Information for Musicians and Bands
Seeking Overseas Work

Looking For International Work?

Double Ts agency places many acts in overseas employment each week. We send acts to Asia, Europe, Japan, India, the Middle East but we also book in many other locations worldwide as the contracts are presented to us.

There are a few things each act needs to know to work successfully overseas and there are also a few things Double Ts needs to know about your act even before we can agree to market you.

Working overseas requires a deep commitment between the act and the agency. A deep commitment must also exist between each member of the act. The costs associated with marketing and preparing an act to go overseas are quite high. The act is away from Australia and must make appropriate decisions about what is right for the client, the agency and what is in the best interest of the act - often in isolation. You will be working in locations which have different customs from ours and where their laws differ markedly from ours. There are ironclad contracts which need to be signed between the act, Double Ts, venues and sometimes even other third-party agents. There is a lot to think about. On the other hand, working "OS" is a blast! 99% of our acts report having the best times while away. Many of our acts move from one contract to the next. From one country to the next. Even from one hemisphere to the next! We have had some acts away for years! You don't have to do that, but the typical duration is Three and up to Six months.

There are passports, visas, travel arrangements, luggage limits, accommodation (amongst other things) to be arranged. But before all of that can take place there are certain standards of quality and presentation that must be adhered to with your promotional materials before our clients will even look at you.

Please take the time to study the documents (above), fill out the Questionnaire and Work History forms and return them to us. Peruse the contract and other documents and, please, ask questions to clarify your understandings. We are only looking for the best talent and acts with which we can have a long-term relationship.

Our track record is exemplary. Are you ready to take the plunge?

Below is some general information about the engagements that our company deals with. Every contract is different so it is difficult to quote general conditions, however, many jobs fall within the following range of parameters:.

ENTERTAINMENT REQUIRED

We are constantly looking for piano vocalist entertainers, duos, trios and bands playing popular music (+top 40 style) We also require jazz duos and latin groups.

CONTRACT PERIOD

Our demand for entertainers is all year round and most contracts are 3 to 6 months long. Very occasionally we see 2 month contracts but the minimum period generally required is 3 months.

SETS AND NIGHTS PER WEEK

Most contracts are 6 nights per week and 4 sets of 30 to 40 minutes per night (some contracts are 5 hours per night)

SALARY ACCOMODATION AND AIRFARE

Salaries range dramatically however you can expect approximately US$2000 to US$2500 per month per person including our 10% agency commission.(or about $600 to $800 Australian nett  per  person per week or $400 to $600 American dollars per week)   Sometimes this figure is higher but once again it depends on the contract and on the group. Meals, accomodation and airfares are generally provided as part of the contracts but not all contracts cover all of these items. Musicians will be  notified upon proposal of the job whether these items will by covered or not.

OUR REQUIREMENTS

• Video and demonstration tape
• Professional photograph(s)
• Song list
• Biography
• Work History for at least 2 to 3 years
• References from hotels performed at

Further explanation of these items is made in the article below

WORKING THE OVERSEAS HOTEL CURCIUT

Extract from an Article published in the "Immedia Magazine"  1999
by Kevin Kosky

Kevin Kosky, director of 'Double T's International Entertainment' gives us a view of working overseas--not as an original artist but in the lucrative covers field. His company specializes in the export of Australian musicians and entertainers overseas, established for 12 years and dealing mainly with 5 star venues. He has a strong grounding in the music industry, having spent many years in bands servicing the hotel and corporate market both locally and internationally and is also an active member of the VPEAA (Victorian Professional Entertainers Agents Association) His email: kevin.kosky@doublets.com.au and web page: http://www.doublets.com.au

The thought of a working holiday to a far off destination sounds like a wonderful escape for many musicians and with the right preparation it really can be.

However there are a number of things to consider to make a trip like this successful. You need to make sure that you are able to present yourself in the best possible way to win one of these contracts but you also need to know what to watch out for and what can go wrong. With correct preparation, you can avoid most problems and make the most of your time away.

Firstly, you need to make sure you present the best possible promotional package you can. I can't tell you how many jobs have been lost because poor promotional materials were provided. Hand written resumes, photocopied photos and poorly recorded demos are all reasons to fail. If you want them to take you seriously, you have to put some serious thought into presenting yourself well. One guy sent me a noisy demo tape with only one song on it, a bad photocopy of a photo of him in jeans and a T shirt, a 3 line resume and no song list. No-one can take that sort of stuff seriously especially a buyer from overseas. The look and image of a group is most imporant when working overseas. Your whole package looks like it has come from someone who works profesionally.

Make sure your promotional package includes the

following items:

1.A professional style photograph of the group or act you intend to promote. Sending separate photos of the members doesn't work and the photo must be an accurate display of the lineup to travel. This can make or break your chances of employment so make sure it is a professional photo (studio if possible) with all band members dressed and groomed well. An 8 x 10 glossy photo in colour is the best format. Black and white is ok for effect but a colour photo generally works better.

