More Concert and Festival Promotion Tips for 2010 from Hal Davidson, Tickets and Order Of Action

Feb. 8, 2010 - PRLog -- Speaking and consulting with dozens of new promoters, concert and festival producer Hal Davidson says "starting promoters are skipping basics on planning and producing their concerts or music festivals. Then they either find themselves in trouble, or drop the project with no good alternative, their investment lost. The best way to make money at anything is to study, learn, train at it and execute a plan with thorough due diligence. Even then, you are at the mercy of the ethics of other individuals, contractors, venues (facilities) and supposed support systems and organizations."

A long time promoter, Hal Davidson says that, “even during a well run event, it’s a very difficult business requiring superior skills in organization, communication, accounting, marketing, administration requiring some degree of experience in a related field.” Due diligence is the advance research required on every one of the items listed on the lengthy Cost Sheet. Every cost requires investigation, conversations, continued communication, negotiations, shopping around, and execution. Funding Cost/ Revenue Sheet, Venue and the first installment on talent was discussed in the first in this series. Talent is addressed again in release # 3.

4.   TICKETS: If you use a Ticketmaster or other third party ticketing company, you won’t see any of this money until a week after the show. So if you have no sponsors, you will need 100% of the cost of your show to even start. The book talks about doing your own ticketing. This is an option. If you are promoting in a building, you must first check to see if the building is already contracted with a ticketing company. If they are, you must use them and may not be able to sell tickets in any other way, No matter what arrangement seek the ability to sell tickets online, by phone and at authorized outlets. The book is very detailed on this subject.

5.  ORDER OF ACTION: The book also details the Sequence of Events: Do you have a concept? What type of show, venue, city, how much funding. Who’s going to do what? Do you have a legal company with a tax I.D. number? Do you know how to promote or produce a show? Are you aware that this event will consume all of your time and that you cannot hold a full time job while promoting? Your event is your new full time job. Day and night, all the time! Do not contact talent until you have these first 4 procedures done!

A) Decide where you are going to work and what market you are going to promote in. Perform due diligence on marketplace meaning the history of ticket sales and prices, history of various venues and ticket buying behavior. What kind of music has sold well? What kind has not? Why promote rock music in a market which historically does well in the Latin genre? Are you trying to promote music you like, or what will sell tickets and make you money?

B) Establish company, get legal, business cards, start contacting contractors to find out what the itemized costs are. Which direction is your promotions company going in? Don’t just try ideas, know what you are doing stands the best chance of winning. Set up your office and subscribe to industry online and print materials.

C) Compose a cost/ revenue sheet inside of a business plan of exactly what you are going to do. A modern festival is at least 70 cost centers. A concert, at least 40.

D) Contact venues to become expert on the costs and details of every venue you are interested in using in your market. No sense checking out the stadium when you are starting in night clubs. Organize your research in a binder.

Gain a tactical advantage over other promoters in your market by reading the most complete manual on planning, organizing, promoting and producing concerts and festivals. All of the above components are discussed in great detail in both of Hal’s remarkable books.

Based on over 37 years of direct experience by a legendary and controversial promoter, find more in The Original 374 page HOW NOT TO PROMOTE CONCERTS AND MUSIC FESTIVALS BOOK, on the concert and music festival business, than in all other books and courses combined! The new 160 page HOW TO PROMOTE CONCERTS, simplified was written exclusively for concert promotions. Both can be found at concert-promotions.net. Watch for a Plans, Proposals, Contracts book on The Music Festival Business in 2012 at www.concert-promotions.com. Hal's consulting site is www.rentapromoter.com

concert-promotions.com is a specialty publishing company founded by Event Producer Hal Davidson exclusively for the concert and festival industry. These comprehensive books help promoters worldwide find the answers to secret information not exposed by other promoters.