• Student Phobia. A majority of college booking agents are students. If you don’t like it, don’t bother performing on college campuses. You have to be willing to work with students who may only have a few years experience, most likely less.

Regardless of experience or age, do not condescend or speak down to student booking agents. If a student tells you that he or she books the bands, don’t avoid them by asking to speak to someone else. You might be surprised just how intelligent and professional that student can be despite length of experience.

The best attitude you can have is one that is flexible. Work with booking agents so they can learn to better help you. After all, chances are, that student is going to decide whether or not you get the show.

• Not arriving on time. Seems easy, but apparently it’s not. If you’re given an arrival time, abide by it. The “traffic” excuse is no excuse at all. Traffic is everywhere. Plan ahead for traffic and other complications. My university asks bands to arrive two hours early. So when one band arrived two hours late because of traffic, we told them they were in breach of contract by not arriving on time. After all, we had staff members who were able to get to work on time by using the same freeways.

If you suspect you’ll arrive late (it better be a good excuse), call the college and inform them of your situation. When we expect bands to arrive two hours before show time, we definitely start to worry when an hour has passed, you’re MIA, and no one has called to let us know you even remember having a show that day.

• Diva Behavior… guys, you’re guilty of it too! If you or any of your band-mates is a diva, it’s time to have a reality check about what this type of behavior can do to your music career. College booking agents, and others, avoid these types like the bubonic plague. Why should we work with a difficult diva when we can avoid the drama by booking a band that’s actually going to be nice to people?

A college booking agent will be more inclined to book you again if they know you’re not going to be an egotistical narcissist. There’s a long list of big-name bands that have fallen from grace due to diva members. Underground bands are no exception.

• Hostility. There is NO EXCUSE for pushy, demanding, angry or disrespectful behavior. This just makes you look hostile and no one will want to work with you. Never lose your temper with a booking agent, even if the problem is their fault. If something goes terribly wrong, stay calm and work towards a solution.

Not too long ago, a band that played at my college received a paycheck for a lower amount than on the contract. They were patient with us and at no point were hostile. We discovered it was a computer error, apologized, and worked fast to send them a check for the rest of the amount. We booked them again.

On another occasion, a band’s manager became very upset with me after not receiving his paycheck on the day he expected. He didn’t turn in the contract before a deadline and it was only going to take another day or two to process. He completely disregarded our policies and demanded that I “fetch” his paycheck right away. He got the paycheck and a spot on our college’s Black List for acting more like a bully than a band manager.

• Disorderly Behavior. This shouldn’t even have to be addressed, and yet it happens. Acting like a trouble-maker is a definite way to repel colleges from you and it’s just plain disrespectful. I’ve seen and heard my fair share. Everything from showing up high, showing up drunk, harassing students, arguing with staff and damaging school property. This kind of behavior not only reflects poorly on you, but the entertainment committee that hired you – a good reason to never hire you again.

• Being unprepared. While mistakes happen, nothing is more embarrassing than forgetting something really essential to playing the show. I haven’t blacklisted all bands who commit this mistake, but I can’t help thinking twice about booking them again. Being unprepared can lead to delays, unplayable songs and a number of other complications.

A tip from one of my musician friends: set up in your driveway as if you’re going to perform right there, then pack up everything, leaving nothing behind.

• Not following directions. Some bands do not like being told what to do. But when you’re a guest on a college campus, you have to follow the rules laid out for you. Those rules are set forth for a reason.

At my college, we have a dock for unloading equipment but parking is not allowed since it’s used for other campus needs. When a band failed to move their cars to a designated parking area after we repeatedly told them to move, they all got tickets from campus police. And no, we did not pay the tickets.

• Playing too loud. This may seem out of place since it probably won’t get you blacklisted or ruin your relationship with a college, but it’s not exactly the best thing to do during your performance. You want spectators to enjoy your music, not to look around for a pair of earplugs.

