Have you ever been to a concert? Did you have fun? This is the right opportunity to organize one on your own, make some money and have fun! All it takes is a little determination and confidence. Organizing a musical event is not as difficult as it seems.
Steps
Method 1 of 8: Contacts
Step 1. Talk to local bands and concert organizers
Keep in touch with them.
Step 2. Offer your help when organizing musical events
For example, you can be a sound engineer and fix equipment, put up posters or sell tickets. Do it for free, that way they owe you a favor. You can always join the show for free.
Step 3. By organizing a couple of these events you should get to know at least 5 groups or as many artists
Make sure you maintain a good relationship with them.
Method 2 of 8: Finding the Right Place
Step 1. Search for the venue where the show will take place
Local theaters, cinemas, schools and parks can often be rented. When you've found the right venue, talk to the owner to make sure they're willing to host a live event. The best places are theaters, even if they cost a lot, because many offer standing and seated places and have an amplification system already installed. Many pubs nowadays offer live music, and can hold anywhere from 100 to 300 people at a time. Owners often have contacts with sound engineers and have pre-assembled amplification systems. The latter is essential. If this is the first time you are organizing a concert, having a system already installed guarantees a secure clientele, the work of the sound technicians is easier and the organization time is drastically reduced, both before and after the event, since the equipment to take in and out of the concert venue will be few.
Step 2. Make sure you book the venue a month before the event, even earlier if you can, so that you can effectively promote the concert
Step 3. Get them to tell you the cost of renting the room for the night and add it to your budget (sometimes they ask for a part of the ticket price, don't give them more than 40%, it's already too much if you have other expenses to deal with)
Step 4. Decide if the event will take place standing or if seats will be needed
If the seats are standing only, there is more space, and the public also likes to be able to dance and pog, especially if it is a metal concert.
Step 5. Decide whether the seats will be numbered or not
People usually prefer free-seated seats, so they have the option of sitting out front for the same price. In any case, numbered seats require less security and are easier to manage.
Step 6. Organize the security service
In theaters and similar places there are often already employees at the entrance, however this service could cost you more. If it's a local gig and you don't expect a large turnout, you can just ask a few very stout friends to be part of security. In any case, the laws often provide for the presence of a professional security staff. Add this cost to your budget.
Step 7. Set an age limit
If the venue has a bar, decide whether to distribute alcohol or not. If you allow it, you need to set an age limit. The sale of alcohol could raise the price of insurance.
Step 8. Get insurance
Many clubs are already insured, in any case there are companies willing to take out policies for the evening. Search the internet for the best option depending on the event you are organizing. Add the cost of insurance to your budget.
Method 3 of 8: Groups, Staff and Equipment
Step 1. Decide which groups will play at the event, it will take three to six performances
Step 2. Choose a popular group with enough fans to fill the venue
It will be the main group and will ensure you a small crowd of spectators. If you're lucky, the band will provide drums and some amps. Otherwise ask the other groups of the evening. It is easier and cheaper than renting the tools.
Step 3. Choose the “other” groups
It is best if you also select an unreleased one. He will be able to open the evening and you will allow him to promote himself. This way you will make a new contact.
Step 4. Calculate the cost for the groups
Some prefer to get paid, while others (especially local or unreleased ones) play for free if they give them tickets to give to friends. However try not to take advantage of their generosity and consider a figure for each group in the budget, even if it is 40 or 50 euros each, they will appreciate it. Give an extra to the group that provides the drums and amplification, as a thank you. Add all these costs to your budget.
Step 5. Get a sound engineer
If the venue makes one available together with the amplification, take advantage of it. Otherwise, look for a sound engineer who has a system supplied. If you are familiar with this part of the organization, you can decide to do everything yourself, but it is really an onerous commitment. Ask a friend or one of your new contacts if they can do it for free. Add any costs related to plant engineering into the budget.
Step 6. Hire a presenter
He is the guy who introduces the groups and closes the evening. Search locally famous people in the world of bands, or do it yourself. A little safety and preparation are enough. Be careful, a poor / unpopular / drunk presenter can ruin the evening and create problems.
Method 4 of 8: Schedule and Time Organization
Step 1. Put the most famous group at the bottom of the lineup and the least popular at the beginning
Step 2. Give each group the same amount of time on stage, except for the last two
Step 3. Tell the groups they have 5 minutes less than scheduled
For example, if they have 30 minutes each, tell them they have 25, in this way the organization will flow better.
