Artist Cancellations are NEVER fun! When they cancel the day before or day of show, it’s even less fun. However, it doesn’t necessarily mean you have no show. It also doesn’t have to be a horrible process, as a matter of fact, it can be exciting to overcome the challenge of replacing an act at the last minute. This week Todd walks us through how to respond to a last minute cancellation in order to try to save the show.
Remain Calm/Keep Emotion Out of the Moment
They’ll be time to be mad at your original artist for cancelling later. Now is not that time. If you’re artist is cancelling last minute, you don’t have much time to fix the situation. Spend your time and energy on securing a new act that is comparable (or maybe even better) than the artist you originally had booked.
Relationships
Now is one of those times where your relationships are going to be key. Hopefully, you have some agent friends out there who are going to know the tough situation you’re in and do their best to help you out. The unfortunate few times where I’ve had a cancellation on the day of show all of the agents I work with jumped in and tried to help with artist avails. You would help out a friend/colleague who was in a tough spot (at least I hope you would) and hopefully you have some agent friends/colleagues who will do the same.
Be Decisive and Be Decisive Quickly
The campus survey is a great idea when you’ve got 4 months to book a show. Now is not that time. Once you have a few available artist options, gather together a small group of decision makers, and decide who you want to go after. If you have multiple options, rank your order of preference and go after them in order. If one artist passes, move on to your next option.
Embrace the Process and Enjoy the Show
Treat the situation as being down late in a sporting event, you’ve only got a few seconds left to score. If you come up with a similar or better artist, think of how satisfying it will be to know you played a key role in saving the event. Enjoy the show, even if it’s not the artist you thought you’d see tonight!
Todd Erickson
todd@babcoentertainment.com
757.960.8777 ext. 102
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