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ivegoneblinkingmad t1_j60b820 wrote

Reply to comment by Lopsided_School5053 in Musicians- What's a good venue for my 60s/70s/90s cover band to play? by Lopsided_School5053

This is totally my own experience and I don't want to speak for others who have worked with agents. Just my perspective.

So with our agency, they typically take 10% off the top. I'm not sure what other agencies charge, but its usually 10-15%. Our standard rate is $1000 AFTER they take their cut. That rate changes depending on the venue, our history with the venue, etc. But for the bit they take vs how much work goes into booking gigs and the other business bs, it's so much easier to let someone else do it. Especially if you have other musical outlets that are more originals based (like my bandmates and I have), the cover band becomes more for the love of playing and gigging and not so much about the money. So it's easier to rationalize having an agent.

I know a lot of bands are dismissive of agents and I don't disagree with many of their points, but it's different as a cover band working with an agent vs an original band. We've found it highly worth it.

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Lopsided_School5053 OP t1_j60dwdg wrote

I hope you don't mind me picking your brain some more. What do you mean your rate is $1000 after they take their cut? Do they charge you 1000 per month? per gig? per year? One time payment to join? Or you charge them $1000?

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ivegoneblinkingmad t1_j60p39s wrote

No problem! The agency asks X amount for us to play at Y venue. Y venue and the agency go back and forth and agree to an amount. So far, the amount the venues have offered has equaled to us getting $1000 after we pay out to the agency. This isn’t always the case but that’s how its worked so far. Sometimes we get paid $1000 and then pay out and we all take home a little less.

So after we’re done playing, we get a check for X amount from that venue, then we give our agency the % we’ve agreed upon (10%) and we keep the rest. We get paid per gig. They don’t make money off of us unless we play a gig that they’ve booked us. We could go around them and book the the same venue without them, but that just ruins our relationship with the agency and typically they’ll still expect a % since it’s considered one of “their” venues.

Feel free to DM me if you have any more questions!

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