Every attempt will be made by MGN to assure a non-threatening posture toward agents and reps. The key to creating this is to mediate between the agent and the bands they represent. The temptation for a band to DIY in order to "cut out the middle man," would indicate that the middle man is not offering enough value to the band for services rendered. MGN must approach agents and rep companies early on, and get them into the system. Once they see what MGN can offer the DIYer, there should be no resistance. In this way, the agent can claim their bands, making it impossible to those bands to book shows through MGN. This usually means that exclusivity contracts between bands and agents will have to happen, or at the very least venue exclusivity with the agent. In other words, the agent can declare which venues they will book their bands in, allowing bands to DIY other venues. Another approach is to encourage agents to start looking at venues as their main clents rather than bands.

The effect of this, will eventually lead to agents becoming more than simply booking agents, moving them more toward band managers, who know MGN services inside and out, can be a real live person catering to the personal needs of each band member. Many bands may prefer this, or require this.

Agents can also create and offer a stable of bands to a series of venues. This is attractive to bands because as a stable member they don't have to birddog MGN constantly to stay working, and it's attractive to venues because the agent can develop a stable of high quality bands in a specific genre or style that fits the theme and character of a venue. Granted, it could have the effect in some areas of closing off some venues to certain bands, but will be offset by MGN's Venue Creating Services (see Venues).

The key for MGN is to get going on this early on, and to really educate agents or would be agents on the potentials of MGN. It may be a good idea to send out a call to all booking agents in the major urban centers that a sea change in their business is happening (they already probably know this), and that MGN can offer unprecedented opportunities to become "super agents" to the bands they represent.

With this seamlessly in place, bands will have more opportunities for finding their performance niche, and as they progress to wider and wider audiences, it will become easier and easier for them. This is because the very smallest venues will most certainly be DIY, allowing ambitious bands to hone their chops, build up review points, and find agent stables to join.

Agent creating stables and venue chains also will have preferential access to bigger names in the industry as coaches and mentors. A celebrity musician is probably going to be more interested in teaching an allied group of bands as opposed to an individual band. Plus, agents will be able to work out other types of group discounts with vendors for their stables and chains, beyond what MGN will already be doing, thus offering more advantages to bands.

Agents who represent multiple artists or multiple venues can create their own PROFILE. (See Agent Profile Survey)

Using the MGN Agent search tool, bands will be able to see what bands and/or venues are represented by what agents. Should they desire, they can also find out what the stable requirements are, and could incorporate that into the band's overall success strategy.

(REF: In2une Agent Survey from 2001)

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