How can you make sure your booking goes smoothly and you get that all-important 5-star review after the gig?
Whether you’re a seasoned pro, or just starting out, we strongly suggest that you read these guidelines before embarking on your first booking with Soul Artists.
Punctuality
Make sure your client never has a reason to suspect you’ll not arrive on time.
Always aim to arrive early. Everyone knows an artist who is always early for gigs and rehearsals - they’re instantly memorable as being reliable and trustworthy. Make sure you’re one of them.
Stick to your setup and performance times. Make sure you begin and end your performance on time and allow plenty of time to set up.
Overtime. Unless agreed with the client beforehand, you are under no obligation to continue performing longer than specified in your Soul Artists booking. If your client asks you to extend your performance by more than 15 minutes beyond the originally agreed finishing time, you are entitled to organizational payment from the Client at their discretion.
Late arrival. If for some unavoidable reason you know that you will be late, you should call the client to let them know immediately.
Late Penalty: if you arrive more than 15 minutes later than the agreed arrival time for a booking then a 25% payout reduction will be issued or the performance will be considered a No Show cancellation (depending on the client's discretion). Your account may also be suspended or removed from the Soul Artists platform.
Professionalism
Behind every great artist is a work ethic of the utmost professionalism. Allow yourself plenty of time before your gig to prepare and practice.
Preparation. Do you need to source any equipment or props prior to the booking? Do you know the dress code for the event? Have you made travel and food arrangements?
Practice. While all artists are busy people, the best professionals make time to thoroughly practice the art they perform before a booking, regardless of its difficulty. Your focus should be on delighting your audience with a brilliant performance.
Work Ethic. Even though everyone around you may be letting their hair down, you’ve been booked and paid to provide a professional service, so be punctual with your breaks and timing.
Non Solicitation. When being introduced to new clients through Soul Artists, it is good practice and professional to keep Soul Artists as the agent for future gigs with the same client, since a lot of resources are spent to get you a booking opportunity, maintaining trust will preserve good relations with the agency.
Solicitation while on a Soul Artists gig is a violation of Soul Artists Terms of Use and could lead to account termination and blacklisting.
Communication
Responding quickly and politely to your clients shows them that you are an attentive and considerate artist.
Timely responses. Your average time taken to respond to client messages is recorded as your response time.
Confirm everything in writing. If you take a phone call with a client, try to keep accurate records by sending follow-up messages summarizing what has been discussed. Keep your client updated. If you need to make a change to your bookings, such as an alteration of the performance or set timings, let the client know as soon as possible.
Be courteous. Make sure you maintain a polite and courteous tone of voice throughout your communications with a client. It might sound obvious, but just being nice makes a big difference.
Keep in mind: if your response time is too high, your chances of repeat booking might decrease.
Satisfaction
A happy client is one who’s satisfied that you've provided the desired performance for their event.
Keep your profile up-to-date. When a client books you for a gig, they want to know that the performance they're booking matches the profile they see and hear on your profile. The best professionals are those who can adapt to their clients' needs.
Exceed expectations. People book artists for some of the most important events in their lives. This may be just another gig for you, but for them, it's a day they've spent months – maybe years – planning. Here are a few ideas for how you can go the extra mile to ensure your performance is as perfect as possible. inquire about the client's requests or their favorite artists in advance If appropriate, consider getting the audience involved. Be considerate if it’s clear the event organizer is stressed.
Overall Review Score
This is an average of all four criteria and is displayed next to each review message on your profile. An average of your Overall review scores is the star rating which appears at the top of your profile and in search results.
Keep in mind: if you repeatedly receive low overall review scores, then your account may be disabled or removed from the Soul Artists platform.
Bonus Tips
Point of contact. Make sure that you have the phone number for your point of contact at the event itself who you can contact at any time (Contact details are provided once your booking is paid by the client). Note: often this is not the client themselves.
Food and drink. Communicate with the client in advance to check if you will be provided with food or refreshments or are required to provide your own.
Venue requirements. Check-in in advance if you require anything at the venue such as nearby parking, or access to plug sockets.
Terms and Conditions. By accepting a booking you are agreeing to the Soul Artists' terms and conditions, a document outlining the very minimum level of conduct Soul Artists artists must adhere to when carrying out a booking. You can familiarize yourself with it here.