Today we’d like to introduce you to Dan Laird.
Hi Dan, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I’ve been a musician for over 30 years. One of the most difficult aspects of being a working musician is finding places to play. Often times, venue like restaurants and bars have a million other things to worry about and so booking live music isn’t the priority. This leads to venues keeping only a small rotation of musicians they know, or worse yet, not having music at all.
In 2022, as the world was opening back up after the pandemic, I managed to lock down a weekly solo gig as a performer at a local bar. As opportunities for my band started to reappear, I needed to step away from some of those solo shows. The owners of the local bar wanted to keep music going so they asked if I would find my own substitutes on the days I needed to perform elsewhere. With 30+ years of performing in the music community, I’ve built up quite the Rolodex of musical friends and was excited to offer gigs to many of those friends. I enjoyed it so much that I even reduced my solo performances to once a month and booked other performers on the other weeks. In less than a year, this local bar went from having no live music to being voted one of the top three music venues in the area according to an annual “Top of the Town” community voting contest. Since I couldn’t keep promoting other musicians’ shows on my own social media channels, Angry Talent Entertainment was born.
It didn’t take long before musician friends asked if I could book them gigs at other venues. And with that, I started hitting the pavement. By explaining what I was able to do for one venue in terms of booking and promotion, I started unlocking opportunities for musicians in venues where live music never existed before. Soon after, venues that did have live music already hired me to take this responsibility off their plates.
In less than four years, Angry Talent Entertainment has partnered with dozens of venues and events from dive bars to MLB and NFL stadiums. In that time, ATE has stayed committed to its goal to building a music community not just for current musicians and venues but for tomorrow’s musicians as well by contributing over $10,000 to community and public school music programs.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
One of the hardest parts of making partnerships between musicians and venues is coming up with a payment that respects the musicians’ time and talent while also maintaining an appropriate budget for the venue’s size and business. My horrible sales pitch has often been “shorter shows for more money.” And the way to convince venues to agree to that is to offer them additional services. I do more for the venue so the venue can do more for the musician.
The other obstacle is capacity. As the calendar fills up, the provided services take more and more time. It’s a good problem to have and has motivated me to bring trusted partners onto the team. It’s really led me to believe that what started as a side business could very well become a main business.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Angry Talent Entertainment operates on three main pillars: Advocate for musicians’ time and talent, promote venues that provide live music, and support the community we all call home. Our priority is to build and support a music community, not pad our own pockets.
As a musician myself, ATE provides expertise in getting any venue set up for live music. We don’t just find great bands to perform. We can assist with setup of sound systems while providing the performers with all the information they need for a successful show, From parking and unloading information to needed gear and provided facilities, we make sure that performers and 99% confident they know what to do if staff is busy whether it’s their first or 100th performance at the venue.
Reputation is everything. ATE is proud of the reputation it has built and the support it has earned from musicians and venues alike.
What matters most to you? Why?
A reputation for fairness and being a trusted partner is most important. Businesses hire a service because the service is needed. When someone hires Angry Talent Entertainment, I want it to be because they know they I prioritized their success and not just their business.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.AngryTalentEntertainment.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/angrytalententertainment/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AngryTalentEntertainment/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-laird-02a6797/
