How I Book Artists for My Events: Tips From a Pro Organizer

I owe my event-producer friend a huge apology for rolling my eyes when he told me to “book bigger names to get bigger crowds” because, honestly, he was right. And the data backs it up (sorry, Gav; I’ve sent flowers). 

In our 2023 TRNDS report, we found around 37% of music fans would pay more to see one of their favorite performers. 

However, when it comes to booking artists for an event, event organizers generally have two options: 

1. Work with more “major artists” who are proven sellers in that market. It’s less risky, but more expensive and often requires a solid track record before management will trust you to produce a quality show.

2. Take a chance on emerging talent before they blow up. This one’s a safer bet, but it comes with the risk that the artist might not have enough pull to bring in a crowd.

Both approaches have their own challenges but hey — that’s part of the game, right?

Well, maybe not. I recently discovered there’s a third option: Create an event brand so iconic that artists are banging down your door to collaborate.

I spoke with Crust Nation — one of NYC’s largest concert producers and music event organizers — who did just that.

Crust Nation specializes in music bookings, artist and tour marketing, production, and revenue growth management. They’ve worked with hundreds of venues (on land and at sea).

Big names, big crowds, and big boats are kind of their thing. 

Crust Nation walked me through their artist-booking strategy, sharing insights from their own experience.

Based on this intel, I’ve put together a guide on how to book an artist for an event, packed with actionable tips and real-world examples.

1. Build your event brand

According to Crust Nation, the first thing you want to focus on isn’t the artists — it’s yourself. 

And when you look at their journey, it makes sense. 

They have spent years turning themselves into the event company reimagining the traditional concert experience into new and exciting party formats across NYC. When I think of “Crust Nation,” five things come to mind: live shows, city views, great drinks, multi-level venues, and multi-genre music.  

It’s this strong sense of self that’s helped Crust Nation build an almost cult-like following and the kind of reputation that allows them to book artists based on brand name alone. 

By now, I can probably guess what you’re thinking: That’s awesome for them but how am I supposed to build a brand that attracts the artists I want?

That was my first thought, too. 

So how do you get to that point? 

Crust Nation admitted that in the early days, boat parties weren’t seen as “exciting” by artists and agencies, so convincing “hot talent” to get on board (literally) wasn’t easy. 

So here’s what they did: 

“We made the most of what we had — documenting our shows, showcasing the energy of the crowd, and emphasizing the experience of performing in front of the Statue of Liberty. Over time, as artists and agencies saw the success we were generating, they became more interested.”

The key is to treat your events as a “proof of concept.” You need to figure out what makes you, you, and then promote that unique selling point in a way that feels authentic — so that the right type of artists (and crowds) can’t help but take notice. 

Here’s how you do it:  

• Experiment with low-risk events to find “your thing:” Crust Nation suggests that you start “throwing local events with minimal financial risk at venues where you don’t have to invest heavily upfront” and using them as a testing ground.
  
  “Get your friends involved, build a base crowd, and focus on creating a vibe so the event itself becomes the draw, rather than relying solely on the artist to sell tickets.
  Work with local artists first to gain experience handling bookings. Social media is a great tool for this. Many emerging artists without management will respond directly if you reach out.”
  
  You want to identify what it is about your events that’s bringing in recurring attendees — and lean into it. 
  
  For example, take a look at Crust Nation’s event lineup — every show helps cement their brand identity. Want to get lit with your friends while watching a local DJ spin Latin tunes? Hit up one of their Perreo parties. Looking for a chance to dance the night away on a multi-level boat and soak in the city skyline? Book tickets to literally any iBoatNYC event. 

• Use live event photos as a showcase: Think about how you can visually capture your event. For instance, if you’re going for a grunge vibe, throw a grain filter on your photos to make them feel edgy. 
  
  You want your photos to showcase what’s special about your events. If that means paying a bit extra to collab with a specific photographer — then do it. I want to see close-up shots that capture the sweat and raw emotions of the crowd. If you need more inspiration, take a look at how Nonsense Atlanta does it. Their photos are outrageous (in the best way). 

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A post shared by Nonsense ATL (@nonsenseatl)

• Develop your social voice and “get on your attendees' level:” Build your social voice to sound like it’s coming from you, not a business. Attendees (especially Gen Z) would much rather you sound like a friend than a brand.
  
  In fact, 68% of attendees would pay more for tickets that are influencer-endorsed. So give them what they want. Use memes to connect with your audience, post behind-the-scenes stories, stitch TikTok trends, and make sure your Insta captions aren’t too boring or stiff.
  
