Reading an inquiry and deciding
Quick-look at each inquiry. Here's the triage mental model.
What to check
- Genre fit — glance at tags; if not your program, decline fast
- Date open — check your calendar
- Draw realistic — sample streaming briefly, check past nearby shows
- Deal workable — what's their ask, what's your typical
If all four are yes, move to a deeper review. If any is no, decline or archive.
Deeper review (when it's a contender)
- Listen to 30 seconds of music — the genre tags aren't always accurate; confirm
- Scan past shows in region — are they real-touring or just a local act pitching widely?
- Check Instagram — recent touring photos? Active account?
- Sanity-check draw — a band claiming 300 draw with 2k monthly listeners on Spotify is unrealistic
- Read the pitch text — is it personalized or generic? Spray-and-pray inquiries are a red flag
Risk signals to watch
- Brand new Mintoor account (under 14 days old) — not necessarily bad, but less data to evaluate
- Inconsistent info — claim draw 200 but past nearby shows all at 50-cap rooms
- Already passed by you — if the artist previously pitched and you declined for the same slot, flag
- Short notice — less than 30 days can work, less than 2 weeks is risky for cold artists
What the artist's deal ask means
- "$500 guarantee" — they want $500 flat, no matter attendance
- "$500 v. 80% door" — they want the greater of $500 or 80% of door revenue (versus deal)
- "Open to deal structure" — they're flexible; you propose
See Accepting, counter-offering, or declining for how to respond.
Coming soon
A match score per inquiry with a fit breakdown (genre, capacity, history) and a draw cross-validation against streaming numbers are on the roadmap. Today, the call is yours based on the data above.
Still stuck?
- Unclear whether they're a real touring band. Ask for specifics in reply ("Last 3 venues you played, please").
- Date is important to you but deal doesn't work. Counter with your terms; see if they move.