MN2S booking agent Dave Alcock – who represents the likes of David Morales, Lil Louis and Shiba San – talks us through a day in his life…
There is no typical day for a booking agent. A lot of what I do can be reacting quickly to opportunities as they arise or save them from falling apart while always looking towards the future.. In general, my overall objective is to cultivate long-term relationships with partners for my artists, making decisions that benefit their career in the long-term and safeguarding our artists’ future.
In 2015, an artist’s trajectory can change with one single release, a strong PR campaign or even a strong performance. Their profile can also drop without these, so we need to ensure that every show we programme is going to leave their profile stronger in that city than before.
Clients expect prompt and informative replies that move the business objectives forward.
Before being an agent I was a club promoter and DJ for 10 years. I have toured extensively, both as myself and also with other artists, so I have first-hand understanding of what my artists go through to get to that stage and perform. This really helps me to programme their tours in a way that is realistic and gives them the downtime they need while capitalising on all potential income and promotion during tour periods.
I also worked in brand marketing with various corporate clients prior to MN2S so do spend a great deal of time helping artists and their managers with promotional strategies which insures my promoters can sell the tickets needed for a successful show.
I am privileged to work with a high calibre of talent who will always be in demand so I do receive a lot of inbound requests, but I find that the ones that really make the most sense come from a strategic approach which gives me great satisfaction.
7 AM
I generally wake up at 7AM and check my phone for anything urgent that has come in overnight. As I am based in London and our bookings agency works with a lot of US artists, my inbox is already pretty full.
8:30 AM
I try to get into the office early and get straight onto calls with Asia and Australia as their day is starting to finish by then. If I don’t get those calls in then, we lose a day which can in turn, lose a deal.
11 AM
After those calls, it’s a matter of working through emails, preparing and sending offers up ‘til lunch at around 1 PM. Any meetings need to take place before then as things get hectic after lunch.
2 PM
I generally talk with my artists and their managers in the early-to-late afternoon. This can be discussing offers, exploring new ideas and generally brainstorming the future plans.
4 PM
Late afternoon is about putting the plans we discussed in place, researching and implementing the strategy. An important part of mine and the agencies growth is A&R for future signings. I generally work with established artists but am absolutely always on the lookout for new talent. I do a lot of this at my desk while working but of course I do get out to shows in the evenings and weekend.
8 PM
I try not to spend too much time on emails after 8 PM, but I will check intermittently to make sure there is nothing that I don’t need to jump on to straight away.
Click to view the MN2S booking agency roster.