The meaning of the term “booking” often heard in the music industry

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• Festival-loving girlImae Mizuki
  I got totally hooked on BUMP OF CHICKEN after my best friend introduced them to me in junior high, and that’s when I woke up to music. In high school, a senior led me into the world of melodic hardcore, and I fell for it completely. Heavily influenced by the boyfriend I was dating back then, I’ve been a huge fan of 10-FEET from then until now. After graduating from my days as a hairstylist—spent staring down wigs every day—I now work staff for studios, live houses, and wedding sound, spending my days hunting for new bands. Despite being out at festivals and shows all year round, I’m still a hopeless kid who can’t even do a two-step.

What is a general booking?

This word is used in ways like “I’ve made a booking at the hotel” and “I want to book that band.”

There are two meanings, and the first isReservationIt means that.

Another one iscontractIt has that meaning.

With this in mind, I’ll explain how the term “booking” is used in the music industry.

Event planner and booker

In the music industry, booking is, simply put,Make offers to potential performers for the event and negotiate their participation.It is.

The person who makes this bookingBookerWe call it that, but besides that,Event organizerThere are also cases where such people make bookings.

I'll try to briefly explain the difference.

Booker

At live music venues, there are people called bookers who are like event organizers.

At live music venues, events organized by the venue are frequently held.

Booker is mainlyA person who organizes events to be performed at live music venuesRight.

band battle (a live show featuring multiple bands on the same bill)We will select and book bands that match the band or event’s intended concept.

Since events need to be scheduled in accordance with the live house’s timetable, they are often organized by staff members or the manager.

Event organizer

Unlike bookers, event organizers are not necessarily staff who are permanently stationed at a live music venue.

Various people—some with other day jobs, some in bands—are active as event organizers.

Unlike Booker,Event organizers create events that match their own style.Therefore, it will be held on a regular basis.

In other words, you don’t have to fill the entire schedule at the live music venue; you only need to book the events you are hosting yourself.

When making a booking from the band’s side

A booking isn’t necessarily made by the booker or the event organizer.

For example,record release (short for 'record release event' or 'album release show')Suppose there is a band that is planning a tour.

When you think, “I want to play a show at that live house!” or “I want to do a gig with bands that match our style,” the band reaches out to the live house staff or consults with senior band members.

So if the proposal you present matches the band’s wishes, the booking is finalized, right?

Double booking = duplicate reservation

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You probably hear the word “double booking” quite often in everyday life, don’t you?

This isDuplicate reservationIt means.

There are times when double booking can somehow work out, but in most cases you have to turn down one of the reservations.

This is quite rude, so when you make or receive a booking, you need to be careful not to double-book.

How to book

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First of all, if you’re thinking of organizing an event, you need to secure a venue.

Therefore,Date and time of the event, event theme, ticket pricequotaDecide it first and book the live venue.

Once the reservation is made, the next step is to book the promising bands.

At this time,What kind of event is it, and who are the other performers?quotaHow much is it?It needs to be clearly communicated to the band.

If the appearance is successfully confirmed, then after that, the event title andTimetableWe will now proceed to the task of announcing the event.

When booking, the obvious thing to be careful about is not to make plans at the last minute.

It’s best to take action with an eye toward being early and proactive.

Lastly

Has the mystery surrounding the term “booking” in the music industry been resolved?

A booking that holds important meaning for both the band members and the organizers.

I hope you make good use of it and that a wonderful encounter awaits you.