Preparation is everything in organizing a music gig. The thought of making some cool cash by setting up a musical gig is interesting, but its success is hinged on strategic planning and appropriate execution.
Below, we have listed basic steps for planning and executing a concert that will be the talk of the town for a long time.
It is important to count your cost before embarking on this journey. Organizing a concert can be capital intensive, considering how expensive musical equipment and other resources can be.
You have to prepare for all the requirements. Make a checklist of all the needed resources and their cost. You should make room for miscellaneous expenses and prepare for the funds plus an additional twenty percent of the estimated cost. Something that could be of great help here is a list of great budgeting software, such as You Need a Budget, PocketGuard, EveryDollar, Mint, Albert, and Goodbudget.
While you may recover your funds back plus profit if you are organizing a paid concert, you cannot depend on revenue generated from early ticket sales to fund your project.
You should book for this early to avoid disappointments, especially if you plan your concert during a festive period or holiday when there will likely be other events running concurrently.
It would be best if you considered several factors when choosing your venue. Your main goal is to be sold out, and this starts with choosing a suitable location. If you have a target audience, you should consider them in your decision.
Will your event be indoor or outdoor? The answer to this question will affect the kind of venue to choose from. You should pick a location easily accessible and not prone to traffic. It is recommended you seek online apps for help, like Cvent, Kapow, Aventri, and EVENTup, among others.
The production of your concert is important for post-concert promotion. Production is necessary if you intend to have organized more concerts after the first. You need quality production and coverage of your event. In order to make the best of your time and producing, ensure that you prepare beforehand for it all. There are apps online, including Whova and Trello, to mention a few, that can help you with it.
For the quality production of your music, you can benefit from various hardware and music-making software that are used to produce unique sounds. There is downloadable software in the market that comes with free VST plugins, that contain free musical samples, themes, and audios that you can play around with to produce something original.
Your artists and performers are the main elements of your concert. They are the key features with which you can pull crowds and drive publicity for your concert.
You want to book your artists in time, especially if they are highly listed in their industry. For most artists, you will have to pay in advance to secure a contract with them. Make sure you have all these sorted early, even before you start publicizing your event.
It is important to confirm the artists you will have in attendance because you should always deliver on the artist you promise for your shows. You may sell out on a concert with publicity, but you will need integrity for subsequent shows.
If you are new at this business, you probably do not have all the equipment needed, and you may have to rent them. Prepare all these well before the concert to prevent disappointment. Something that could help here is if you use online apps, MusicPro, Allianz, and Lark Music, to keep your instruments safe and sound.
Often, musicians will come along with their musical instruments, but it is important to check that all is in place as an organizer. The success of the concert is as important to you as it is to the performing artists. It could determine your subsequent success in your career choice.
You will have to secure your venue for the concert. Security is important to ensure that things run orderly. If you have top-listed artists and dignitaries attending your concert, you have to make adequate security preparations.
Standard security is also important to ensure that only those with tickets are allowed into your concert, and no one is gatecrashing. Use professionals for your security service.
A ticket is the major source of your income, except you are organizing a fundraiser event. You have to start sales early after you have settled the basic requirements. Early sales of the ticket make you gather funds faster, and it can help your budget.
You may need to partner with popular organizations, like Ticketbud, Brushfire, and GiveSmart for better sales of the ticket. It would help if you also had appropriate accounting to track your ticket sales.
Promoting your concert is very important. It would help if you had all levels of publicity to make your concert a success. You can use advertising companies, social media marketing, influencers, and other promotion forms for your gig.
Your performers are also a great source of promotion, so you must choose your artists wisely and leverage their publicity and fan base. You can also partner with organizations or businesses to promote your music gig.