?

the only ones i know of or have dealt with are

kinetic djz (space djz, inigo kennedy etc)
sufcollective
and 1 or 2 more i cant remember off the top of my head..

maybe someone knows some smaller agencies?

[eyeswithoutaface]

yeah agreed everything is a risk these days, Intergroove going down the other day just backs that up really. You will probably just get alot of conflicting opinions on this thread actually because i think agencies are a bit kinda "marmite" if you get me.

[RDR]

yeah agreed everything is a risk these days, Intergroove going down the other day just backs that up really. You will probably just get alot of conflicting opinions on this thread actually because i think agencies are a bit kinda "marmite" if you get me.

eh..

when did intergrove go down? missed that one (reminds self to not bury head in sand...)

[RDR]

Just read about it now... christ thats bad news...

its one thing after another these days isnt it..

what next?

[ant]

Ello mate. Just checking the new BOA site properly and I caught onto this thread. Thought Id shine some light onto it.
The first thing to bear in mind (and this is a big mis-conception about agencies) is that 99.99% of agencies rule of thumb is that they don't promote the artist. They are simply there for handling bookings. Yes there are things such as websites etc to "advertise" the agency, its artists and its existence, but you'll find that very little, if any money gets put into actually "promoting" the artists individually. This is 100% up to them.
Yes, agencies have a big book of contacts and is a good networking platform but most of the time (not always) its one way traffic. i.e. promoters getting in touch with the agent. When people get in contact to book an artist, they are normally very specific about who they want and if that artist is unavailable, things either get filtered through the remaining free artists on that date, or the promoter decides to change the date. I think what im trying to say is that joining an agency will not get you more work. Its purely booking representation.
Of course there are benefits as well as downsides. If the demand is there, an agency will take all the stress out of negociating dates, flights, money, visas etc... a godsend in my opinion! One of the downsides though, is that an agency will frown upon you doing your own bookings. You either have to be 100% on it or 100% off it. This is a necessity with any agency. Firstly, it eliminates the embarrasing situation of being booked for 2 different gigs on the same date, but more importantly its about commitment. A good agent will work hard so all parties are happy and that the gigs, flights, visas, etc work and run smoothly. This costs time and money (here we go with the boring business side of things!!!) We'd like it all to be free but unfortunately its not. To phone a mobile in South America 3 times a day you need to take out a mortgage! So if you were to go off and do bookings on the side without giving back to the agency, they wont be very happy. Firstly, they would be loosing out on potential booking fee if a date came in for you and you were'nt available, but also it just messes with the workings and formula that the agency adheres to. Things get complicated and its more stress than its worth.
That commitment works both ways though. Even though an agency tends not to promote, of course it is in their interest to get you work. This is just done by selling people over the phone. This comes back to demand which ultimately is up to the artists self-promotion.
I'm waffling now so Im gonna wrap it up. I wouldn't stress over it too much, thinking that maybe you're loosing bookings not being with an agency. You may find youre better off not being on one. That you get more gigs without. Henry took that route and is perfectly happy, whereas Chris couldn't survive without Rachel. Its entirely your desicion if and when, but its certanly not one that is career changing.

[ant]

I think what im trying to say is that joining an agency will not get you more work. Its purely booking representation.

Sorry, thisline should read:
I think what im trying to say is that joining an agency will not immediately grant you access to all the contacts and wont always results in more work. Its mostly booking representation.

[Aratron]

Ello mate. Just checking the new BOA site properly and I caught onto this thread. Thought Id shine some light onto it.
The first thing to bear in mind (and this is a big mis-conception about agencies) is that 99.99% of agencies rule of thumb is that they don't promote the artist. They are simply there for handling bookings. Yes there are things such as websites etc to "advertise" the agency, its artists and its existence, but you'll find that very little, if any money gets put into actually "promoting" the artists individually. This is 100% up to them.
Yes, agencies have a big book of contacts and is a good networking platform but most of the time (not always) its one way traffic. i.e. promoters getting in touch with the agent. When people get in contact to book an artist, they are normally very specific about who they want and if that artist is unavailable, things either get filtered through the remaining free artists on that date, or the promoter decides to change the date. I think what im trying to say is that joining an agency will not get you more work. Its purely booking representation.
Of course there are benefits as well as downsides. If the demand is there, an agency will take all the stress out of negociating dates, flights, money, visas etc... a godsend in my opinion! One of the downsides though, is that an agency will frown upon you doing your own bookings. You either have to be 100% on it or 100% off it. This is a necessity with any agency. Firstly, it eliminates the embarrasing situation of being booked for 2 different gigs on the same date, but more importantly its about commitment. A good agent will work hard so all parties are happy and that the gigs, flights, visas, etc work and run smoothly. This costs time and money (here we go with the boring business side of things!!!) We'd like it all to be free but unfortunately its not. To phone a mobile in South America 3 times a day you need to take out a mortgage! So if you were to go off and do bookings on the side without giving back to the agency, they wont be very happy. Firstly, they would be loosing out on potential booking fee if a date came in for you and you were'nt available, but also it just messes with the workings and formula that the agency adheres to. Things get complicated and its more stress than its worth.
That commitment works both ways though. Even though an agency tends not to promote, of course it is in their interest to get you work. This is just done by selling people over the phone. This comes back to demand which ultimately is up to the artists self-promotion.
I'm waffling now so Im gonna wrap it up. I wouldn't stress over it too much, thinking that maybe you're loosing bookings not being with an agency. You may find youre better off not being on one. That you get more gigs without. Henry took that route and is perfectly happy, whereas Chris couldn't survive without Rachel. Its entirely your desicion if and when, but its certanly not one that is career changing.

