Nightliner
Timeline & Status
2023, 2 months
Role
UX Research | User Interface | Interactive Design
Tools
Figma | Illustrator | Photoshop | After effects | Protopie
Type
Personal project
What is a booking agent for artists?
A booking agent for artists secures performance opportunities, negotiates contracts, and schedules shows while maximizing profits and exposure for the artist.
Responsibilities
Negotiates contracts and performance fees with event organizers and promoters.
Efficiently schedules shows to minimize downtime and travel costs.
Acts as a liaison between the artist and event organizers/venues.
Builds and maintains relationships with industry contacts.
The role of a booking agent
During my research, I gained a deeper understanding of the booking process and the pain points of booking agents. Here are some of the key insights: The days and the place have a massive impact on crowd turnover. Booking usually start from the main cities and the weekends and then continue to fill in the gaps. Each tour, artist, and location exhibits its own distinct culture. Usually the promoter will send dozens of cold mails looking for leads, then will try to find the best route for the tour, and repeat the process.
Daniel the booking agent
After analyzing and order the data I gained sufficient knowledge about the booking world and his challenges. I created a persona based on the information. At the beginning there were two main personas, one who is a veteran musician that booked the tours for himself, and the other is for a full time booking agent. At the end I decided that for the MVP I should focus on the latter.
Here is a typical scenario
Clairo (Indie artist) is planning to launch a new album in the summer of 2022, and she wants to do two weeks tour in the U.S. around that time to promote it. She contacts Daniel (her booking agent), to start things off. Daniel has been working with her for the last two years, so he knows some promoters who will generally be interested in booking a show at that time.
Getting the right hierarchy
The main challenge was striking the right balance in information hierarchy on a single screen, avoiding cognitive overload. It involved determining how much information to present without overwhelming the user. I have learned that sometime prioritizing efficiency in the long run meant sacrificing immediate ease of use and embracing a steeper learning curve.