Problem Solving
Things you never expect to deal with pop up. I’ve had standard things happen: “Our singer hit the mike last night and needs a dentist. Can you help us find a dentist on a Sunday morning?” Or, “Our equipment got stolen and we still want to play. Any ideas how we can get this equipment?”
One year, our tech guy was away. A bunch of speakers got messed up and weren’t going to sound good. It was a smaller show, but it was still a big artist––people should get the sound they’d paid for. I pieced together monitors and things to replace the parts that were burnt out. So I said, “Okay, if we patch things together this way it won’t sound amazing but it’ll sound good enough that we can still have the show.”
Always Available
This business is not for everyone. People stay in music for a while and end up going into anything but music. Rock & roll doesn’t sleep. I’ve gotten calls at 7:00 at night from venues saying everything’s broken. “Can you help?” Or, “We have a show, it’s sold out and we lost power. Can we move the show?”
Agents know if there’s an issue I’m always reachable. There are a lot of places people can play. I’m proud when they choose Webster Hall. And we need to give them every reason to continue to.
It’s Your Money
Artists may want something, but it’s not always in budget. I have a saying when marking up contracts: when in doubt, cross it out. I’d rather have the band know exactly what’s going on.
When we talk to the artist or their team prior, it’s like “This is what we have, this is the budget. Is everyone happy with this?” To a degree, almost everything is a negotiation. An artist would love an entire case of wine, but is that realistic?
Also, depending on how the show does, the artist gets a piece of the backend. They have their guarantee and get extra money if they over perform. Usually, these costs are paid by the artist out of their end or shared by both us and them. The artist is paying for part of it, so they have to be conscious of what they’re spending. This is your money. How do you want us to spend it?
Becoming a Buyer
If you’re in a major city, I recommend an internship. If you’re in a place where you don’t have the means to get an internship, start booking bands that are small and happy to play for $100 or $200 a night. Build relationships with bands and their teams and hope they get bigger and start making money. You’ll grow with them.
Where the Money’s At
You used to tour to support a record. Now, you put out a record to support your tour. Bands are touring more now than ever before, because that’s how bands make money. Putting out a record doesn’t make enough anymore.
It’s great for our part of the business. I have more awesome touring acts coming through. And there are more venues right now in New York and Brooklyn. Some have closed, but usually there’s a bigger reason.
Insurance Woes
Insurance costs have risen over the last few years. This is an ongoing conversation––“Do we add a fee to each ticket to cover the additional insurance costs?” It’s unfair to charge the artist. It should be passed on to the consumer or we just suck it up. It’s a challenge, because these are costs you would never really think about.
Not Every Show Sells Out
A big misconception is that the shows at Webster Hall are always packed. A lot of them are, but they don’t know about the ones that aren’t, because no one’s at those shows. There are shows we have to work really hard to get to half a house on. That’s a fact of the business.
Persistence vs. Being Annoying
I prefer email to phone calls, because email’s less intrusive. It’s annoying if I’m on a date and someone starts harassing me about booking their band. Or, “I sent you a resume—did you read it?” That has happened.
Artists are people, too, so I try to be respectful of their space—like never barge into a green room uninvited—and it makes a big difference.
Clients: Metallica, LCD Soundsystem Green Day, Bryson Tiller, Gary Clark Jr., Halsey, Jimmy Eat World, A$AP Ferg, Adam Ant.
Years with Company: 6
For more information, visit websterhall.com.
