Customer Reviews

How to Be Your Own Booking Agent: The Musician's & Performing Artist's Guide to Successful Touring

5 star:		(33)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Review written by
Kerry Dexter
Dirty Linen Magazine
Dec.2004/January 2005 Issue

Jeri Goldstein fairly well created the gold standard for music business books that are both practical and wise when the first edition was released in 1998, offering succinct ideas on setting goals, planning for a long-range future as a musician, when to quit your day job, and when to rethink your music career. Along with those came big-picture straight forward advice on negotiating with venues, planning tour routing, how to set up an office, what to include in a letter of intent, and what to look for in a contract, among other things.The latest edition includes all that, organized into bite-sized chapters packed with information and seasoned with sidebar quotes and tips from music industry professionals...There are updates to the resources sections included with each chapter, added information about immigration issues for artists and about creating and using electronic press kits, and materials on web design. New edition or old, it's a book that belongs on the shelf of anyone who wants to know more about the many-faceted business of performing arts, touring and presenting, and integrating that part of a musician's life into a successful career.

No one in the music industry, be they a musician, club owner, festival manager, booking agent, band manager, merch salesman, etc. has any good excuse NOT to read this book.

It's essential for those who are just starting out, and useful for those who have been in the game for many years. Goldstein's writing is clear and concise, and the book is organized well and peppered with real-life examples and "hot tips", which keep it interesting.

There are dozens of fabulous books on the music industry, from how-to guides to high-level marketing strategy books, but no one should bother reading any of them until they've read this book. It's absolutely essential.

This book is great. It's well written and it covers all you need to know about booking and more. If you're serious about your music, this book is a must. Recomended!

I've been working as a full-time musician for going on 15 years and I still find valuable information in this book. Right off the bat it helped me re-vamp and streamline my promo kit, and that was just the beginning. From practical tour planning to negotiating the deal to executing the contract, you'll find yourself reaching for this book over and over again.
I own a ton of books on the music business but I only keep four on my desk and THIS is one of them. If you want to make a living in the touring music business then it should be on YOUR desk, too!

Jeri Goldstein doesn't miss a beat. This book was so informative that I read it once, put it away for a short time, and then read it again. I couldn't believe how many details I had missed! The most recent time, I studied it with highlighter and pencil in hand. (*My favorite information-discoveries were in the side-bars*)

I believe this book is very important for those looking to help their music career along. As a musician, I need to learn to get my foot in the door to new venues. I have implemented several techniques and ideas already this week.

Read, then re-read my friends. You'll be glad you did.
Rebecca Fuller
Briarwood Musicians

This is an extremely resourceful book. If you're booking or going on tour, this is a very condensed manual to dealing with promoters and touring.

How To Be Your Own Booking Agent by Jeri Goldstein is the best personal and highly professional tour guide in book format, on the market for career musicians! Written by someone who has all the necessary credentials and expertise as an agent herself.
Every detail of the booking process is shared in very understandable, readable language. There are many forms and suggested steps to follow for each necessary process. This guide will help you pack up your music gear, leave the security of your living room, get out there on the streets of America into the venues, festivals & halls and play to your heart's content.
Here are excerpts of many of the topics you'll master: Cold calls. Promo package and an EPK. Negotiation techniques & types of deals. Tour budget & contract forms. Local, regional, and national tours & the types of venues & concerts available. Crossing our U.S. borders with your tour. Role of the road manager and working with agents & managers. Expand your markets at conferences. Find funding resources from grants, sponsorships and record company tour support. Create your marketing plan and create all media print. Get your music heard on radio and TV. How to make the internet work for you. Create the ultimate one-year or more touring plan.
We must become independent entrepreneurs if we want to survive in this business since there are no safe umbrellas out there. Jeri will teach you how to book the next gig and plan for the entire year ahead. If your goal in life is a professional career in music, Jeri's book will help you produce results. I'll look forward to seeing you out there at the next venue, community event, festival or concert hall.
Good Luck,
Sharon Riggen, musician/teacher

For any musician that wants to further their career in the music business,
whether its how to approach local performance venues, colleges, festivals,
non-profit organizations, state, regional and national showcases -- Jeri Goldstein has written the Standard Operating Procedural text which pretty much pays for itself many times over within a year or so if you apply her
"old school" approach.
Succinctly written, with concrete examples of "how to reach your goals",
interesting anecdotes, insights into the minds of recording companies, booking agents and live entertainment procurement folks of local, state, regional and national levels -- Jeri walks the reader through all the steps
necessary to make your musical journey less stressful, more cost effective, better organized and in some cases, even fun !
No -- I'm not a paid endorser. I'm 59 years old and have been working around the music biz as a performing tunesmith since 1975. Jeri is so well
versed in her craft, that her book and website/e-mails are a constant
educational and career enhancement force multiplier. Some of her tips have already garnered a review in the UK's "LIVING BLUES" magazine and radio airplay all the way down in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
DO the math and do yourself a favor...if you're halfway serious about
getting more out the effort you put into your musical career, Jeri's book
is more than just a "SOUND" investment, its a necessity !

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I bought this book last Friday, by Monday I booked a festival gig for my husband's band! It helped me feel confident when negotiating, what questions to ask, what to look for and just about anything you can think of! This book has definitely taught me so much. I know there's a lot more to learn on the job, but it gets you in the right direction! Get this book! On top of that the author is very nice, I emailed her with a question and she got back to me the next day. I'd give it 10 stars if I could!