Had a strategic session/business conversation with a seasoned actor of over 20 years last week. He wanted to know why some people get bookings and people who are better don’t. So I mentioned some overlooked factors and reasons that clients consider before booking an artiste over another.
1. Performance: Your performance is the best marketing tool that guarantees another booking. If the client sees you in your elements killing it, they buy in.
2. Recommendations: You can’t survive in the entertainment industry without referrals. Many events have been booked on the basis of “I heard you are…”
3. Experience: A lot of clients go for an experienced talent when they want to be safe. Sometimes they gamble, but that happens only when the performance of the green horn is a “masterpiece”… That then makes up for experience.
4. Current Rave: The heat (hit) of the moment gets a lot of booking because they are what people want to hear NOW.
5. Relevance: Sometimes, the style, genre, or work of the artiste suits a particular event and as such becomes a fit.
6. Popularity. This is slightly different from the rave factor. The popularity may have been built over the years. Or because of some phenomenal circumstances that then makes the artiste swim in the popularity that accompanies those trends.
7. Political Affiliation: in Nigeria, and in some parts of the world where petty minds rule over substance, no matter how good an artiste is, if the affiliation is to the opposition, the die is cast.
8. Networking: As in other businesses, knowing or being connected with some people as a result of being in the right place at the right time can lead to bookings. Man know man…
9. Media: The media can make you embrace something you didn’t like by pushing it in your face and down your throats. Using AirPlay, interviews, repetitive hype and mentions.
10. Packaging: The way you portray yourself can make clients want to buy into your act. Pedigree, class, lifestyle.
11. Trends: When it is a commonly accepted feature to use artistes for certain activations, it will mean that artistes will be sought after.
12. Language: The people the client wants to connect with can determine the artiste used. Language could be pidgin, Yoruba, French, spree spree or otherwise.
13. Fees: What you are willing to accept for a gig can determine whether you are booked always or now and then. Discounts, pro bono, etc.
14: Stage proficiency: How well you connect with the audience while doing your thing on stage also matters a lot. Don’t mix this up with your performance. Using the stage well and connecting with the audience are different issues.
15. Artiste Manager: The kind of management you have can also determine whether you get bookings or not. How they negotiate. How they relate. How they sell you. Their personal skoin skoin. Their understanding of the business. Who they know. Their commitment to you. Etc.
16. Opportunities: Failure to weigh the potentials of an opportunity may be the difference between being booked or not. When the opportunities look like they are not beneficial now, look at other long term benefits.
17. Cameos: Featuring on another artiste’s platform can improve your chances of getting booked. Comedians organize a lot of events. Musicians don’t. But musicians do duets and feature friends on their songs and music videos. All these keep your presence constant in the market place and consequently can lead to bookings.
All that said, there is still a lot to be done to personally make the artiste a top choice on the booking list of clients. So ask yourself, which of these have you locked down and is working in your FAVOUR? Enjoy
by 208headlines