Jill-

In my expriences, I've used them twice...with mixed results.

When I was in my early 20's, I was in a band out of Pittsburgh, PA that played regionally. We travelled from Chicago to Jersey...A few large talent agencies (DiCeaseare-Engler and Kresge, I think) were invaluable to our success. They kept us working enough to warrent 2-3 week road trips and got us a few opening act gigs as well.

In my current role as a OMB performer, I find agencies of little use to me. In Dayton, most of the Agencies are small 1-3 man shops that are run by other working musicians who typically also play piano and/or sing. Realizing they'll ALWAYS skim the best jobs off the top, I've had good success marketing myself. My business is about 65% Nursing homes/Retirement communities and 35% Animal clubs, coporate/civic clients and private parties (Weddings, anniversaries, etc...)

This Saturday past I booked my 370th show for this year...so, I'd say working hard and staying organised in your booking approach should yield reasonable results. There are many professional OMB-ers on this website who can make the same claim about how successful you can be doing your own booking.

On the other hand, your area may be very different. Go visit a few agencies and get a feel for what they can do for you. If your target is upscale private parties, coporate events, etc...It might not be a bad idea to include them in your marketing plan. They'll want a promo kit up front including a quality head shot, audio demo, bio info plus references. You may not work that often-but, it just really depends on what you're looking for.

Good luck either way you choose to pursue...


Bill in Dayton