FAQ

I get a lot of emails every week asking certain questions so as impersonal as it is I’ve decided to add this page to the site. I hope it will make some sense to those of you who are asking the questions.

Q : Can my band get some support shows with any of the the HTB bands?
A : The situation with getting supports for the tours is a tricky one so I’ve adapted a policy whereby basically if a support isn’t requiring a band from the HTB roster, I don’t get involved in the decision. This is for three reasons.
1. I think the promoters should have some control over the bill of their show. Ultimately they know what’s going to work in their town or if they’re open to bringing in new bands they should have the ability to make those decisions themselves. It’s great for someone to take a 3 band bill from me but I’m sure they want to put their own stamp on a show wherever possible.
2. If I’m not getting involved with the supports that leaves the way open for bands like yourselves and many others to make the contacts with the promoters, get the gigs , meet the other bands etc. I think this is an invaluable part of building up as a band. Get out there, get in peoples faces, find the websites, call the numbers in the gig guides. If you want it hard enough you’ll find a way of getting your foot in the door. I get emails from bands wanting support that haven’t even played a show yet and I think that you need to have the ability to find your own dates before asking someone else to, it’s all part of being in a band.
3. Not directing this at any one band personally, but if I put a non roster band on a bill and they behave like idiots in one way or anothor, whether it’s damage to property, stealing riders or just plain bad attitude to the organisers, the blame lies at my feet same as it would with one of the HTB bands. And I’m not going to put my relationship or a HTB bands’ releationship with a venue/promoter in jeopardy in that way.

NOW, THE EXTENSION – 9/11/08
I’ve just had to explain this, again, so it’s going into the blog for people to see, and hopefully most of you will get it.
“I’ll put it into perspective for you. At this point in time I’m juggling approximately 55 bands across shows being booked, tomorrow if stuff comes in from European agents it could be 60. On top of that I’m working 6 or 7 full European tours and next year’s festival season. I do this on my own, there isn’t an office of people behind me like the bigger agencies. You think I have the time or the energy to sort stuff out I’m not involved with? There’s a reason I’m still online at 11.20pm…
I have rules I work by, they make sense to me. There are two or 3 bands not on the roster who I am interested in right now, Your band probably isn’t one of them, sorry, it’s just how it is. I get around 15 demos a week and maybe 30 – 40 friend requests from UK bands and I add 3 or 4 a year. I can’t like everything. .
I’m just one person and I know my limits, trust me, I’ve learnt the hard way, and I don’t want to go there again.

Just keep doing what you’re doing. There are plenty of bands out there doing just fine without me being involved, and some I am involved with getting nowhere fast. I dunno what else to say to you, or to everyone else asking the same thing, so I think this reply will go into a blog.”

Q : How does my band get on HTB?
A ; There’s no set way really but ultimately I have to see the band, you can only learn so much from a recording and it’s very rare that I would take on a UK band without seeing if they work well, (or have potential to work well) live. I get about 15 CDR’s a week and maybe take 2, maximum 3 new U.K. bands on a year so it takes a lot for me to want to do a band, I just need to hear something that makes a someone stand out from the rest, just something that gives them an edge really, as random as it may be. I have to feel right about it though cos I’m looking at a minimum 4-5 year working relationship with a U.K. band usually, I can’t go in half assed. Don’t ask me to listen to your myspace page etc, they mostly don’t work for me. I need to get CD’s and it may take a while but I will play everything eventually.

Don’t expect me to even think about your band though if you haven’t got out and shown you can tour off your own back first. If you can’t make the effort why should I?
You’re welcome to send me something to check out though. You never know…address is 11 Salutation Rd, Darlington DL3 8JN, UK
Q : Can I book “————–” for my town ?
A : The HTB policy has always been one of loyalty, to the bands and to the promoters I work with. This means that if a band is already working regularly with a promoter in your town we stay loyal to them and work pretty much exclusively. Essentially if someone takes the risks and puts the time and effort in to help build a group up I don’t believe in handing the band over for some else to do once the hard work is done, so unless there is a very good reason not to stick by a promoter, that’s the way we work.
As a new promoter that has to be frustrating but I hope you understand where I’m coming from on this. It’s all about loyalty and doing the right thing by the people who put the time in on the bands.
” Can I book (enter big name band here) please?”
A: If a promoter doesn’t already have a solid track record with me on the smaller bands then it’s very unlikely I will book a show where the guarantee and production/catering is so much higher. I have to explain this a lot right now and it’s not a slight against any new promoters, but if I don’t know them or know if they can be trusted with a bigger show  it would be wrong on my part to put myself and the bands in a position of working with a promoter that I am unsure of. If things go wrong I need to know I can trust the promoter to do the right thing by the band regardless of the situation, and that trust only comes from experiance working together. So, If you want the big names you have to build up to it, it’s common sense really.

A : Basically it’s like this, don’t ask for my contacts, emails, phone numbers, whatever. The contact list has been built up over a number of years as part of the job and I’m not about to pass it out. It’s relevant to the bands I represent and that’s all. Maybe it’s a hard line to take but it’s been proven on a number of occasions that if you give a band you don’t represent a couple of contacts they  take this as an open door to ask repeatedly, use your name in attempts to  get on shows (“Ian said we could play this date etc”), no bullshit, it happens and it gets frustrating. Most people can be found through myspace or yahoo or google or whatever if you really want to go looking, and if not just move on, you can’t win em all. I know I sure as hell can’t….
In future bands asking for contacts will be ignored. If they’ve read this they’ll know not to ask, right?