“Concerts have come down to magical formulas that are only learned after studying the feasibility for that particular event, designed for the right place at the right time,” [Concert Promoter Hal] Abramson says.

“New, untested, uninformed promoters think that just finding a venue, picking some bands and promoting is all there is to staging a successful event. That may have been the case in the 70’s but concert (and festival) planning and execution has really developed over the years,” Hal continues.

“There’s still plenty of opportunity for new independent promoters. Some ask me, ‘ How much can I make promoting? ‘ Without doing the figures on that particular show, it’s just BS. There’s no way to know what an event can net until first you know how much the show will cost, ticket price and venue capacity (the number of tickets you can sell). It takes due diligence and careful consideration of the primary components,” stresses Abramson firmly.

” Each promoter has a unique signature as to skills, interests, energy, connections, level of experience… but no matter what the attributes, promoters are seeking that perfect formula that assures success. Each concert and festival has major components that must fit like pieces in a puzzle in order for the event to earn a profit and make the audience happy. There’s a success formula,” Hal emphasizes.

Formula components are:
1) the right type of music genre for that market. What’s hot? Is there a hole in the latin, country or jazz market? What’s the box office history of your intended acts? National acts draw, locals don’t!
2) The right venue (with favorable rental terms (never more than 10% of gross).
3) The right price for combined talent to match: a) the venue size b) the ticket price c) the demand.
4) The right funding. (Based on a Cost and Revenue sheet.) This one doc determines event viability.
5) The right ticket price for the market.
6) The right performance date, preferably a Friday or Saturday night.

Elements like type of promotions and stage production have nothing to do with this formula. Each size venue has a general cost budget, the promotion and stage production are a cost that is simply plugged in. The enthusiasm one uses to promote CAN have a positive impact on the end result, but the promotion budget itself is relative to the number of seats, the size of the venue.

“With all of these components figured accurately, funded and managed properly, the promoter’s concert or festival has a far better chance of success than in the old days,” Abramson says.

Hal Abramson is a life-time promoter. For the full article “Abramson On The Concert Promoter’s Secret Formula” click here.

Related resource: How to become an entertainment booking agent (ebook)

 

Here are a few tips on how to make some extra cash booking a comedy show:

1. Do two shows. Most comedy shows consist of a headliner, a feature, and a host. As a result, most comedy shows are 90-120 minutes in length. This allows you to book an 8:00 and a 10:30 PM. Ask the comedians for a lower fee to do the second show and maximize the rental cost of the venue.
2. Do an after party. Many comedians will make an appearance for about half their performance fee. Some will do it for free drinks. Negotiate the best price. Tag the party info on your radio and televison commercial, add it to flyers, and mention it constantly at the comedy show. Charge an admission fee for the party. Offer a discount to all comedy show ticket holders.
3. Allow comedians to sell their CD/DVD before and after the show, if they stop by your after party for free.
4. Get a photographer to take pictures for sale with the comedian after the show and at the after party.
5. If you are renting a ballroom, get the rights to sell all the alcohol at the event.
6. Charge a small fee for local comedians to do a short set. Some will jump at the chance to open for a big headline act.

The first step is to know and understand the people you are considering to join your squad. This can be achieved by creating a short form for potential members to fill out. Or, you can just setup an initial meeting with each one but be prepared to jot down some notes. The purpose of this is to find out their strengths and weaknesses as it pertains to the duties that will be assigned to them. Find out their level of commitment, likes, dislikes, general availability, and administrative/marketing/computer skills and inadequacies. Look for people with common sense, good judgment, the ability to think on their feet, and some level of expertise or a strong desire to learn. Use this information to place them in a position on the team where their top skills can be utilized. It can also help you determine what new responsibilities you can add to their duties at a later date and who to choose as group leaders.

Keeping the team organized and working together is important. The ultimate achievement is to create one strong and cohesive team where everyone is using their skills to achieve a common goal. As time progresses, some members will acquire new strengths, so keep track of their individual growth. When members grow, your team grows and it’s overall effectiveness.

Strong communication skills must start from the top. Clear rules and responsibilities will help keep everyone in the “loop.” Each person should understand their duties and the level of commitment that is expected. In addition, create a mechanism where their views and concerns can be expressed. And try to keep as little guesswork as possible out of their assignments. This should minimize any mistakes or mishaps due to participants who didn’t know what they were doing. Constantly focus on the objective of each person or group leader and keep everyone in the communication loop.