Many colleges have noise ordinances restricting how loud music can get for the sake of spectators and classes taking place during the show. Blasting your music way louder than is necessary will cause annoyance and it’s not great for the audience’s ears. For more information about hearing loss check out the following articles brought to you by Sonic Weekly.
Article links.

If you think you can get away with this type of behavior, take a word from Paul Spella of the University of New Mexico, “We don’t have to have you play here. There are plenty of other bands who want to play here.” His attitude is shared by many college booking agents who want nothing more than a good show and a positive experience for both you and the college. We booking agents hire you because we love music and we are excited about the possibility of hearing you live. We picked you out of hundreds, maybe thousands of inquiries to come to campus. Always be gracious to the college that hosts you and build a relationship for future performances. Don’t let a mistake minimize your market.

Look out for the third part of this series, where we’ll explore the next level of marketing yourself to colleges at NACA (The National Association for Campus Activities), one of the largest groups in the country devoted to selling entertainers to college campuses.

Contributors to this article include:
Paul Spella, University of New Mexico, NM – Student Union, Concerts
John Rios, Montana State University, MT – Concerts Director
Nathan Kogut, Colorado State University, CO – A.S.A.P. Concerts

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NACA – What it can do for your music career, and how to get involved.

It’s called the National Association for Campus Activities, NACA. For more than a thousand colleges and universities across the country, an NACA conference is one-stop shopping, complete with audition-style showcases, face-to-face interaction with talent, and endless networking opportunities.

Since 1960, NACA has been hosting conventions and showcases across the country to bring sellers and buyers of college entertainment together.  And it’s not just for bands. Conventions also include comedians, speakers, promotional agencies, and other performing artists. The one criteria: have crowd appeal broad enough for the picky college circuit.

Booking Agent Heaven

Recently, I had the opportunity to go to a NACA regional conference in Reno, Nevada. I was excited by the thought of going to a casino hotel in Reno for three days. But after a couple of hours, I forgot our hotel even had a casino. The convention schedule keeps booking agents busy from dawn til’ way beyond dusk. For us, that meant classes, workshops, showcases, conference meals, interactive activities, the talent market, maybe a quick shower, then another showcase and the talent market again. Exhausting, but it’s all worth it.

NACA is a universe of talent and information unto itself. As a college planner looking for bands, the conference allowed me to see acts play live, meet them in person, and network with other colleges interested in hiring similar artists.

As a band, a NACA convention allows you to get the attention of several dozen colleges in one location. But like many other prospects in the college entertainment industry, this is an investment that requires time, money and hard work.

Artists can apply through the NACA website. Just remember to do it months in advance, because the showcase selection process is competitive, and requires an application package, including a well-produced video. Bands that don’t make the showcase cut can still rent a booth at a NACA event, but won’t have the chance to perform in front of a large, targeted audience.

Which Events Should You Hit?

NACA has seven Regional Conferences divided by location. These conferences are open to all member colleges within the listed region. For a list and map of the regions, go to the NACA website.

Every Spring, NACA has a Mid Altantic Festival which showcases about 50 entertainers and groups, including agents and promotional companies. This festival is open to schools located in New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland and Washington D.C.

Every February, NACA hosts its National Convention, the largest campus activities marketplace in the country. It’s a four-day event with over 2,000 delegates from more than 450 schools. The convention also hosts classes on leadership and business for attending students, which makes it a great place to meet a future manager, promoter, or producer.

No Small Investment

There are two types of NACA membership for a band: Regional Membership ($351) and National Membership ($710). With a Regional Membership, you have access to a region of your choice (West, South, Central, etc.), but with National Membership, you have access to all regions. Sounds expensive, I know, but that’s because there’s some serious money to be earned here.

Showcasing live is not guaranteed once you become a member and it will require extra fees to apply to be part of the showcase. And if you’re chosen, more fees. But it’s worth the investment if you can do it. College shows pay way more than nightclubs (as much as $3500 for some events!) and popular college bands make a solid living touring the circuit. At a NACA event, you have the undivided attention of dozens of colleges right in front of you. Take advantage of it – the right act has the potential to book dozens of shows right on the spot.