  Crust Nation’s Insta is a great example of this. They use topical memes to promote their events, and yet their posts still feel like they’re coming from a drinking buddy.

💡Pro tip: Crust Nation recommends: “While running these smaller events, document everything: sales numbers, venue capacities, crowd engagement. This data will be crucial as you scale up.” Why? Because the best way to bolster your claims about your brand is through cold, hard proof, baby — and nothing is more convincing than data and statistics.

If you want to understand what your audience is responding to, start by using unique tracking links. With Eventbrite, you can create and embed an event checkout onto Insta, Facebook and TikTok. These links not only help you see which posts are driving ticket sales, but also which events are driving ticket sales and engagement together.

You can also experiment with A/B split testing to see what’s resonating with your audience across different platforms. For instance, if you’re promoting an event on TikTok and want to see which type of posts drive more sales, you can create two variations and link them to different tracking URLs, then compare the results in your Eventbrite dash.

2. Research and shortlist artists

I was keen to talk to Crust Nation in particular because I knew they’d have experience researching and shortlisting artists from different backgrounds. 

I wanted to find out how they scout talent, where they look, and, most importantly, how they know when an artist is the right fit for their brand. Because who you choose to work with matters — especially when you consider that 79% of millennials attend live music events to express their support for the artists’ beliefs and values. 

Here’s what they told me: 

“Follow artists you’re interested in working with. Study where they perform, who they work with, and attend their shows. The best way to build connections is in person by going to festivals, concerts, and networking events.”

Still feeling a bit lost?  I’ve broken it down step-by-step to make sure you know exactly where to look.

1. Find out who your attendees want to see: Use your previous event data to determine what type of artist your attendees are willing to pay for. If you partner with Eventbrite, I’d recommend filtering your data from the past six months and looking for trends — is there a particular genre that’s consistently selling out?

Are certain types of artists leading to more VIP ticket sales? To do that, all you have to do is go to your “Reports” page and click on “Attendee Summary.” 

2. Identify your type of artist: Take the top three findings from your event data, write them down then compare them to the core values of your event brand. Do they align? 

If your data shows DJs are selling the most tickets and you’re a brand that hosts underground shows, you can narrow down your list of candidates. For example, Sounds of Brazil focuses on Latin, R&B, and reggae genres and if you look at their lineup, they consistently feature artists that align with these styles.

3. Use Eventbrite to do some digging: Once you know what type of artist you want to work with, head over to Eventbrite’s discovery page and look for events in your local area with a similar vibe.

For example, if you’re looking for hip-hop artists in California, search the keyword “hip-hop party” and sift through the top 20-50 results. Scope out the event descriptions to see who’s playing.

Write down any names that fit your criteria, then move on to another keyword, such as “rap party” and see what comes up. Rinse and repeat this process until you’ve got at least 40-50 names on your list.

4. Stalk through socials (strategically): Head over to Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube with your artist names and start stalking. Check out what they're posting.

Take a peek at the accounts they're following and who’s commenting on their posts. This will give you a strong indication of their industry network and the kind of audience they’re engaging with. You can also look at their “tagged” posts to see what kind of events they’ve worked with — do they share your style?

5. Get on the ground: The final step of the research process is the most important (and most fun) — getting on the ground and attending live shows. This gives you a chance to see how well these artists are performing in your area and what kind of audience they’re attracting.

When you're there, pay attention to the crowd's reaction — how are they responding to the artist? Are they engaged and enjoying the performance? You want to feel the energy of the crowd, so make sure you join them (aka get in the pit guys). 

Once you’re done with the process, you should have a solid list of at least 20-30 artists. From there, you can create an “ABC” shortlist, with A for your A-list top choices, B for solid options, and C for emergency choices. 

💡Pro tip: In the Earn Your Leisure podcast, the founders of Dope Shows shared how they use Pollstar to vet artists and find out more about their booking history and success rate. You can use this tool when narrowing down your shortlist to check how reliable the artists are.

3. Set a spending budget

When it comes to budgeting, Crust Nation's mantra is simple: Recognize the value of those you’re collaborating with, and “avoid sending offers that are way below an artist’s market rate. It won’t help your reputation.” 

If you can build a reputation as a brand that pays artists what they’re worth — on time, every time, with no exceptions, you’re going to earn their trust and loyalty. Period. That means no lowball offers, no promises of a fee you can’t follow through on, and definitely no flaking at the last minute (or worse, not paying at all).

You need to come up with a fair number that feels respectful but also doesn’t eat into your entire event budget. 

To do this, Crust Nation suggests leaning on your event community — ask around, find out what people are offering artists, get a sense of current market rates, and then come up with a number that fits within your budget but also reflects the value of the artist. 

