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Inside the Music Biz: How Are Concerts Born?
Well, it starts when a band and a music venue love each other very much… just kidding! It starts way before that! For all of you seasoned pros out there, this is a tale as old as time, but for people outside of the music industry, it can be a bit of a mystery how the process works. So we thought we’d take a minute to share how all of the pieces come together. Some concerts come together with just a few people doing multiple jobs each, and larger concerts require significantly more people, so we’ll just look at a scenario right in the middle.
Cast of Main Characters:
Band
Booking Agent
Promoter
Music Venue
Manager
Advertiser
Tour Manager
Promoter Rep
1. The Inception
First, the initial connection must be made. This might be initiated by the band’s booking agent, who seeks concerts and tours for the band to play. It also might be initiated by a promoter, who can directly represent a venue or can operate independently to bring concerts to a variety of different venues. Either the booking agent or the promoter suggests a specific date or date range, and the counterpart checks the schedule of the band or music venue. If the band and venue are available, they discuss the contract. This lays out details like date, time, ticket price, and payment.
2. The Approval
If the deal looks agreeable to the band’s management team and the venue, the contract is signed, sealed, and delivered.
3. The Announcement
It’s time to get the word out! At the agreed upon date and time, the concert is announced and ticket sales go live. Advertisers use everything from social media, newspaper ads, radio promo, all the way up to billboards to tell the world the concert is happening. Management can work to coordinate interviews with the band, in store appearances, radio appearances, etc.
4. The Details
Usually around one month before the concert, the tour manager and promoter rep (who is tasked by the promoter to handle details) start to get all of their ducks in a row. The tour manager sends the promoter rep the production rider, which has contact information, a stage plot, input lists, band and crew needs, and the hospitality rider (NO brown M&M’s!!). The promoter rep sends the tour manager the venue’s equipment list, lighting schematics, sound schematics, rigging abilities, and a map of the venue and parking areas. They work together to build out a schedule for the day, and coordinate with the sound engineers, lighting engineers, and production manager to understand all of their equipment needs and the time that it will take to get set up and test systems, and assess additional crew needs. With the day’s schedule in hand, the promoter rep will work with the venue to coordinate crew, venue staff, and merchandiser sellers, and arrange for necessary equipment rentals. The tour manager will then determine the band and crew’s departure time from the previous city, book hotel rooms for the whole entourage, or if the band travels in a bus, book the bus driver’s hotel room. The tour manager will make sure the band and crew know the schedule, and will also make sure that they have what they need to successfully perform and be comfortable (as the budget allows).
5. The Show Day
Venue staff and crew arrive and now they set the stage. Staff prepare the green rooms and dressing rooms. The band arrives. With the sound system, lights, backdrops, and other elements in place, the band does their soundcheck to set monitor levels and allow the engineers to make sure everything sounds and looks great for the audience. Meanwhile, the box office prepares the will call list, merchandise sellers set up their stands, bartenders and kitchen staff prep to open, security staff have a meeting with the tour manager, amongst many other tasks.
6. The Concert
Finally, it’s show time! The doors open and the concert goers come in. They grab a drink, check out the new t-shirt designs, and find their seats or stake out a good spot near the front. The support band comes on and wows the crowd, and at long last, the headlining band comes on in all of their glory! The evening goes off without a hitch, and everyone has a wonderful time.
7. The Wrap Up
Once the show is over and the concert goers have left, there’s still a lot to do! The merchandise sellers count their remaining wares and put together their numbers for the night. The tour manager and promoter rep look at the number of tickets sold at each price point, look at expenses for staff, equipment rentals, hospitality, tax, etc, and the payment is made to the band according to the deal and the percentages agreed upon in the contract. This information is sent on to management and the promoter. The crew packs up all of the band’s gear and loads up the trailer. Any equipment rented locally gets packed up and returned. The venue staff clean up the concert hall and the dressing rooms. If the band travels in a bus, the bus driver returns after getting a great day of sleep, and they depart for an overnight drive to the next city. Otherwise, the band and crew pack up the van and head to their hotel for the night, and they will drive to the next show in the morning.
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