I Became a Talent Buyer. What the F*ck Am I Doing?

Three months ago, I had never bought talent for a concert. Now I’m negotiating guarantees, calculating break-even points, chasing local support, obsessively refreshing ticket counts, and pretending words like “backend” have always been part of my vocabulary. After more than 25 years in radio, I thought I understood the music business. I interviewed the bands, hosted the shows, covered the festivals, stood backstage, stood side stage, and occasionally drank somebody else’s beer. Then I became a talent buyer for The Boardwalk in Orangevale, California—and discovered an entire side of live music I had never seen. In this first episode of the Mikey in the Pit podcast, I explain how getting fired from radio eventually led to Muscatello Media, my relationship with The Boardwalk, and the completely unexpected career turn that put me in charge of booking concerts. I’m not starting this podcast two years from now and pretending I had everything figured out from the beginning. I’m documenting it while I’m learning: the shows that sell, the ones that eat shit, the negotiations, agents, bands, ticket counts, mistakes, and the economics of keeping a small independent music venue alive in 2026. Fans think tickets cost too much. Bands can barely afford to tour. Venues are struggling to survive. Nobody is wrong so where the fuck is the money going? Talent buyer, concert booking, independent music venues, live music industry, booking bands, concert promoter, venue booking, talent buying explained, concert guarantees, artist backend deal, local support bands, music venue economics, touring costs, The Boardwalk Orangevale, Sacramento live music, Mikey in the Pit, Muscatello Media.