That said, gatekeeping is very real, and not everyone will be willing to share this info. If you can’t get the details you need just by asking around, don’t worry — there’s another way.

“Check venues where the interested artist performs, go out there, see how many people show up (estimate a crowd size), and check their ticket prices. The numbers won’t be exact, but it’ll give you a baseline.”

Not sure how to do that?

1. Find out the General Admission (GA) ticket price.

2. Research the venue’s maximum capacity (you can typically find this info on their website).

3. Go to the event and take a look around. Does it feel packed (90% full)? Half full (50%)? Use this estimation to determine the number of people in attendance using the venue's maximum capacity as a data point.

4. Multiply your estimated crowd size by the GA ticket price.

5. Estimate the baseline cost based on the cut from ticket sales. According to the National Independent Talent Organization, an indie artist typically makes about  $40 from each $100 (40%) of total ticket revenue. 

The math should look something like this:

Once you know the estimated price for your ideal artist, set a max spend cap based on your event budget. Keep in mind that an artist’s fee is usually a flat rate for their performance only — it doesn’t factor in added expenses like transportation, equipment hire, and hospitality riders.

So, if you’re going to offer these services as part of the deal, I’d recommend taking your estimate, and then adding an extra 10% on top of that as a buffer. 

💡Pro tip: To help calculate your artist fees and expenses, use the music artist budget template from our guide on how to build a festival budget. Break down the individual cost of each artist, and see if you’re staying within budget for your lineup.

4. Reach out to talent agents directly (with an offer) 

According to Crust Nation, there are two ways of approaching artist bookings: cold emails or in-person networking. No matter which one you choose, they both end the same way: a formal offer email. 

Honestly, dealing with anything cold is not my favorite job. I’d much rather stay in my warm comfort zone, far away from an empty inbox. Yes, as I’m sure you’ve guessed, I have tried reaching out to talent agents before, and yes my success rate was…underwhelming.

While I’d love to blame it on the grim 37.6% average open rate of emails in the events industry, the truth is (in hindsight) that the email template I used was too long, too vague, and too impersonal to get attention. 

This is what it looked like.

Here’s why this email wasn’t well-received: 

It…

• Shows no personality or insight into my event brand that would make me stand out 
• Uses generic phrases like "I hope this email finds you well," which is fine but (let’s be honest) doesn't add really much value 
• Doesn’t have a strong subject line that makes the recipient want to click 
• Lacks specific details that show I've done my research or have a genuine reason for reaching out
• Fails to address the agent by name, which makes it feel like a template (and less personal)

In contrast, Crust Nation advises, “Create a formal offer template with all relevant event details — date, time, proposed compensation, venue photos, capacity, and links to your website/socials. Find the agent’s contact info online and send a concise, professional email explaining who you are.” 

The trick is sending a personalized initial outreach and being specific about what value you offer, while keeping the email itself punchy. With this advice in mind, I went back and built a new email template for myself, and not to brag, but I think it’s pretty good. 

If you want to get a copy of the template for yourself, you can download it here. 

💡Pro Tip: Crust Nation advises being tactful in your communication. “Follow-ups are encouraged, but don’t be annoying. If there’s interest, they’ll respond.”

5. Build connections in the industry

Crust Nation stresses the importance of building your network and leaning on your community. “Relationships are the name of the game,” they told me, and I couldn’t agree more.

In fact, in our TRNDS 2025 report, we found that eight out of 10 event organizers believe that growing communities around their events is important. 

When it comes to networking, their approach is simple: get out there and meet people face-to-face.

And I get that. But, in my humble opinion, there’s also a lot of value in online conversations too. For example, when we talked to DJ Lani Love about live music trends, she told us how she was able to use her Discord channel to turn online connections into IRL ones. 

After chatting with Crust Nation, I did some experimenting with in-person and online networking strategies, and through some trial-and-error, I found a few strategies that actually work:

• Go to live shows: Use Eventbrite to find events in your area that you resonate with — and go to them. But don’t just hit one show and call it a day, make yourself known.
  
• Be active on online forums: Jump onto community-based forums and find threads in the music and event organizing space. For example, I’m part of the Midnight Musicians Cafe group, where international musicians can chat about live gigs and collabs.
  
  How did I find this group? Easy. I searched “live musicians” on the DiscordMe directory, and there it was.

• Hit up local networking events: Buy tickets to conferences, brunches, seminars — really any networking event that helps you connect with industry professionals.
  
  I’ve found that attending a good mix of general “events-on-events”, like the International Confex in London, alongside more music industry-specific events, like HOME’s Meet My Music: Virtual Music Hang-Outs, is the best way to make meaningful connections (plus, you usually end up running into a few of the same faces which makes for a convenient icebreaker).
  