At some point, certain tasks may become too routine and boring. This and a variety of other reasons could lead to some members losing focus and interest. If such is the case, look for creative and resourceful ways to motivate them and to keep the team spirit high. Recognizing individuals at a team meeting after a special assignment, awarding nice prizes for a job well done, and even a simple thank you email to show how much they  are appreciated can go a long way. If something doesn’t go well, try to focus on the positive as much as possible. Discuss what can be done differently the next time. And most importantly, be a good cheerleader.

After the event, meet with the team for a final group assessment. Make it an open discussion and ask for feedback or recommendations from the group members. Thank them and then go spend the money they helped you make. No, but seriously. Developing, managing, and maintaining an active/hard working team will consume a lot of your valuable time and energy. But when it is done the right way, you should be able to count the fruits of your labor in hard-earned cash.

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Kevin Morrison is the owner/agent for eJams Entertainment Booking Agency. For more information, visit http://eJams.net.

Working in the music industry has its perks, privileges, and pains as anyone who works in it knows. No matter what your genre is, one thing remains the same for all artists: You need to bring attention to yourself, your music, and your events. And while there are several ways to do so, few are as effective (in terms of cost or exposure) as a well written press release…There are many tricks to the trade, and I’m going to share some of several of them with you: The Seven Essentials of Press Release Writing.

Essential #1: “Who, What, When, Where, and Why?”
A good press release must clearly convey who is doing what and when, where it’s happening, and why.

Essential #2: “Less Is More”
When you’re writing a press release and answering the what, where, when and why, remember that less is more. Not less information, but fewer words. Short, detailed sentences are best.

Essential #3: “The Early Bird Gets The Worm”
If you haven’t grabbed your target audience’s attention by the end of paragraph one, you’ve probably lost the opportunity to do so.

Essential #4: “Thou Shalt Not Lie”
One thing that writers and music professionals are able to do is to quickly spot a press release that has been, shall we say “highly exaggerated”.

Essential #5: “Spice, Please”
Use audio and video links whenever possible. While press releases are most certainly a business document, that doesn’t mean it has to be a boring document. Capture your reader’s attention with a photograph or an audio URL.

Essential #6: “Quotes: He Said, She Said…
One way to infuse life into your press release is to incorporate a quote. Find a good quote that is relevant to your press release and use it.

Essential #7: “In The Beginning…”
The title of your press release is especially important as it is the first thing one sees and the scale that will be used to measure their interest in actually reading your press release or moving on to the next one.

Obviously, a lot of work goes into writing a great press release. But it’s definitely within your reach if you utilize the essentials outlined above. With online marketing being more important than ever before because of social networking sites, blogs, and countless other sources of music buzz, you have to put your best foot forward with your press release.

To read the entire article, click here.

A good agent will hold the client list of artists to just small enough that they can manage it and keep everyone working. After all, they only make money if the artists and groups are working so it is in their best interest to make sure that happens.

The Music Booking Agent typically has staple clubs that are in his or her core of places and the agent simply tells everyone where to go because they know who does what and which clubs are looking for what type of music. In a perfect world that is great and that is the part where musicians tend to shut off. After all, the band is the one in the club working their tail off to make the 20 percent commission for the agent, right?

What about the countless hours that went into the networking with the clubs and the bands to build up his roster of both? What about the phone calls to find new clubs and the promotional material that had to be done?

What about the band that he had booked that breaks down on Sunday night in Hibbing, Minnesota that was supposed to open up on Tuesday night in Yuma, Arizona? Would you like to be in his shoes trying to route in another band or to call the club and say, “guess what”? I know I would not like to be in that position.

I personally have been on the road and have had both good and bad Music Booking Agents handling the tours. The bad ones we fired quickly and the good ones we would go out of our way for because they were smart. They didn’t route you in Minnesota one week and Arizona the next. They looked at the map and kept the between gig miles to a minimum.

Music site like myMusicCircle give you yet another avenue to locate the professionals that will make your life easier. Music Booking Agents are one of those enigmas that can make or break you when you are out there. So look hard and when you locate a great one, keep them happy and remember they truly earn the money they get.

Greg Wilson is a prominent creative writer and music veteran with over 20 years of music industry professional experience. His knowledge and expertise extends from all aspects of the music industry including production, audio and video, promotion, music business strategy, music industry philosophy and music industry economics.