One long month

The most difficult time I had in this job was that one month after Jenny had her son.

I had her laptop and blackberry with me, I was answering her phone, checking her mails, and dealing with many offers for the next summer tour of the female rock star. Yes, she was also working as the booking agent, and there it was: one more thing in this industry I knew nothing about.
I carefully read Jenny's pre-booking correspondences, and listened to her many times when she was talking to promoters on the phone. After a couple of  phone calls and emails, there was nothing to be worried about.

I had to answer many phone calls from unknown numbers, all they asked was : "How much is that artist? I need to confirm this show in 2 hours!"
Confirming a show in such a short time was impossible, at least for our artist.
I asked all the callers to write an email with the following info:
* Anticipated date and place of the concert
* Detailed pictures of the venue (pictures from past events and CAD drawings and floor plan including backstage areas, if available would be great)
* Sound and lighting company and their equipment list
* Anticipated ticket prices
* Target ticket sales
* Info on sponsors, if any
* PR planning of the show

Even requesting such a mail would eliminate at least half of the callers, and only after that, could we present the offer to the artist, and calculate an appropriate artist fee, and respond the promoter with that quote plus our requirements.


I was also working on the metal band's gala concert after the release of their dvd.
As a gift to fans, we gave away the dvd with the concert ticket. We planned a special show, with 8 top local artists covering the band's classical songs, each coming to the stage as a surprise during the band's performance. I arranged all these artists (confirmation, rehearsals, show day transportation, backstage riders, etc.) and took care of many other things on the show day. I felt like I was juggling.

For my hard work of that month, Jenny and I agreed on a salary which was quite moderate.
We were partners with the promoters in this concert, which meant the band would have a share in the revenue after break-even. And Jenny got paid as the 6th band member.
Before the concert, I'd asked her if she could pay me more if the show was a huge success. She replied: "How much money I make is none of your business".

Although it was a great concert, it wasn't a huge success, the venue was half empty.
Then Jenny asked me if it was OK to pay me a little less than we agreed as the show was a disappointment, and naturally I replied: "I thought your income was none of my business".

This was it.
This was the breaking point in our relationship with Jenny.
She immediately paid me in full, but things would never be the same after that.

Next: Another Tour