Sound Check

In this episode, Sandy & Donna crack open the real story behind live performance bookings.Between 1995 and 2005, they personally invested nearly two million dollars producing festivals and concerts in California, booking everyone from Tony Bennett and Diana Krall to Dave Koz, Boney James, Keiko Matsui, and Michael McDonald.They share exactly how they vetted artists, survived 9/11, and why Clint Eastwood and Barbra Streisand showed up at their events.The Girls also reveal a hard truth: contemporary jazz festival lineups haven’t changed in more than 25 years. Today’s headliners are nearly identical to the posters from the ’90s and early 2000s.Meanwhile, pop has evolved with massive new stars in the same time period like Post Malone, Harry Styles, Olivia Dean, Bruno Mars, and Benson Boone.From opening act meltdowns to headliner professionalism, the Stream Girls walk you through the realities promoters face and the mistakes artists make.Learn how today’s artists can finally get a leg up. Visibility is the new audition. Behavioral metrics matter more than vanity numbers.Promoters want to see you build your base. Sell out small venues. Make content that looks like festival content.Treat every booking like a partnership. Show up prepared with your contract, rider, and stage plot.They also decode the myths: Billboard chart positions don’t get you booked. Radio promoters don’t produce festivals. And in today’s world, you’re not just the artist — you’re the label, the promoter, and the marketing department.If you want to get booked — and rebooked — this is your Sound Check!