• Become a bit of an online stalker: Okay, I’m kidding (but not really). One of the easiest ways to get on someone’s radar is by commenting on their social posts. I like to choose a live event photo and leave a comment that shows I’ve actually attended the event.
  
  I do this by providing a personal and specific detail, a bit like this: “Wow, I can’t believe this all happened last night, the mic drop at the end was incredible!”
  
  But you can also show support in a more general “I’m-a-huge-fan!” sort of way. For instance, check out Hap Hap Lounge’s comment on Jilly.fm’s post:

💡Pro tip: Crust Nation reminded me that, “Relationships are the name of the game. Execute professionally, build genuine connections and always pay on time — these are the keys to success in artist bookings.”

6. Foster genuine relationships for long-term cooperation

One thing Crust Nation said surprised me: if there’s a choice between taking a financial hit or compromising the experience for the artist and audience, they’d always choose the former.

But isn’t low ticket sales or a half-empty venue one of our biggest concerns for event organizers? After all, a show needs to make financial sense to be worth doing.

But here’s what Crust Nation has helped me understand. Relationships matter. More than money and more than ticket sales (yep, I’m serious). 

Because even though the live music market size is 15.60 billion, it’s actually very, very small — and people talk. 

The best strategy is to create a positive experience that makes artists want to work with you again and recommend you to their network. As DJ Skee told us in our chat about Creating Space For Collaboration, “The good news is that once you're in these ecosystems you’re in — people like to do business with people that they know.” 

If you focus on building trust and showing up consistently over time, you’ll earn respect, build lasting relationships, and be the first person that comes to mind in the future. 

Here are a few guiding principles to keep in mind: 

• Limit grey areas wherever possible: Be explicit about what you expect from people, and what they can expect in return. As Steven Angel from Back To The Future Events said in our Reconvene Session on Thinking Ahead: Designing For Event Success, you don’t want to leave room for ambiguity.
  
  For example, if you’re talking to an agent about performance time, be specific. Are there any pre-event requirements that need to be considered? If they need to perform longer than expected, are you going to pay the artist extra for that extra time?
  
• Pay attention to the little things: Ask questions and spend time getting to know the people you’re working with. Where did they grow up? What do they enjoy doing in their free time? Find out these small things and look for opportunities to bring them up in future conversations.
  
• Treat your artist like “the prize”: Make sure from the moment you interact with your artists, they know “I am valued here.” Invest a bit more in your catering. Set up a lounge area for them to wait in between sets.
  
  As Crust Nation says “...treat the artist well, at the end of the day they are the client of the agent or manager who trusted you. How you handle the event directly impacts your reputation and future opportunities.”

💡Pro tip: Look for ways to show up for the artists you work with, even (or especially) when things don’t go to plan. Here’s a great example of Crust Nation’s approach.

“One of the challenges we faced was booking an artist who, despite their talent, wasn’t selling enough tickets to fill the boat. In a competitive market like New York City, even top-tier artists can struggle with ticket sales because there are so many events happening simultaneously.

“We knew this show was important for the artist, so rather than letting them perform in a half-empty space, we got creative. 

“We spoke to our local DJ team that was performing the same night and merged one of our smaller events with the boat party in a way that complemented the headliner since their musical styles worked well together. The artist ended up performing as a surprise guest, never realizing that ticket sales had been lower than expected and the crowd loved it.”

So you’ve booked. Now what?

If you're anything like me (an over, I mean forward, thinker) you're probably like: “Okay cool, I’ve got this locked down… what do I do after I book the artist?”

Don’t worry. I asked about that, too. 

"Once the offer is accepted, promo is agreed upon and the show goes on sale, there's typically not much to do beyond marketing. These artists are busy, often playing multiple shows a week, so constantly checking in about an event far in the future isn’t necessary.”

Your focus should be on the promotional side of things, like finalizing announcement dates, marketing materials, ticket sales, and artist’s care and hospitality. That said, it’s important to stay connected with artist teams to brainstorm unique ways to market the show. “These days, content is a huge part of the business, so having a well-structured promotional plan and making sure both sides stick to it is key.”

The good news is marketing your event is a whole lot easier than booking artists. Why? Because you’ve got us on your side.

When you partner with Eventbrite, we help you with every part of your event promotion, from crafting compelling copy for your Facebook ads to providing real-time updates on Instagram and TikTok campaigns. Plus, we give you easy access to real-time performance analytics, so you can make data-driven decisions and see exactly what’s working with your audience.