VENUE FACT SHEETS
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MAKING IT WORK
Having gone through all official requirements to set yourself up as a live music venue you are going to want to make it work. So make sure you have a few of the basics in place to make your venue as successful as possible. Booking
The venue booker needs to understand the requirements of the venue – what type of music is going to work for the size and type of venue, for the locality and for the type of atmosphere you wish create in your venue. They will need to know what artists will best suit the venue and who will be the most successful. The venue, patrons and artists should all be complementary and the venue booker is the one who will make that happen. They need to have an active interest and be genuinely interested in making live music work in your venue. They also need to be aware of the best ways to promote live music in your venue (see Fact Sheet 3). Agents & PromotersWhat is the difference between an agent and a promoter? Shane Simpson’s Music Business suggests ‘as a general rule, ‘agents’ book Australian acts for performances in Australia, whereas ‘promoters’ book international acts for performances in Australia. That said, there are situations in which a local promoter conceives a completely local show and decides to put it all together. The promoter hires the venue, contracts with the act, arranges sound, lights and publicity, contracts with suppliers of food and beverages. It then sets and charges a ticket price reflecting the costs of mounting the show plus the desired profit margin.’ If the artist has a booking agent you will be communicating with the agent. It is the agent’s role to find performances for the artist(s) and negotiate all relevant details. A good agent will be organised and will understand the needs of the both the venue and the artist. The Music Managers Manual has a great list of points as to what makes a good agent including traits such as being a good negotiator, expert at logistics, can think ahead, understands the needs of venues, passionate about music, and treats both the talent and venues fairly, to name a few. Communication
Performers need to be fully aware of what is required of them so they can comply. Some bands will have an agent or manager but many will be looking after themselves so make sure everyone knows who the correct person to communicate with is. Everyone should know who is performing and on what date and at what time and for how long. It is important for the artist to know how and when they can access the venue to load in their equipment — make sure they are aware of any access difficulties or special requirements. They will also need to be aware of any noise restrictions that apply at the venue. Staging specifications should be made known and whether there will be an in-house sound and/or lighting engineer supplied or if they must supply their own. It must also be clear whether this is part of the deal or at additional cost. The artist should also be aware of whether there will be a door person supplied for the event and whether they will be charged for this as well. It is also important for the artist to know if there is an area where merchandise can be set up for the event. You should be very clear if there is a rider for the band and what is included — ie meal, soft drink, water, alcohol? Some venues will supply accommodation for touring artists — it should be clear what is available. The artist will need to know what the payment deal is going to be and when and how they will be paid. Will the artist be receiving a prearranged guarantee or will they be taking a percentage of the door takings on the night — or do you have some other deal in place. It is important that this is organised and agreed prior to the event. Also clarify with the artist how many free tickets they will have for guests for the event. Guidelines should be set out for unforeseen cancellations of the event and all parties should be aware of where they stand in regard to circumstances of this kind. All of these things should be set out in a written agreement and should be agreed to by all parties prior to the event. Agreement Summary
Further information
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