Chris Page wrote:
>
> (tap, tap, tap -- is this thing on?)
>
> A bookings etiquette question:
>
> For a special contra event (weekend, daylong event), is it better to
> ask performer's availabilities in serial or in parallel?
>
> In other words, should one focus on one bookee at a time, only moving
> on after a non answer, or a reasonable amount of time?
>
> Or is it better to ask multiple talents at once, and then select from
> those that responded?
>
Great questions Chris, and interesting replies all. And great to see a flurry
of activity on the SW Organizers list.
(a) As a dance organizer, I can only speak to booking for a monthly dance
series. We do it both ways. First in parallel - inviting everyone who's on
our list of priority performers for the given booking cycle, asking for dates
they're available, and telling them we need a reply by X date and that we'll
get back to them to let them know which date will work. Then when many of the
spots are full, we go one at a time, until we're booked.
(b) As a performer, I can speak to special events. I agree it's really nice
to know that people are contacting other bands/callers. It affects how I
negotiate and how much I invest in the exchange. In a weird circumstance this
year no fewer than five different musicians asked me if I could call w them for
the same exact wedding (I couldn't, already busy), and the irony was that I had
also had a conversation w the bride-to-be which led me to believe she was ready
to hire me if only I'd been available. Yikes! (The dating analogy is a great
one, even though in some ways it is indeed 'nothing personal, and just a way of
doing business.' I wonder if caterers or tent companies take much offense re.
being contacted as part of a slew of possible caterers/tent suppliers...)
When I have gotten a call about a gig at the very last minute, I have left
messages for a few different musicians at once, hoping someone will get back to
me in the final hour. In those cases, I do tell them that I'm calling other
people.
Mostly I work in series though.
Chrissy Fowler
Belfast, ME
