Indie 101 : The Business Of Concerts & Festivals

Congratulations! You have now embarked on a wondrous journey of putting on a music concert or festival. This is always a great experience and everyone should try it at least once.

Putting on a show: Venue versus festival

[caption id="attachment_1200" align="aligncenter" width="792"] Picture Source - http://cargocollective.com/marikooya/filter/Magazine-Illustration/Far-Flung-Festivals[/caption] Putting on a stand-alone concert is relatively easy, especially if you want to do it in a venue or pub. If the venue already has a sound setup (very few do), propose the idea of a concert to them; Highlight how it will benefit them... most restaurants and venues basically need to know how it will benefit them either by way of the publicity it will garner or the revenue it will bring through bar sales, entry fees, etc. If the venue has the sound and a budget for a band then you can provide the band and take your standard booking fee from the band fee or on top from the venue. Another option would be to tie up with the venue for a monthly deal where the venue gives you their budget for the month and you have to figure out the bands and your percentage from it. Sometimes the venue may also ask you to figure out the sound costs from this budget.If you’re planning on doing a show with a venue that doesn’t have a budget for shows, you could try charging entry for the show and pay the band and sound costs from the gate money or you can also take a percentage of the bar sales. The entry fee and bar can either be kept solely by you or split between you and the band or you and the venue. Splits can range from 50:50 deals to 20:80 deals in your favor and so on. There is obviously a risk involved here, because if people don’t come then you’re liable to pay everyone out of your pocket. Which is why you must choose the artist wisely and make a proper promotional plan to pull in a crowd. You should also be aware of other events happening around the same time that might clash with your event. The music scene is still quite small here so if you’re planning on doing a show on the same day as, say, an NH7 or a World Cup match, then the chances of your show being packed are slim. Attendance to a show can never really be predicted to an exact number because it depends on a lot of things, like what else is happening during that time, who else is playing, is it raining or snowing, is there a religious function or sports events like Diwali or IPL. A lot of times during cricket or football season the bands are asked to play in a club with the cricket match playing on the screen behind them; it’s not fair on the artist and it is always advisable to avoid doing shows during this time. When a venue doesn’t have a sound system, you will need to get the equipment on your own (personal) or through the various equipment vendors in the city. Sometimes you can also ask the band to help out and carry their drum kit or amps. The rental cost will have to be borne either by you or the venue. In Delhi, sound equipment rental along with a drum kit for a pub show usually costs about Rs 35,000 – 40,000, give or take a few. This can vary from city to city and from venue to venue (outdoor, larger gigs versus indoor). Another option for doing shows is getting a sponsor on board that will take care of all costs. This can be done for a standalone show or a series of gigs. Often alcohol companies will give you stock instead of money. In this case, you will have to make your money after you sell off their stock (beer, whiskey) at the gig through the venue. Personally, I don’t recommend doing shows where you get a percentage of the bar sales. This is because one needs to always keep an eye on the bar to make sure the venue is actually keeping proper tabs of the alcohol sale. Plus, the amount of money you make is usually quite less, especially if you have to pay the band.

Checklist for a local show:

Here’s a basic checklist you should follow before any show. Make sure you email all this information to the band when confirming the show. 1. Date 2. Venue 3. Ticket/entry 4. Load in (band/sound arrival) 5. Sound check 6. Doors (What time does the venue open for customers) 7. Set duration 8. Technical – equipment & vendor details and contact 9. Merchandise (if sale allowed) 10. Media 11. Performance fee, invoice details and payment schedule

Putting on a festival:

Festivals have become the latest thing to do and everyone’s getting into it. Putting on a festival is a lot of hard work and requires proper planning. Once again if you’re doing a mini fest in a venue like Blue Frog (e.g. Area 79, Outrage Festival) then it is obviously easier. However, the main areas still remain relatively the same. Every festival has various departments and department heads that handle certain responsibilities. Here are some of the departments you will find in a festival setting: 1. Festival Director – In charge of the overall running of the festival. 2. Finance – Oversees budgets, payments and taxes. 3. Marketing & PR – Handles marketing of the festival. 4. Programming/ artists – Books all artists for the festival as well as handles them on ground. 5. Transport – Handles transport for the artists, crew and public. 6. Production – Handles on ground setup like stage, sound, generators and so on. 7. Security – Takes care of the security of the festival. 8. Ground crew – The actual crew that does the building, set up and cleaning. 9. Ticketing – Oversees the ticketing for the festival. 10. Design – Designs all the collaterals for the festival. 11. Volunteers – To help out during the festival. 12. Hospitality – Oversees food & drinks for artists and crew as well as setting up of food court/ stalls for the public. 13. Permissions guy – Handles all permissions. 14. Legal: Handles contracts with vendors and artists. Here’s a basic checklist you should observe when planning a festival. Obviously there are a lot of little elements that go into this, but on a broader stroke, this should help you cover most of them.

