By Vin Hayes
Concert promoters can easily be thought of as major event planners. Every detail of the concert has to go off without a hitch and that responsibility lies solely with the promoter. Concert promotion is a demanding career that requires serious attention to detail. In order to be an effective and successful concert promoter, a high level of organization is necessary. Losing track of important contact names, dates, telephone numbers or venue information could prove disastrous.
The world of concert promotions is full of contracts, legal agreements, insurance policies and riders. In order to make the best business decisions, a concert promoter has to have a working knowledge of all of these legal documents. Not understanding parts of a contract or rider can lead to confusion and difficulties down the road.
Concert promoters can make a huge amount of money, and then, they can lose money as well. Most people don’t realize that quite often, concert promoters actually use their own money to fund a concert event. All of the event expenses are his or her responsibility up front. Once the tickets have been sold, the band gets their cut and the bills get paid. It’s only then that the promoter gets what’s left. For this reason, it’s of the utmost importance to get as many paying customers in the door as possible.
Some of the major costs involved with concert promotion are the venue rental and event insurance. The promoter contacts the venue and works out a cost for the duration of the event. Some venues will require up-front payment while others may require a down payment with the remainder due at the end of the concert. Insurance is absolutely necessary and helps to protect the venue owners, concert promoter and band from possible litigation.
In addition, the concert promoter bears the cost of all advertising promotions and other marketing costs. Promoters these days have a variety of choices for marketing. They can use the internet, radio, TV and even flyers to get the word out about their event. Marketing, when done properly, usually takes up a fairly substantial portion of the concert promoters budget.
A successful concert promoter understands how to advertise to get the most people to buy tickets for the show. They’ve got to have a good sense of the band that they’re promoting as well as their fans. Whether a concert attracts a huge audience or a small one depends on how well the event was promoted, plain and simple. Concert promoters really have one objective; to make sure that enough tickets sell to make a profit. Ideally, all the tickets will sell for every night or day the event will run, but that’s not guaranteed.
The location, size and even layout of a venue has to be taken into consideration by the concert promoter. In order to put on a great rock concert, everything has to be just right. Everything must be considered, from band dressing rooms to the house sound system and lighting. Pleasing the band is only part of the story though. The audience has to be taken care of as well, both inside and outside the venue. Things like security, parking and even restroom facilities all fall under the concert promoters watchful eye.