Hosting live music is a right of passage for any venue. It’s entertaining to guests and a great way to improve your brand reputation and revenue.
However, whether you’re hosting a lowkey bar event or a concert with well-known musicians, booking a music act for your venue space can be difficult. It is especially challenging if you have never done it before and have no idea where to start.
Today, we’ll walk you through the music venue booking process. From concert venues to small restaurants hosting live bands, this guide will help you reach new heights with your venue.
What to Know Before Finalizing the Booking Details
Before approaching any record labels or independent artists, you need to know a few venue and booking details.
Have these specifications on hand when approaching booking agents or artists:
- Number of Attendees: The size of your venue space can affect who’s willing to book with you. Knowing your venue’s capacity and how many people your venue client expects to attend is critical. The more possible tickets sold, the better for the musicians.
- Budget: Next, establish your budget. How much you’re willing to pay booking agents will determine which live music bands are within your budget.
- Current Stage and Music Setup: Your stage and audio setup needs to accommodate professional artists. That means good microphones, enough speakers, a mixing console, and more. So, it’s important to understand your venue's sound system and to have the specifications ready for the artists. It’s also a good idea to offer a pre-event sound check.
- Chosen Genre: When considering which genre to host at your restaurant, remember to consider what kind of atmosphere you are aiming for with your branding. And if you have a particular genre in mind for your venue, make sure to mention it to booking agents.
How to Reach Out to Musicians or Bands
With the above considerations, you can approach musicians and bands and ask to book them for your music venues.
Contact the Artists' Agents
If you already know what musical act you want, you can contact the artist's manager or booking agent. This information is usually available on the band's website or social media.
Once you've got the information, contact the band manager and inquire about their booking fees and availability. Keep your venue specifications close in case they ask what to expect from ticket sales.
Contact the Artists Directly
The music business is difficult, and some great live bands don’t have managers or booking agents. In those cases, you can contact the band directly. Again, their contact details should be available online if they have a website. You can also approach bands on social media like Instagram and Facebook.
Use Live Music Booking Sites
Music booking sites put artists in contact with independent music venues. A few popular options include Sonicbids, Indie On The Move, and Gigmit.
Bands and musicians will usually list themselves on these websites with their booking fees. Venues can browse the available options and find the perfect, budget-friendly live music.
Network With Venues and Other Artists
Lastly, network with other local venues to find different musical acts. Chances are other live music venues in your area have also booked bands and musicians to play for events.
If you work with these other music venues, they can direct you to reliable and affordable local talent. They can also put you in contact with harder-to-find musicians who only book shows through word of mouth.
Negotiating Terms and Securing Contracts
After approaching the live talent comes the negotiation period. Musicians mainly want to sign with the right venues, ones with good sound, good ticket sales, and fair compensation.
But you also can’t risk running at a loss. To ensure a fair deal and smooth sailing, keep these tips in mind:
- Book in Advance: Don’t wait till the last second to organize your booking. The best musicians are often booked months in advance, so you have to be proactive if you want a good musical act.
- Factor in the Venue Sound System: What sound equipment and personnel are the artists providing? The contract needs to clearly outline who is responsible for what sound equipment. You will also have to factor in the cost of an audio technician and stage equipment into your final budget and contract.
- Clearly Outline the Fine Print: The contract’s fine print has to outline all the venue and artists' obligations toward each other. This includes how long the artists must perform, when they have to be on-site, insurance and liability stipulations, and other contractual obligations. If you are unsure because of vague contractual statements, ask for clarification.
Summing Up
Hosting live musical acts at your venue is a fun and effective way to bring in new guests, improve your brand reach and reputation, and increase revenue. However, contacting the right band can be confusing if you’re new to music venue booking.
Use this guide to find the right musical talent for your venue! Ensure you book far in advance and clearly stipulate all contractual obligations. Once that’s out of the way, prepare to have a great time!
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