How to Vet a Live Entertainer or Event Vendor Before You Book

Booking an entertainment agency to find your event's musician sounds convenient. It's also how a lot of people end up with a stranger they've never heard play, based on a profile photo and a price quote.

Dylan Galvin is a Berklee College of Music graduate, mentored by music legends John Mayer, Paul Simon and Livingston Taylor. Performing across the United States since 2009, now based in the DMV (Washington DC, Maryland, and Virginia), more than 1,500 events, including work for Coca-Cola, Wells Fargo, Lincoln, and CBRE.

What an agency actually does (and doesn't)

An entertainment agency is a booking layer, not a guarantee of talent. They collect a roster of performers, take a cut of the fee, and match requests to whoever's available. Some agencies vet their roster carefully. Many don't, because their incentive is filling the date, not finding the right fit.

That's not a knock on agencies broadly, it's a reason to treat the agency's word as a starting point, not proof.

What to actually verify before booking

Whether you're going through an agency or booking direct, the same checks apply.

Real, recent performance footage

Not a polished promo reel, not studio audio over stock photos. Real event footage, ideally from the last year, showing the performer actually playing in front of guests.

For reference, here's what that kind of proof actually looks like, real event footage, not studio takes:

Watch on Instagram (clip 1)

Watch on Instagram (clip 2)

Watch on Instagram (clip 3)

Anyone worth hiring should have clips like these on hand without having to search for them.

Direct references, not agency testimonials

Ask for a couple of direct contacts from recent clients, people you can actually call or text, not a curated quote on the agency's site.

Who you're actually booking

Confirm the exact person performing, not "a musician from our roster in that style." Get their name, get their footage, get their direct confirmation of the date.

Why direct booking often works better

Booking directly with a performer cuts out the agency's markup and the guesswork about who's actually showing up. It also means the person answering questions about the performance is the person who's going to be there playing it, not a booking coordinator relaying information secondhand.

More on Dylan Galvin's live music services: dylangalvin.com/wedding-music