Musician opens booking agency

Sumner-based booking agency will cater to musicians who want to perform in high-end clubs and performing arts centers

Roxanne Cooke

Jason Gibson has spent 22 years in the area as a third-generation barber and self-taught musician.

With the recent opening of his new booking agency, J. Gibson Entertainment, he hopes to put music on the forefront of his life. He plays guitar and piano and just started learning the bagpipes.

“I like being around the music,” he said.

It was really in the 1990s that Gibson felt the bug to start a booking agency. When some of his friends formed a band, he acted as their promotions person.

“I really enjoyed that,” he said.

Gibson grew up in Renton and now calls Maple Valley home. His new business is based out of Sumner, but he’ll represent established musicians and performing artists from all over the state and country.

J. Gibson Entertainment is aimed at musicians or bands interested in performing at high-end clubs or venues such as the Kirkland Performing Arts Center.

Artists must first go through an evaluation process, which includes review of their material and a live performance that would help determine the potential for successful bookings in festivals and other venues. Gibson won’t limit himself to a specific genre of music, though.

“I am looking for quality performing artists,” he said.

Qualifications include an established performance history and audience base; ability to work in a professional manner on a schedule; ability to provide materials and media kids to expedite the booking process; and the ability to pay a monthly fee.

The process is really all about trust: Venues trust Gibson to provide good performing artists, so Gibson has to trust his musicians to put on a good show.

“It’s all built on relationships,” said Janet Hansen, who handles public relations for Gibson. “It takes a great people person and Jason is a great people person.”

Gibson will act as a sort of ringmaster, helping artists get into venues and book shows so they can focus on their craft — the music. It can be challenging for musicians to focus on both, he said.

“(The area) needs my kind of business to get people out there,” he added.

With so many new artists emerging all the time, Gibson’s business is a helpful tool for musicians to get out in the public.

“This is the most saturated the music industry has even been,” Hansen said. “Emerging artists are lost in space.”

And the Northwest has been overlooked for a long time in terms of talent, Hansen added. But many great artists have emerged from Washington, including Jimi Hendrix, Nirvana and Pearl Jam.

“It is my mission to change that perspective on the Northwest and its music,” Gibson said. “I guarantee this is going to take off.”

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J. GIBSON ENTERTAINMENT

To set up an appointment with Jason Gibson, send an e-mail with a detailed description of the artist or band to gibsonbookme@aol.com. Please do not send MP3 files of Sonicbids press kits. Alternatively, mail a complete press kit including a biography, press clippings, high-resolution photos and two copies of a current CD to J. Gibson Entertainment, 1506 Washington Street, Sumner, WA 98390.