Step 4. Arranging equipment and tools can be complicated, and constant communication is required
It is not necessary for each of the five groups to carry batteries and amplifiers. Usually it is the main group that provides the drums, while the other drummers carry the more “fragile” objects (snare drum, cymbals, bass drum pedal). Some drummers don't like this method and prefer other bands to use their own drums. In this hypothesis, the interval time between one group and another rises from 15 to 25 minutes, furthermore the sound check would require another 5 additional minutes. If the evening includes three groups it is not a problem, but if there are five or more it becomes a mess. The same thing goes for guitarists. They usually let others use their spies (the speakers facing the group) but not the amplifiers, especially if the bands know each other and feel hatred with each other. It gets even more complex if the main group has combo amps but doesn't have enough lights. A separate discussion applies to groups that have other instruments besides the classical ones. The more instruments there are, the more difficult the sound engineer will be. Agree with the main group: what they intend to bring, what they are willing to leave on stage and what they need. Then ask these three questions to all the other groups. Eventually you will be able to get everything you need. Make sure each group has labels to identify their instruments and equipment. It sounds complicated, and it is, but it will save you a lot of work during the evening.
Step 5. Allow groups to sell CDs and gadgets during breaks and after the show
Don't take any commission.
Step 6. Try to stay within the times dictated by the place of the event
Step 7. Leave 15 minutes between one group and another to allow them to organize themselves
It is always better to get help from your sound engineer, because groups often take longer to organize themselves according to the equipment they have to assemble.
Step 8. Play some background music during breaks
You can choose a genre similar to that of the bands they have played, but not their own songs. You can ask the sound engineer, tell him a little in advance so that he can connect the amplification to your MP3 player.
Method 5 of 8: Promote the Event
Step 1. Make posters
The simplest but cheapest way to do this is to have a plain black poster printed with white lettering and photocopied as much as possible by someone who works in an office. Otherwise, remember to include the price of the print in your budget. Remember to put these elements on the poster:
- Name of the main group
- Name of the group that will play first
- Name of the group that will play before that, etc.
- Name of the opening group
- Place
- Date
- Cost
- Website or Facebook page of the groups, of the place of the event, purchase of tickets, etc.
Step 2. Post the poster everywhere, but always ask permission before doing so
Post it on the windows of music and youth clothing stores, in hangouts, in bars, on the bulletin boards of schools and universities.
Step 3. Call the radio and local newspaper office and tell them you are hosting this show
Give them all the information that is written on the poster, or bring them a copy directly. Write a press release and send it to the editorial office of the local newspaper, try to get a photographer sent to you, if they have an "events in the city" section or something similar.
Step 4. Tell all groups to advertise the event on their MySpace / Bebo / Blogger / Facebook or similar pages
If you want to get serious you can create a page dedicated to your business as a concert organizer.
Method 6 of 8: Calculate the Ticket Price
Step 1. Add up all the costs you have considered in your budget
Step 2. Divide the result by the number of “on sale” tickets, leaving out the ones you intend to give away
What you will get is the minimum ticket price. You can also decide to organize your first concert without earning anything, to make people in your area interested in events of this kind.
If you want to make some money, add a percentage of 20% to the amount you got and round up until you get a price divisible by 2 or 5. For example € 11 is not good, but € 12 or € 10 is perfect
Step 3. Have the club owner print your tickets if you have no experience
Their cost is usually included in the rent. If they don't print tickets, sell the tickets. There will be no need for paper, you can use a stamp with which to print a symbol on the hands of the participants. Look for an original stamp, but remember that if it's not done on purpose, someone might have a copy. So try at least to have a particular color ink or to change stamps at every event you organize.
Step 4. Avoid making marked places available, unless the place owner insists
Younger people prefer the "who comes first, stays better" technique. It also ensures that everyone shows up on time.
Method 7 of 8: The Night of the Event
Step 1. Make sure all groups arrive early, canceling a show could ruin the evening
Better to show up at least 3 hours before the start of the event.
Step 2. Sound check is always unpredictable, make sure the main group arrives first
You have to decide whether to give all groups the opportunity to do a sound check or not. Talk to the sound engineer and them. If you have 5 groups and there are two hours left until the doors open, you can do them very well earlier and save time during the event.
Step 3. The first group should start playing about half an hour after the doors are opened
Step 4. Set up a backstage room with light refreshments that can accommodate groups while not performing
Step 5. Be seen in the crowd and in front of the door, ask people if they are having a good time
Step 6. Ask the sound engineer, security, and groups often if everything is going as planned
Method 8 of 8: After the Show
Step 1. Pay the groups and staff immediately
Step 2. If the owners of the venue are in a good mood, throw a small party behind the scenes or in a pub to talk to the groups
Step 3. Accept any criticism and try to improve whatever is wrong
Remember that a lot of those guys have been to a lot of concerts.
Step 4. Relax and prepare to organize your next event
Advice
- Be strict about safety, at least for the first few gigs, until it comes naturally to you.
- You will need commitment and determination. If things go wrong, get over it. You learn by doing it wrong.
- Try to be as kind as possible, no matter what happens.
- Pay now and keep a good reputation.
