Tips for Organizing a Hassle-Free Music Event

From a monetary perspective, the American live music industry is growing steadily with revenue expected to increase from $9.28 billion in 2016 to $11.99 billion in 2021. Of the total revenue generated during 2016 more than $2 billion came from sponsorship while a further $7.4 billion was generated through ticket sales. Common understanding suggests that on a global scale, indie labels account for approximately 20% music-related revenue while recent studies revealed that their actual share is a lot higher than formerly assumed.

Indie music is here to stay with local up-and-coming artists being inspired by the likes of Lana Del Rey and Beck. Apart from album sales and music streaming, live music shows are fast becoming a staple food for indie music lovers. In California, there are numerous live music performances taking place on any given day of the week. It is due to the popularity of live music events that great care needs to be taken when planning them to ensure that each and every show is enjoyed by both performers and fans alike. By following a few simple guidelines you can guarantee that your next event will be a memorable one.

Extend your lead time

Organizing a music-related event can become very complicated very quickly regardless of whether you are organizing a full-scale festival or merely showcasing a local musician or band.  The musical aspects of the event will more than like be the easiest part to plan, with everything else taking up all your time and efforts. You need to give yourself sufficient time to plan.  A lead-time of 3 months generally suffices for both small and medium-sized music events while bigger concerts and festivals may take as long as 6 months to a year to organize.  When you undertake to organize an event make sure to list all aspects that need to be covered. You don’t want to find yourself in a situation where you are days away from the event and realize you have not rented any equipment!

Know who your audience is

Sometimes even when you book superb artists and promote your event extensively people may still not attend. To ensure the success of your show you need to know who your audience is. Make the effort to get to know the demographic you are looking to serve. As popular as Beyonce might be globally chances are her show will not do very well in a town of predominantly indie music-loving fans. While there is no such a thing as a guaranteed sold-out show, a healthy dose of market-research will substantially improve your chances of hosting an event that will garner a terrific turn-out.

Choose a good venue

Your venue is probably your most important consideration in terms of planning a music event. You ideally want your show to sell out, or at least make it look like it’s sold out. Many event planners opt for the biggest venue they can find, often leaving them with a half-full location which is disheartening not only to the performing artists but the attending crowd as well.  Rather consider booking a smaller venue and run out of space than not selling enough tickets to fill a huge venue.  Other factors to consider in terms of venue choice are acoustics, parking space, catering facilities and even resident sound engineers.

Streamline the ticket sales and entrance procedures

The days of queuing at the local ticket office to purchase your entry to an event are long gone. These days ticket sales are mainly conducted via the internet or via door sales on the day of the event. Make sure all your promotional material clearly stipulate how tickets can be acquired and take the necessary measures that will guarantee that the check-in process runs smoothly. You need to ask yourself pertinent questions pertaining to how the entrance will work. Will you make use of physical tickets, wristband or stamps? The easier it is for people to gain lawful entry to your event, the greater the chances are that they will become long-term supporters of your efforts.

When organizing a live music event it is important to remember that no two shows will ever be the same – not even if you host the same artist at the same venue.  As long as you follow the guidelines above and prepare yourself for any eventualities you will be armed with everything needed to pull off an event that will be the talk of the town for many months to come.

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