• 
• 

Dave Munro from Brent Eccles Entertainment shares his wise words for putting on a tour or getting that festival gig.

"Generally an agent will be watching charts and talking to labels about who is up and coming, what music is out there and has a 'vibe'. It's all about relationships at the end of the day. If there is something 'going on' agents and the like will come knocking."  

This interview is one in a series with speakers at this year’s NZ Music Month Summit, which throws a spotlight on the music industry.

Tell us a bit about your role/work.

I have a great job. I am very lucky to work in a field I love and am extremely passionate about.

On a daily basis I run the Eccles Agency. We have a roster of acts that I look after. This involves anything from booking tours, corporate shows or festival bookings. We are a full service agency, which means we look after everything for the act, this includes tour routing, budgeting, marketing, pre-production, travel bookings & financial settlements post the tour.

How do I get on a festival bill - what do promoters look for?

You can approach festival programmers or talent buyers and try and convince them they want you on their bill, occasionally festivals have wild card entries or competitions you can enter. But your best bet would be to focus your energy & your time on writing an amazing song/s. If you have a strong following and profile, promoters will come knocking.

I've got a slot at a festival, what should I NOT do?

Take the laptop that runs your Ableton live (that has all your music files on it) back to the hotel after soundcheck, and leave it in your hotel, only to realise as you walk on stage to play your set. 

How important is touring and how do I know I'm ready?

It's very important. It's called 'show' business for a reason.

With the decline in record sales, the live side of the music business has flourished in the last 10 years. As far as revenue streams go, 'live' can make up a large piece of the pie for an artist.
Being ready is relative, small tours can be booked before you are HUGE. Playing live will develop your band, and you might just build a following through your live shows. 

What are the pros and cons of doing your own tour vs touring with a bigger act?

It depends on the profile of the band. If you tour with a big act you are likely to play to larger crowds then you otherwise would, APRA payout could be substantial dependant on scale of tour, and less financial risk on you, but as a general rule guarantees (fees) will be low.

If you are a band with a reasonable following then doing your own tour may result in greater financial returns, that said the risks are higher.

What are your top five tips for putting on a tour?

1) Do a budget, Do a Budget, Do a Budget
2) Get the ticket price right
3) Know your audience
4) Make sure you have something to promote  
5) Just do it 

What does a booking agent do and how do you get on their books?

We manage an artists live engagements, whether that be touring or one off shows. We work with managers to plot strategies for touring. Generally an agent will be watching charts and talking to labels about who is up and coming, what music is out there & has a 'vibe'. It's all about relationship at the end of the day. If there is something 'going on' agents and the like will come knocking.  

What are the current opportunities and challenges in the music industry?

Streaming services & social media have given us an infinite choice of music. A kid in their bedroom can get their new music in front of a music exec in New York with relative ease, but the challenge of music online is that same infinite choice. This makes it harder for the hits to stand out, and this is a business built on hits.
 
What's your earliest musical memory?

My mum making me listen to Boney M records, followed by Neil Diamond records

Who would be in your all star band line up? (living or dead)

Tom Morello - Lead Guitar
James Hetfield - Rhythm Guitar
Matt Cameron - Drums
Lane Staley - Lead Vox
John Paul Jones - Bass

What was the last gig you went to? 

Rudimental - I was working.

What's your big idea for 2016?

That's a tough one to answer, I live in a world where I can’t tell you what I have planned until it's announced. That said, I want to look at constant streamlining of what I do, better integration of planning on a digital level, after all that's the world we live in, what I do needs to be entirely transferable from my desk top to the mobile phone; both mine and the artists. We are partially there, but there are a lot of systems that can and still being integrated to our phones and tablets. 

About Dave Munro

Brent Eccles Entertainment is a full service booking agency and Concert promoter. Dave Munro runs all aspects of the agency on a day to day basis, and is responsible for all the acts on the Eccles roster. Brent Eccles Entertainment also exclusively represents Frontier Touring Company in New Zealand.

• Dave is speaking at the Understanding Touring and Festivals session at the NZ Music Month Summit on May 28.