by Julie Dillon 

A healthy music scene is comprised of lots of different people working together to make it happen. For anyone interested in getting involved with throwing shows, but wasn’t sure where to start, I’ve created these cliff notes as a general guide.

Promoter

The promoter is responsible to organize all aspects of a show – including setting in place and facilitating the roles below. A promoter should not actually fill any of the roles, but act as a liaison checking on them throughout the night. Keep in contact with other promoters and try to book your shows in a way that everyone can succeed.

Bands

Select bands that complement each other musically, but draw different people. The goal would be to get concert goers to show up for their friend’s band but stay and discover more bands they like, building the scene. Bands should show up at least 30 minutes before their set in order to check in and get unloaded. Ideally, they should stay and enjoy each band.

Venue

Talk to businesses that have customers only part of the day and might benefit from an additional crowd (bar, pizza shop, coffee shop, etc). Try to work out an arrangement that benefits both of you.

Door

Arrange for someone to work the door and provide them with:

• Cashbox (with cash – the makeup will be determined by the price of the show, but a combination of small bills totaling $250 will work for most shows)
• Wristbands
• Square – Consider getting one. It’s free to obtain the set up; you only pay a percentage if you actually use it. I don’t use it a lot – but there’s still one or two customers every show I’d lose if I only took cash.
• Items such as a copy of the set times, sharpies, scratch paper, blue tape, power strips, ear plugs, 9V batteries – stuff like this is often needed at the last minute.
• Ask your door person to track who showed up for what band. This isn’t a popularity contest – it will help arrange shows in the future in a way that will benefit everybody.

Sound

The promoter is responsible to hire and pay the sound engineer. Assuming the normal sound setup (PA, board, etc), you will also want to keep on hand extra cables, microphones, a flashlight and tape.

Security

Security may or may not be necessary depending on the type of event you want to host, or the venue may already have security. If security is needed, the promoter should hire and pay them and act as their point of contact for the evening. I suggest Opsec Specialized Protection as a vendor. 661-942-3999 / 44262 Division St Lancaster CA 93535.

Street Team

Include showgoers in your promotion flow by providing free admission in exchange for work. They drop off flyers at locations they probably already go and it costs you nothing to allow admission. Make sure to get a few different people who will hit different demographics.

Customers

You will deal with unhappy customers. Based on the situation, use your judgment to play peacemaker and try to turn the mood around. Unhappy customers tell everyone how unhappy they are.

Printing/Publishing

• Tickets – Presale tickets are helpful because if someone has already bought a ticket they are more likely to show up. If you do well with presales, you don’t have to worry about how the night will go instead of enjoying it. I suggest taticketprinting.com as a vendor.
• Flyers – Physical flyers are helpful because they have a chance to get in front of people that aren’t already in your circle. I suggest Donnell Printing as a vendor – 661-942-1449 / 44154 10^th St W Lancaster CA 93534
• Wristbands – You don’t want to use stamps or other methods – they present a few problems (such as washing off, transferring, being easy to replicate) and wristbands are an opportunity to advertise your brand. I suggest taticketprinting.com as a vendor.