wiser and drier words have never been spoken afore on here dude! respect

[massplanck]

hmm. someone has a big impression of themselves that for sure.

agency? wtf? are we talking Louis Walsh here or what?

why not waterdown your sound? make some pop music or something?

maybe when techno gets back ontop of itself (ie people not posting about being pissed off about getting enough gigs) and actually becomes a proper medium of expression that ALL people feel then we can talk about not getting enough gigs.

**** sake. Boa get grip. Boa is going the way of intergroove etc.. out with the **** old. in with the new i say... people who are more worried about the true message of what we do as opposed to using it as a means to an end.. as career.. respect.. money.. whatever.

no offence rythmtech. i like alot of what you say etc.. but this is so retarded it made me break my boa ban to reply to it.

bigup eyes... listen to what he says. SOS **** all that business/career shit. what are you on about>

jesus fcuking christ

[massplanck]

ok im a bit pissed. i dunno why i came on here to pick old scabs. Rhythmtech is a sound dude.. and i understand why he might of asked the question.. but it could have been anyone else and would have reacted the same way. rip intergroove/pureplactic/boa whatever. stop hanging onto the coatails of something dead.. time to emerge from the ashes with somthing that actually says something about life as opposed to something that mimics that same old bollocks that techno has become'.

this goes for agent hunters and much as dark techno nerds. you are all missing the point as far as i am concerned.


massplanck> acting the maggot agin :)

[Clit Commander]

ok im a bit pissed. i dunno why i came on here to pick old scabs. Rhythmtech is a sound dude.. and i understand why he might of asked the question.. but it could have been anyone else and would have reacted the same way. rip intergroove/pureplactic/boa whatever. stop hanging onto the coatails of something dead.. time to emerge from the ashes with somthing that actually says something about life as opposed to something that mimics that same old bollocks that techno has become'.

this goes for agent hunters and much as dark techno nerds. you are all missing the point as far as i am concerned.


massplanck> acting the maggot agin :)

No need to be so aggressive, it's not the worse question asked compared to some of the retarded ones that pop up on this forum.

To answer your question...
Ant did a nice job of summing things up. In short, don't get an agent unless you really need one. Most agencies won't push you even if they tell you they will. That's only going to happen if you come across somebody who is a hard worker and really believes in you, or you're a huge DJ they can make a lot of money from. On top of that, most promoters hate dealing with agents. Agents are good if you suck at the business end of things or can't speak the language. Aside from that you can probably do better on your own just by searching the net for various club nights and clubs and contacting them directly. And while not always true, it does help a lot to have some decent sized records out.

[rhythmtech]

@ ant..

cheers for the wisdom m8, wise words indeed
.. now would you ever get back to me regarding the other thing we we're talkin about :briggin:

@ massplankton..

not really a high opinion of myself.. more looking for a way to get away from just playing ireland and a few uk gigs.

@everyone else

cheerz for the input.

[eyeswithoutaface]

you would honestly be 100 times better just getting in touch with the uk clubs and sending more and more CD's out from my experience, i know the scene very well over here and there are alot more clubs who are totally trying to strip away the business feel to their nights in all aspects, including in how they book their dj's. There are the obvious nights like Voodoo and Atomic Jam the big hitters as it were who stick to pretty rigid rosters usually via the big agencys, but there are tons of smaller clubs about and i'd personally just get in touch with alot more of them.

I can see Massplanks point definately, i was a little taken aback when i first read it to be honest. You need an agenct if your someone like Preach's size, or looking like your heading that way sometime soon, and with all due respect its kinda like running before you can walk. Your "career" hasnt even started yet, as neither has mine or anyone else i know with only around 4 releases to their name, whilst personally being a significant milestone from the first release, commerically its really nothing, as it's become so easy to get records signed and released these days that it is mainly just an expensive promotional tool until your music starts to form your whole image as an artist, with your own defined sound and significant sales to back it up

i really wouldnt worry about agencies or agents or anything like that for a couple of years, if at all. No one NEEDS them, it is more than possible to do everything yourself and imo it keeps that ever more present stench of business, business, business just a little more at bay.