What To Send To A Music Agent

If you want to be considered for work through a music agent or entertainment agency, you need to get on their books. Most respectable music agencies have a list of requirements they need from you. These things are generally common to most agencies:

CD demo
Your demo should be no longer than 5 minutes in total and should include 5-7 segments of varying song styles. For example, a jazz piece, a ballad, a rock and roll or soul piece and a top 40 piece. Make this relevant to the type of music you are providing. Each piece should be approximately 20 - 30 seconds long, perhaps incorporating a verse & chorus or intro & chorus etc.
Band Biography or Artist Resume / CV
Your band resume should be printed in a clear and easy to read layout and should briefly outline the highlights and current status. If you choose to mention details about each member, aim to keep each entry to 50 words or less if possible.
Sales Pitch & Band Marketing
Write a brief statement promoting the positive aspects of your act. Direct this to your prospective clients. (ie. anyone who books your band will receive these). This can be included as an introduction to your resume in paragraph or point form. You need to be able to answer the questions that a prospective client would ask you (Indirectly), eg; Why should I book your band over any other band?  What does your band do that makes it special?
Don't neglect to make mention of your internet marketing promotion. A true music agent will be impressed with a solid online presence. Any music angent who dismisses such a thing should be seriously reconsidered as an option as, lets face it, he's missing a huge business promotion product whether they like it or not.

Other aspects to consider
1. Musicianship
2. Punctuality
3. Experience
4. Dress code
5. Public relations (with clients and work suppliers)
HINT: Be concise, honest and to the point.
Songlists
Categorize your repertoire into styles of music: eg: Jazz, Ballads, Rock, 90's etc. and alphabetize each category. Remember to include the artist's name alongside of the song. Don't include the words "..and many more..." because clients ALWAYS ask "What other songs does the band do?" and this inevitably means you need to supply a more detailed songlist. (If you do literally have hundreds of songs - list the most popular ones)
Photograph
The photograph you submit to your entertainment agent can be black & white or colour but must be of good quality. Keep in mind that a great photo can make a huge difference in the decision process of a client. (A 1/2 page photo on the same page as your resume always looks great). You may have a gallery of great photos. Don't bombard the entertainment agent with all at once. Set a small handful and mention you have more photos if required.
Video
If you have any professional or live footage of your band or artist performance you should definitely submit this. Video has proven to be a very powerful marketing tool. It helps to solve the problem of clients wanting to view bands that usually play at private functions where viewing access is difficult.
Fees & Availability
An Entertainment agent will also require a statement of your proposed band fees for a standard 4 hour call (or whatever call time you work to. If there are a few different sized working groups within your act, you should give them a breakdown and specify ie a 3 piece is $xx and a 4 piece is $yy). Supplying ALL unavailable dates that you are already booked is also very useful to an entertainment agent.
Today's market is a consumer's market! Clients demand a great deal of information from an Entertainment agent so they'll require the right information from you (the band or artist). If you help the entertainment agent, they'll love you and will probably end up giving you more work. It's very much a case of, "You scratch mine and I'll scratch yours. It's the nature of the beast.


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