College students are a great demographic for musicians to target because they are big time consumers of the entertainment industry. They watch music news and videos, attend concerts, go to clubs, buy music and the latest music technology – often obsessively. For any band looking to build their fan base, a college presents an enormous potential marketplace.

Many colleges have committees appointed specifically to book entertainment on their campuses. This article is going to give you the 4-1-1 on everything you need to know about getting booked on a college campus, from the college booking agents themselves.

Finding The Booking Agents

This first step will require some research. Not every college has a direct link to their entertainment committee on their homepage. Chances are, they may not even be called the “entertainment committee,” that’s just the term we’re going to be using here, so don’t Google it. Search the college website and call the campus hotline for information. There could be several departments that book entertainment, so make sure you find the one right for you. Often, the best way to track down booking agents is to talk to other bands that landed college gigs. When you confirm that you’ve reached the right department or individual, store your contacts in a little black band book.

Press Kits

Sending out a press kit? Keep in mind that you’re sending something that’s representative of your band. You want to appear professional, and convey who you are musically. Keep the press kit simple by including:

• Plenty of music samples,
• A paragraph of information about the band
• A blurb about your desire to play for the campus
• Contact information
• And a photo or two

Keep in mind that college booking agents have a lot of kits to look at. Too much stuff is more likely to overwhelm the booking agent than invite them into your music. “Why should we bring you here? Just answer that question,” says Nathan Kogut of Colorado State University.

The prettier press kit is not always the belle of the ball, so invest in press kits only what you’re able to comfortably spend. DO NOT OVERSPEND on large, overly detailed press kits full of articles, various photos, show reviews and page long bios. When a booking agent has a pile of kits to review, chances are all that extra stuff is going to go unnoticed. “We receive so many press kits, we can’t even review them all,” reveals Paul Spella of the University of New Mexico. The best thing you could do is condense your information. No one should need to read a novel to get to know your band.

The majority of mailed press kits consist of a CD and a one-sheet (a single page) containing band information and contacts. Not every college reviews bands the same way, so feel free to call them up or look online for each college’s press kit requirements (include that in the little black band book too). Some colleges may only want CDs, so if you send them a DVD of one of your shows, you could inconvenience them by making them find a DVD player to watch it on.

Do your research and you might even get away with not paying for postage altogether. Many colleges will gladly accept an electronic press kit (EPK) or emails with links to your band’s personal website. Not to mention that this will vastly decrease paper waste and save the booking agent from storing your CD.

If you plan on using a MySpace page to send to a booking agent, keep your page simple and professional. Watch out for comments, pictures or other posts that could give booking agents the wrong impression of you. Too many photos or graphics on your profile page could also lead to technical problems, so clean it up on a regular basis. John Rios of Montana State University says that MySpace can be very convenient for reviewing bands because he can listen to music, read information, look at photos and follow band schedules. “I can catch bands in between major cities,” he says. Paul Spella agrees that there can be advantages to maintaining a MySpace page, “It’s an easy means of connection to the college demographic.”

What A College Wants

What do colleges want to hear? What are their expectations? It’s hard to list specifics; colleges are as unique as the bands they book. Some may only want conservative, squeaky clean, ambient music, while others push the boundaries with experimental, free-form concerts. If in doubt, ask. Spend your time focusing on the colleges that want your style.

How prominent you are in the industry may also be a factor. Some colleges want the rising, but still underground artist that students will find refreshing and new. Others may prefer bands with a history in the music industry that will be recognized by their students. At the same time, there are colleges who don’t care who you are, where you come from, or what you’ve done in the industry – it’s the quality of your music that gets you booked. “We have to feel like they’re going to put on a good show,” says Colorado State’s Nathan Kogut. Don’t take offense if a college decides not to book you, just move on.