Unfair business practices

[janjer1]

Okay - I know this will open up a can of worms possibly but I need to say it. There is a booking agent here in Sacramento that actually stifles free business practice. He represents a select number of bands - choosing to exclude whoever he wants for whatever personal reason he has. Then he makes exclusive contract arrangements with venues so that they are unable (or unwilling by coercion) to hire free lance bands who are not in his stable. Now - I have been a professional musician for over 35 years and understand the business. I am not against someone like this making money form being a booking agent and I don't fault the bands for signing up with him. BUT, the way he manipulates the system by excluding and forcing unaware club owners into exclusive contracts stops me from getting work in those places. Even though the quality of my product is as good or better than any - the club owner is unable (or unwilling) to even consider hiring me. This is unfair. He has no right to impede my exercise of my business. There are very limited venues here in the Sacramento area as it is and to limit my access to these venues is wrong. This is no less than the type of coercion the Mafia was accused of in the old days. Or the control unions have over certain sections of the business. If the music business on this level was more professional - I would have a formal method of complaining to the Better Business Bureau or Attorney Generals Office. But we work in a very small - off the books type of business that is open to this leech's form of manipulation. I am sick of it. I have expanded my gig search to areas I know this crum's tentacles will not reach and am polishing my product to move on to more professional markets where he cannot function. But I also think that he has too much power and should be stopped. Stopped dead. I suggest that bands who would support his deceitful practices STOP! YOU CAN CALL THE CLUBS YOUR SELF. Like the Mafia of old - this bottom feeder only has power because we (you) give it to him. Maybe you were unaware or maybe you are greedy and just don't care but this needs to be cleaned up now so future generations of musicians don't have to. You know who I referring to: D.P.
So there it is - what are we going to do about it. This is test of our collective abilities as Sacramento musicians. Can we stand together for fairness? or will we succumb to the greedy self interest that has destroyed many other areas of our economy? I wait for answers.
By the way this is not a personal thing with me and D.P. It is weather or not the musicians will be in control of our market or not.

[kenb]

Well, you said something, just not sure what. According to business practices, if someone is in charge, he or she is just that, in charge, and whatever he or she decides is how that business goes down or up. You seem to be advocating some kind of intervention by someone or some agency to stifle someone's free enterprise.

In other words, it is his business and he can do with it as he pleases. It really has nothing to do with you or your bands abilities. You just haven't hit it off for this person for some reason, and maybe it is him/her, maybe it is you, or maybe your music just isn't a fit for what he or she is doing. Or maybe its personal

There are other clubs, go play them, and work it out that way. Maybe even invite this booker to see your act. Make sure you have a crowd before you do. Most bookers really don't care about the quality of the music as much as how much money you generate.

The only situation I can think of in Sacramento that sounds like your problem is a tough nut to break, but can be done. It takes work, a soft touch, and some real diplomacy. Hope you can rise above the anger and make it work. And if not, try using someone else in the band or a friend to approach the booker

[jlev]

Don is a licensed agent with a bond posted and as far as I know does not have exclusive deals with any clubs or any bands. He has always encouraged me to develope my own accounts, just let him know what they are so we don't pitch the same rooms.

As for him having a Mafia like grip on the gigs in this town: dude, are you serious?? He handles a certain kind of room(classic rock neighborhood bars) for the most part and has really been helpful to me over the past 20 years. He comes in handy especially in the beginning of a project, finds us some work to develope,so we don't have to jump through the hoops that even the smallest of gigs require while we spend our time going after bigger fish.

He is what he is and makes no bones about it. In my experience he is basically honest and ethical. And I am not sure what you are suggesting, but if you try to book youself into a room that he booked you into you are BREAKING THE LAW!

He has a track record and all he asks from his bands is that they be proffesional, don't go behind his back and pay him his 10%(very reasonable). So what I am doing is putting my 20 years of gigs with him in one hand, and your rant in the other. Which one weighs more??

How many agents have you worked with? I have worked with some that really are gangsters and have no concern whatsoever for the artists they pimp.

[nickyn99]

It's all about product (what your band has to offer). I am the bass player in Rogue and we have been together going on 13 years and we have never used a booking agent. I have booked the band for the last 8 years and if you are polite, patient but aggressive and responsible about calling back ASAP, you will get the gigs. I have used an agent back in the day but it's a phone call and you do need product. I personally can't see giving someone 10% (and that is a deal) to make a phone call and book your band. By that, I mean when you get established in a club and they like you, you can pretty much book the year with one phone call. Again it comes back to product. If you have been doing it a long time and good at it it is a no brainer. Nothing against agents at all, they are great for a new unexperienced group of players to get in the local neighborhood bar but there is alot of those. Go to the ones that don't use an agent. I have never come across, as of yet, a club telling me I need to call an agent to get the gig and we play places that do use agents (Konocti is one). Everbody needs to make the money and again if you have good product then you really should not have problems getting the gig on your own.

PEACE - NN