Note:  In Melbourne Australia,  I can recommend the following photographers
HOT PEPPER STUDIOS - 9870 0044
For under $100 they will give you the photo session, an 8 x10 photo, plus all the proof shots

BILL JACKSON-MARTIN - 0418 393002
Bill is realy good with female artists and is a fantastic makeup, hair and dress consultant as well. Although he is more expensive at $250, his work is excellent value and gets good results.

2.A Video tape is an essential item these days.CD's and demo tapes are fine but most venues ask for video tapes as well . Make your video about 10 minutes long with 8 to 10 pieces of songs. Live recordings are fine especially if you can show some interaction with the audience but try not to compromise the sound quality too much.  Make sure that you send the best quality copy you can. I often receive videos that have been copied so many times, the faces of the band are just a blurred patch of light. Once again this wastes your money and time and no buyer will accept this. Home camcorder video footage is quite acceptable as long as you experiment with sound and picture quality. Try putting the camera on a still surface in different parts of the room to get the best response on film. However, although homemade footage will work, a professionally produced video is definitely an asset. I have a band from Sydney called Mid Nyt Sun recently played in a hotel in Dubai who have been my greatest success as they put a great deal of effort into producing a good video and I have had no trouble getting them continuous work. The video worked because they were exciting to look at, they dressed well, they danced well, the material was well known internationally and the lighting and production was great. The general rule is the bigger the group, the more you need to pay attention to a well produced video however, there have been many successes with homemade camcorder footage.   The best structure for a successful video prsentation is a seven to ten minute duration with eight to ten peices of songs approximately one minute in length each. It is best to have the acts name always present as a title on the bottom of the video screen, if possible.  An opening and closing title screen with the acts name is also advisable.

In Melbourne Australia, I can recommend the following video maker
MARK RAMET  - 0416  100 972
Mark costs about $400 to make a professional video

3.Biography - a one page biography is fine. Include your experience, where you have played, what you have done including TV performances, CD's recorded and anything of note. The important thing here is to be relevant. An overseas buyer wants to know you have experience enough to work in their venue for 6 nights a week and for three months or more. Sometimes people send me school reports and references from teachers. These just end up in the circular file overseas.

Refer to our website  http://www.doublets.com.au for examples of biographies and song lists

4.Song list - make sure all the songs are well known internationally so that your potential client can recognize the titles. Original songs are not relevant for this type of work. Imagine you are the client and what you would be looking for. For example, in the piano bar world for female pianists, clients love to hear songs by Celine Dion, Whitney Housten and Mariah Carey plus jazz standards and light pop tunes. Pop duos need a 60s to 90s type repertoire and cover bands can use well known top 40 material. Remember that not all successful recording artists in Australia have their songs played worldwide so consider this before putting a song or your list or on you demo. Also consider that each country has a preference for certain material. For example, many Japanese people love "The Carpenters" music, whereas you probably wouldn't be caught dead singing a Carpenters song at a gig in Australia.

5.References - Many hotels will ask for references from other hotels you have worked in. It is best to provide a reference on hotel letterhead that shows you have worked in a similar environment to the venues you are applying for. They want to know you are capable of working for a long period of time so make sure your references include a length of time that you have played at that venue. There is no point providing reference from other agents or private and corporate clients.

6.Work history - This needs to be a listing of all the work done for at least 2 to 3 years. List venue name, address, contact person and contact number, and dates performed there. Just include resident dates, not single days, unless they were very important gigs.

Click HERE for a work history sheet that you can print out

It is important to know what sort of wages and basic conditions you can expect to earn overseas. Most contracts range from approximately AUD$600 to $800 (US$400 - $550) per week nett per person. This will depend on the type, size and standard of the particlar act. Most contracts offer airflights, meals and accomodation and general conditions are: 3 months contract length, 6 nights per week, and 4 sets (x 40 minutes) per night. These conditions vary but this is an average.

A Few Final Points

It's a great idea to learn a few words of the native language before leaving for overseas. One musician told me that on her first night in Japan she was served a coffee when she ordered a curry.Due to the fluctuation of the Australian dollar against the US dollar your money can vary quite dramatically especially when you bring your money home to Australia so it a good idea to keep your eye on the exchange rate. Most contracts are negotiated in American dollars. Also remember that in most contracts you will need to provide your own health and equipent insurance so make sure you you allow for that expense. Travel as light as you can as overweight baggage can cost up to 4 times as much coming home from overseas International airports than what you paid for it to leave home. Finally , I have found found the demand for Australian musicians seems to be for piano bar entertainers, pop and jazz duos and trios, and Top 40 cover bands performing in venues in the Middle East, Japan, Hong Kong, Asia and Korea. If your act falls within one of these categories, then the above information will help you on your way overseas. If it doesn't there still may be demand for your type of show.  Finally, you should remember the three most important words to do with overseas contracts: Presentation, presentation presentation!

Now that you have read the information go back to the top of the page and print out the required forms we need to start marketing you. Any information you can email is even better so we can start promoting you right away online. We use 'Microsoft Word7' otherwise you can just send the text pasted into an email.

Back To Top