Joshua Knight of Paradigm Agency - Creating Your Touring Strategy, Opening for National Acts, and Getting on an Agent's Radar
/
This is episode four of the Booking Agent series, and features booking agent, Joshua Knight. In the world of booking agencies, there are the Big 6 - CAA, WME, APA, UTA, ICM, and Paradigm. Joshua Knight spent most of his career at one of the premier boutique agencies in the world, Monterey International in Chicago, IL. He currently works with artists such as Los Lobos, Aaron Neville, The Meters, Trampled by Turtles, Leftover Salmon, Lettuce, The Motet, The Infamous Stringdusters, Nicki Bluhm, JJ Grey & Mofro, and many more. The day we conducted this interview, August 3rd 2017 for the fellow historians, it was announced that Monterey International was acquired by one of the Big 6 agencies, Paradigm Agency. Joshua Knight shares what this acquisition means for Monterey International and all of its agents, as well as some of the history between the two agencies.
Joshua Knight also shares many valuable lessons in this episode. We discuss what he looks for in artists that he works and we discuss some tangible items that DIY artists should be working on to get on the radar of agents like Joshua Knight. You’ll learn about his perspective on how often you should play in a market and how to open for national acts. He also shares lessons on what students of the business should learn while they’re in school, and his ideal curriculum. Also, he shares his insight on how to become an agent and much more.
To learn more about booking agents and opening for national acts, check out these other podcast episodes and articles.
This podcast is brought to you by Bandzoogle. Building a website should be easy. Bandzoogle is the website for musicians by musicians. Save 15% on your 1-Year Subscription with promo code "makingit" and start with your 30-Day FREE Trail
Highlights from this Episode
(5:26) Role at Monterey International
(6:10) What makes Monterey Unique
(7:45) Big news for Monterey
(10:45) History of Monterey
(14:20) How Joshua got into the business
(18:40) Ideal curriculum for the music business
(24:10) Why geography is important
(26:00) What Joshua looks for in an artist
(32:20) Tangible things for smaller bands to work on to get an agent
(34:45) Joshua’s opinion on markets
(37:30) How often to return to a market
(39:00) Best way to reach out to an agent
(42:35) How a young band gets an opening slot
(44:55) What gets a good response from promoters
(47:40) How to get into an agency as a young professional
(53:00) How young professionals can build relationships
Quotes from Joshua Knight
“A lot of things we do are multiple things at once.”
“To be able to move at a quick pace is something you can’t learn.”
“It’s almost like we’re a logistics company.”
“It’s hard to make numbers up these days because you can get caught really easy.”
“The better you are with people the more you can get done.”
“If you can learn every facet of the business you’re going to do a lot better.”
“It’s all about making a living for these guys.”
“First and foremost keep building the markets.”
“You need to make it where your fans can’t miss it.”
“I’m going to sign a young band that has something to do with my other bands.”
“Sometimes you have to scratch each other's back.”
Links to people, places, and things mentioned
Agents at Monterey
Michael Jackson
Monterey International
Paradigm Agency
Los Lobos
The Meters
Aaron Neville
The Motet
Infamous Stringdusters
Nicki Bluhm
JJ Grey & Mofro
Lettuce
Trampled by Turtles
Neville Brothers
Dave Matthews Band
The Beatles
Grateful Dead
Anheuser Busch
Bud Light
Ghost of Paul Revere
The Maine
Revivalists
Phish
Get in Touch with Joshua Knight
joshuaknight@montereyinternational.net
Joshua Knight’s Definition of Making It
“Being happy.”
“If you can put a roof over your head, feed your family, and book bands.”
This podcast is brought to you by Bandzoogle. Built for musicians, by musicians,
Bandzoogle makes it easy to build a beautiful website for your music. Their step-by- step system will get you online in minutes. Choose from hundreds of mobile-friendly themes, then customize your design with Bandzoogle’s easy point and click editor. Plus, all the features you need for a professional website are already built-in:
● Sell your music & merch commission-free, right on your website
● Build your fan list and send professional newsletters using the mailing list tool
● Pull in content from all of your online services, including Twitter, Instagram, and SoundCloud
● Get live support from their musician-friendly team 7 days a week
Plans start at just $8.29/month, including free registration of your own custom domain. Go to Bandzoogle.com to try it free for 30 days, and be sure to use the promo code “makingit” to get 15% off the first year of any Bandzoogle subscription.
Keep in touch with us
chris.goyzueta@gmail.com
www.makingitwithchrisg.com
https://www.instagram.com/chrisgoyzueta/
https://twitter.com/chrisgoyzueta
https://www.facebook.com/makingitwithchrisg
Episode Credits
Host: Chris Goyzueta
Producer: Jason Trosclair
Executive Producer: ONElive Creative Agency
Music: Emily Kopp