1. Finance:

a) Sponsors b) Payments to vendors and artists c) Taxes

2. Production:

a) Location b) Structural work - stage, stalls, bar, toilets, mojos c) Sound & light – stage, on ground lights, fans d) Electricity and generators + fuel e) Cleaning staff f) Toilets g) Water h) Medical and fire crew i) Parking j) Crew k) Video and photography team l) Miscellaneous – walkie-talkies, surge protectors, gaff tapes, markers, etc.

3. Legal:

a) Legal contracts with artists and vendors

4. Artist relations and Programming:

a) Booking of artists b) Tech and hospitality rider, profiles and pictures collected c) Final schedule made with sound-check d) Artist welcome package (should include all information) e) Artist wrist bands/identifications f) Artist housing and hospitality g) Per diems h) Payments

5. Transport:

a) Artist and crew travel b) Local travel for artist and crew during the festival c) Transport options for the audience. d) Travel partners e) Food for drivers

6. Security:

a) Finalize security plan for festival b) Hire security personnel c) Walkies for security crew a) Merchandise b) Festival logo, poster, and passes to be made c) On ground design elements and collaterals d) Online promotional design elements

8. Tickets:

a) Ticket collecting counters b) Ticket selling partners – online and ground c) Taxes a) All permissions b) Government liaison if necessary a) Marketing plan b) Digital promotions c) Oversee artwork d) Media tie ups e) Street teams

11. Hospitality:

a) Catering for artists - backstage and at hotel b) Catering for crew at venue c) Food court/stall vendors d) Food Coupons to be prepared e) Water for artist and crew

Few execution tips:

1. Time management is the most important aspect of a festival. Since all bands play back to back, you must have a killer stage manager who can push the bands to finish on time. You must also have good stagehands to help bands get on and off the stage smoothly. 2. Try to give each band at least 45 minutes to an hour for sound check if possible and a 15-minute changeover as it usually takes that long. Sound check is always done backwards, starting from the main headliner down to the opening band. 3. Always keep extra time before/during the first sound check slot as they always get delayed. 4. Make sure your artists arrive well in time for their sound check. Always know where the next or next to next artist in line for the sound check is at all times.Artists sometimes feel like magicians who vanish just when you need them. 5. Don’t try to do sound check too early (before 8 a.m.), as no one will arrive on time. 6. Make sure your crew is on the ground at least an hour before the first sound check and your sound vendors have checked and uncovered the sound system before the bands arrive. 7. Make sure you have a night security team to oversee the festival ground. 8. Plan ahead— be prepared for unseasonal rainfall and check the weather report. It is always smart to have your stages covered and waterproofed. Keep extra tarps handy for protection. 9. If your stage is not covered, then keep large umbrellas with base stands to cover the equipment and artists during the afternoon sound checks. 10. Make sure your artists have all the information before they leave for the festival. Don’t wait till the last moment to give them hotel or sound check details. 11. Always double check hotel reservations and check in times. If your artists are arriving early morning or late at night, make sure the hotel knows and has the rooms ready for them. 12. Always have someone from your team speak to each driver to ensure they have the right pick up times and address. Don’t just rely on your transport company to get it right. 13. Have a contingency plan ready at all times, like extra fuel for the generators… don’t wait till the fuel finishes to send someone on a fuel run. 14. Have enough water and tea/coffee for the artists and crew. Make sure your security team is happy and well fed, as you need them to be alert. 15. Don’t let your crew get drunk while on the job. Feel free to party after the festival is over, but everyone needs to be alert during the event. 16. If you’re expecting a large turn out, make sure your mojos (barriers in front of the stage) are strong and well grounded. Also make sure the artists have adequate security backstage as well as when they travel to and from the festival parking. 17. Be patient and organized when dealing with vendors. 18. Always wear proper shoes/work boots especially if you’re handling production. 19. Have a medical kit handy before the festival starts. An ambulance and fire brigade must be stationed at the festival ground once it starts. 20. Ask for help! If you can’t handle something or don’t know how to proceed ask your team or others for Advice. 21. Don’t have inexperienced people handle artists or transport, as they may not always be able to handle the pressure, especially when something goes wrong. 22. Most importantly—have fun! Music festivals are all about having a good time with your friends.