If you've gone out to a live rock show in the last five years, there's a good chance that Dave Shapiro had something to do with it. The Los Angeles-based booking agent boasts a roster that includes everyone from A Day to Remember and Jesu to Dredg and The Devil Wears Prada. Working at The Agency Group, Shapiro is one of the most sought-after and respected names in the live concert business.

"Ten years ago, when I was 18 years old, I played in a band on Victory Records called Count the Stars. From touring with that band I learned a lot of the behind-the-scenes stuff. So after we broke up, I did all kinds of stuff from tour managing to promoting shows locally," Shapiro told Noisecreep.

"I wasn't sure what I wanted to [be] doing, but I did know I wanted to stay doing something in this business. Once I fell into booking, I knew I had found my niche."

The first few tours Shapiro booked proved to be a huge education for the upstate New York native.

"When I first started booking, I really didn't what I was doing," he said. "There was a lot of trial and error. I've been doing this for about eight years now, so I've learned a lot in that time. But Andy Somers, who is the head of The Agency Group's Los Angeles office, has been very supportive to me and is my mentor. He's a legend in our business."

Noisecreep asked Shapiro what he looks for in a band before he agrees to take them on as clients.

"It's a case by case type of thing, but firstly, the music," he said. "I want to listen to a band and hear something that I like and that I can help get to a next level. I have to love it. Look, as an agent I'm ultimately selling these shows, so I'm going to be a better salesman pushing something I truly love and believe in.

"Another important factor for me taking on a new band is the team they have around them. Do they have a label, manager and/or lawyer? If none of those things are in line yet, I ask myself if there are people in the network I know that might be a good fit for the band."

These days, social networking is one of the key marketing aspects that bands use to help raise their profile. However, Shapiro says he values quality over quantity when it comes to social media promotion.

"There's so much social media stuff out there right now. It's hard to keep up with it all. But just having a Facebook or a Tumblr page doesn't mean you're doing things the right way. It doesn't automatically make you a smart band. Having management, or someone else, making sure that you're driving traffic to your pages and helping the awareness grow is very important. It's not just about Tweeting all day. It's about being effective."

With everyone reporting on the currently crippled state of the major label system, Noisecreep wanted to know how much the touring side of the music business had been affected.

"If a band is really new and hot, then it doesn't matter much. Regardless of the times we're in, people will pay a premium dollar to see a band if they are into them. Now, if an artist has been around for 10 years and comes around a market one or two times a year, then yes, you have to be price sensitive. But I'm lucky to have a group of bands that people still want to see live."

Check out a list of Dave's clients at The Agency Group.

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