Booking Agent

A booking agent is the person responsible for booking the tour or performance. They field offers from promoters and festivals, negotiate deals, and make sure options are realistic before presenting them to the artist. They're the deal-makers who turn a list of available dates into a tour itinerary.

What booking agents do

Agents solicit and evaluate offers from promoters and venues, negotiate guarantees and deal structures, plan routing in coordination with artist management, issue contracts and confirm dates, and manage the overall touring calendar. Major agencies (WME, CAA, UTA, Wasserman) represent the biggest names in music; boutique agencies handle mid-level and emerging artists.

How agents work with tour managers

The agent builds the tour framework — the dates, cities, and deal terms. The tour manager takes that framework and makes it real: booking travel, advancing shows, managing the budget, and running the day-to-day operation. Agents and TMs communicate constantly, especially when dates are added, moved, or cancelled mid-tour.

How agents get paid

Booking agents typically earn 10% of the artist's gross performance fee. This comes off the top before the tour manager sees the money. The agent's commission is a standard industry structure.