Artist routing, sometimes referred to as block booking or cooperative buying, happens when a group of buyers in the same region books the same artist or event within a short time window. This allows the artist to travel efficiently between shows, significantly reducing travel costs. When expenses like flights, gas, lodging, and truck rentals shrink, the savings are passed directly to the schools.
For example, if Ohio University, the University of Toledo, and Ohio State are all interested in the same comedian, magician, speaker, or band, they can coordinate to bring that act to each campus over the same week. Because the artist is not crisscrossing the country but simply driving a few hours between campuses, everyone can pay a lower fee. This is a win for the schools and for the artists, who get to fill multiple dates while reducing downtime and logistical headaches.
And while this works beautifully with campus events and regional programming, it is the same principle the big promoters use when routing national tours for arena or amphitheater acts. In fact, following the routing of large-scale artists can sometimes yield discounts for private or campus buyers, too. But that is a bigger topic for another day. Today, we are focused on how Degy can help you save money right now by routing our own roster of incredible acts for your campus this fall.
It comes down to basic economics. Travel is one of the largest expenses in an artist’s quote. Flights, van rentals, gas, hotels, and labor costs all pile up quickly. But when an artist has multiple shows in the same geographic area, those costs are divided among several buyers instead of being paid by just one.
The more schools or buyers that get involved, the more attractive the block is to the artist and agency. Artists are often willing to discount their fees even further when they see a block of dates come together because it guarantees more work with less downtime. Agencies like Degy are also highly motivated to help close these deals because a full route is more efficient for everyone involved.
It is not just about the money either. Block booking creates real collaboration opportunities. Schools often partner on marketing, co-promote shows, share production assets, and even brainstorm creative ways to make events better for their students.
The first step is getting connected. Start by reaching out to other schools in your region. If you are not sure who to talk to, attending events like NACA (National Association of Campus Activities) or APCA (Association for the Promotion of Campus Activities) is the best way to meet fellow programmers. Even if you cannot attend in person, both organizations post showcase lineups on their websites. If an artist is showcasing in your region, that is often a signal they are building a route and looking for nearby dates.
The next step is simple but powerful. Ask questions. When talking to an agent or artist, do not be afraid to ask when they will be in your region. Artists love routing because it saves them time and money as well. They are often willing to offer better rates when they can stack shows together.
Flexibility is a huge advantage. If your event date is open within a window of a few days, your odds of joining a routed block go up significantly. Being flexible does not mean sacrificing your event quality—it means unlocking the best pricing available.
At Degy, we are not just encouraging block booking. We are actively making it happen. This past spring at NACA, we brought back the paper booking forms that buyers have used for years to show interest in acts (this idea cracked up our ‘tenured’ agents like Jeff Hyman & Ari Nisman who used to count their forms to assess on-site conference booking success). This simple but effective tool allows our agents to quickly see which campuses are interested in which acts. From there, we can start building blocks that create real savings for everyone. Paper forms were all the range until NACA built the digital 24/7 system before Covid.
On top of that, our automated routing system does the heavy lifting. When an artist has an anchor date on the calendar, you may remember getting an email that says “Booking Alert in Your Area”. Yes, those are part of the unique routing system we created to help our programmers. We share that information with buyers in the surrounding area of a date confirmation. This helps schools jump on routing opportunities before the calendar fills up.
And then there are our Monthly Routing Sheets. These go out the first Wednesday of each month (generally) to our core college buyers, listing where Degy artists are already booked and which dates are open. If you see an act heading into your region, that is your green light to reach out and see how you can grab a date at a discounted rate as part of the route.
One of the best things about block booking is that the more buyers who participate, the bigger the savings become. Whether you are booking a mentalist, a lecture, a band, a drag show, a comedian, or anything else from our roster, the principle is the same. A route saves money. A bigger route saves even more.
Crazy enough, the same principle applies to larger, nationally touring artists, but we will save that deep dive for another day (when we talk more on “Major Artist Talent Buying”). Right now, the focus is how we can help you save money this fall by routing acts already moving through your region.
Artist routing and block booking are some of the most effective ways to stretch your programming budget without sacrificing the quality of your events. It is not just about getting a discount. It’s also about working smarter. Plus, this process helps like-minded programmers create connections with other schools, helps artists fill their schedules, and brings incredible entertainment to your campus while saving you money.
To keep you going, here are some useful links to take you onward.
Jeff Hyman – jeff@degy.com
Sophie Low – sophie@degy.com
Sean Sullivan – sean@degy.com
Delilah Bestler – delilah@degy.com
Ari Nisman – ari@degy.com
Nick DiRoma – nick@degy.com