Five Lessons: Concert Curation
Since I’ve started my entertainment company a little over a year ago, I’ve created several events throughout Massachusetts. I absolutely love seeing a project through from the beginning to end, concerts especially. In theory, concert curation seems like a pretty straight forward process. You find a venue. You find some talent. You sell some tickets. I found out through trial and error this isn’t the case. Every event is different, and come with a different set of obstacles that need to be tackled. Here’s my list of five things I have learned about concert curation, the hard way.
This should be the first thing on any event coordinator’s, promoter, managers etc. list. Creating a budget can be as simple as writing down how much you’re comfortable spending on the entire production, to itemized spreadsheets consisting of separate categories. No matter what method you prefer pick one. I found that creating a list of expected expenses works best for me. After I list out every possible expense, I figure out my budget based on researching the rough cost of the venue, photographers, marketing etc., and then up with a feasible number to work with.
The budget doesn’t have to be perfect, but you should try your best to stick to your anticipated budget. When you have a clear budget in mind, you can then create sale goals that will result in you making a profit. My first event I under-budgeted a little over 500. I didn’t take into account the price of the art design, flyers, and marketing for the event. It pays to be thorough, and to have a comprehensive list of expenses you expect to run into.Â
No One Wants to Perform First
We’ve all been to concerts before. The show starts around 8, but the majority of the crowd shows up for 10. You know who else has been to concerts? The artist, and they all are ready to give you hell when you tell them they’re opening the show. This is a reality I wasn’t prepared for when I first set out to create an event. Although dealing with this issue can be stressful, having a well thought out response ready for when the question undoubtably arises is crucial.Â
There are many ways you can go about addressing this issue, but this is what I’ve found to work best.
Let the artists know when they’re performing from the start. This takes away any ambiguity on what the line up order of the concert is going to be. The worst thing you can do is to wait until the night of the concert to let (opening act name goes here) know that they’ll be opening the show.
Give them the stats. There’s countless websites that give you insight on how well an artist is reaching their audiences. My site of choice is Next Big Sound. I tend to base my lineups on who’s performing well metric wise in the particular area that I’m promoting the show. If you’ve done your research, and you explain to the artist why they’re the opener, they should understand and accept it, and if they don’t, find a replacement act.Â
Explain the benefits of going first. This sounds impossible to to, but there are in fact benefits to performing first. People tend to remember the beginning and the ends of concerts most vividly. This means if you put on a killer show to open the night you’re more likely to be remembered than whoever else goes before the headliner.
Friends Do Not Equate to Ticket Sales
Believe it or not your friends do not share your enthusiasm about the artist you’re promoting. This isn’t to say some of your closest friends won’t show up, but you should’t rely solely on your network of friends to sell out your show. This is especially true if you’re creating and promoting events frequently. I found that one in every twenty or so friends that verbally pledged their support to come check out my events actually follow through. I know that sounds terrible, but it make sense. Just because someone is your friend doesn’t mean they’re your target market.Â
This goes for family too. Yes your sister, brother, cousin, aunty, mother, father, and all your other relatives all want to support what you’re doing. However, understand they might not be thrilled to stay out until one in the morning listening to people they’ve never heard of perform. In the long run, it’s better to focus your efforts on people who genuinely love the music you’re promoting.
Everyone Wants a Free Ticket
This was one of the most difficult things I’ve had to face as I started to promote events. There’s an infinite list of reasons why people will think they should get into your event for free. My advice is to get used to saying no. If you don’t get used to saying no, you’ll be left wondering at the end of the night how’d you end up with a full room and no money to cover your expenses.
 It’s understandable that musicians have their entourages, but if you let every fan in for free who will be left to buy a ticket? It should be made clear in the artist agreement contract (or verbally if you’re not yet dealing with contracts) exactly how many free tickets each artist will have at their disposal. I routinely find myself at the door of my own event trying to explain that artist XYZ didn’t put them on their guest list, and they have to pay full price. It’s an uncomfortable conversation to have with pissed off customers, but nevertheless it has to be done.
Keeping a crowd entertained for four hours is no small task, and if you plan on people staying the duration of your event you’re going to need a plan. Depending how many acts there are on the line up, there’s potential for pockets of downtime. Merch (merchandise) booths and pop up shops can help combat concertgoers restlessness while they’re awaiting the next performer. Up and coming clothing brands are usually more than happy to come and display their merch. This gives them exposure, and it also gives you more word of mouth marketing power.Â
Giveaways can also kill two birds with one stone. It’s a way to encourage crowd participation and pass time while there’s no performances, but it also gives you a chance to gain they’re contact information to add to your mailing list. The raffle/giveaway prize needs to be cheap enough that it won’t make a giant dent in your budget, but desirable enough that people are willing to take their time to hand over their emails. The last event I coordinated I gave away a free bottle of Hennessy in exchange for names, zip codes, and email addresses. This not only kept the crowd busy, but provided me with contacts to use in promoting my next event (more on this subject in a later blog post).
When it comes to event coordination, experience is undoubtedly the the best teacher. Every event is different, and you’ll run into your own unique set of challenges along the way. Being prepared, and knowing what to expect will help you along your concert curation journey.Â
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