Putting on your own gig
You’ve reached a point in your music journey where you’ve thought to yourself ‘I think its time I put on my own gig’. Here are some key things that I think will help ensure that you pull it off smoothly:
@biasmus @Adriano_Desiré’s tips for putting your own show on (in London) – pt. 1 #musician #livemusic ♬ original sound – Speedy sounds
Deciding when to put your show on:
At the end of the month right after pay day is a good idea. Bear in mind getting a venue for Friday or Saturday night might be pricey, but consider on the other hand that getting a big crowd of people out on a Monday or Tuesday night might be close to impossible. Thursday tends to be a good middle ground, but if you can find avenue at a good price that want to give you a Friday slot then go for it!
Finding support slots:
On average you’ll have two or three acts performing on a night. You wanna keep people entertained for however long you have the venue for. So let’s say you have a 3 hour show to fill. Maybe having 2 sets of 30 minutes and 1 final set of 45 minutes will fill that time. Also consider the change around times, (15 minutes between each act for people to tear down and set up equipment). Don’t be surprised if people overrun, always leave yourself a buffer at the end.
Sound engineer:
You’re gonna need someone who’s in charge of sound. Venues usually provide sound engineers, and if you’re working with a promoter, sometimes they’ll provide one, too. Make sure, whoever it is, that you’re nice to them, because they’re in charge of making your night sound good. Get a list of all the technical specifications from your acts (known as a one-sheet) to ensure the engineer has as much help as possible.
To help things run smoothly make sure you set the arrival times, sound check times and stage times for each act.
Deciding ticket price
We’re under no illusion that running this show will cost you money. Consider the cost of the venue, the fee you want to give your acts, how much you need to pay the sound person and how much time it’s gonna require to plan the show (this has got to be worth while for you too). Remember that even if you can run a free show maybe charging a small amount is better than nothing; people are more likely to not show up when they haven’t invested financially, you also run the risk of creating a perception that the show isn’t worth it if it’s free. At the end of the day as long as everyone goes away feeling like their time has been well spent then everyone’s happy.
BONUS TIP: As an incentive, you could put some free drinks behind the bar for the first people who show up.
Promoting your show
Step one, tell your friends. Step two, tell your friends to tell their friends. And when that doesn’t sell enough tickets, start looking for places online that you can share your event on. If you genuinely think your show has something that people want to see, then communicate that! TikTok, Instagram, even Facebook is a great place for live music fans. But obviously your greatest market is the fans of the acts on the bill, incentivise those who are playing the show to sell tickets by giving then a cut of the ticket sales as well as the fixed fee.
FINAL THING
Consider a theme for the night. Curate a vibe that brings together a group of people who have common interests and cultivate a community that will want to return to your shows in the future. Think about the finer details and the big picture will show itself!
