Students

The Artists Booking Service is an employment and professional development program. This program is designed to help VCAM students and graduates gain employment in the area of their arts specialisation. Equally important, the Artists Booking Service provides an opportunity for students and graduates to develop and gain a range of professional skills and experiences.

The Artists Booking Service functions in many ways similarly to a booking agency. We fields a diverse range of inquiries from individuals and organisations seeking artists. The Artists Booking Service administers the booking process, assists the client in the selection of appropriate artists, and books a VCAM student or graduate to fulfill the engagement.

In addition to facilitating arts related employment, the Artists Booking Service is equally devoted to ensuring VCAM graduates have the professional skills to maintain a career in the arts. The supply of professional skills development and career advice occurs in multifarious formats: through one-on-one interviews, the supply of written guides and the coordination of seminar and training sessions.

In order to receive paid work from the Artists Booking Service, an artist must fulfill a number of professional skills requirements (all of which are reasonable professional expectations within their chosen field), and we will ensure that artists have access to the skill development opportunities to fulfill these. Ongoing professional skills development occurs as each artist completes engagements with the Artists Booking Service. Additionally, all artists are required to complete a contract that outlines the conditions of an engagement.

Whilst providing employment opportunities is an important aspect of the Artists Booking Service's role, the development of your professional skills and materials is equally so. Forging a career in the arts can be a struggle; we're committed to providing you with the opportunity to develop the skills that are fundamental to this process. A fully registered artist will, after numerous engagements,

• have developed their professional presentation skills
• have a wide variety of career related experience to draw upon
• have developed a range of promotional materials and
• will posses a lucid understanding of the challenges the complex relationship between 'client' and arts professional presents, and will posses a number of strategies to deal with these.

How do I register?
The Artists Booking Service is located in Room 212 of the Elisabeth Murdoch building, Southbank. Simply meet with a member of staff for an initial briefing - you can make an appointment or just pop in for a chat. Following this you will need to provide us with a variety of promotional materials (including documentation of your work, resume, biography etc).

Why do I need to provide all these materials?
All the materials you provide to the Artists Booking Service are essential to the client’s process of deciding which artist will be engaged. The materials you provide gives the client a clear understanding of the types of performances you offer and enables you to be matched to appropriate engagements. Every piece of promotional material you produce with or provide for the Artists Booking Service will be useful in your career as an arts professional. They will equip you with an essential ‘tool-box’ for a career in the arts.

Why do I have to provide an ABN?
Because you are engaged as a contractor, you are obliged to provide advice of your income to the ATO. As the Artists Booking Service does not withhold tax, an ABN is essential for performing artists. You do not need to worry about GST (unless you are earning over $50 000 per annum from your artform).

How is an artist chosen for an engagement?
The appropriate artist is chosen in consultation with the client. Typically the client will broadly identify the type of performance they are seeking and we will offer them a range of artists/ensembles that match. Obviously the standard of your demonstration material will have a huge impact on whether a client selects you or your ensemble for the engagement. The Artists Booking Service will also consider the nature of the engagement before promoting a particular act. A high profile and complicated engagement will not, for example, be offered to a newly registered artist.

Will I ever be able to rely on the Artists Booking Service for my income?
In a word, no. The Artists Booking Service can never guarantee a level of income to artists.

How much can I expect to be paid?
After your registration process is complete, all engagements will be paid in accordance with the industry standards. We have a basic rate structure (available on request) which we find appropriate for newly registered artists - you can request to vary those rates if you feel you fill a niche in the market or are a seasoned performer.

How long after graduation am I eligible for professional development and employment services?
The Artists Booking Service recognises that the initial years after graduation present a range of challenges to performing artists. All graduates are eligible for career advice and employment services for ten years after graduation.

• your name
• your contact number/s
• your teaching instrument/s
• the area in which you teach (north, inner, etc.)
• the rate you charge for a half-hour lesson