New Concert Promoters Need More Structure and Reality Before Starting

Oct. 21, 2010 - PRLog -- Every professional endeavor requires forethought and real expectations. Driving trucks, being a cook, choosing construction or being a surgeon, all require a level of due diligence and education before embarking on a career you'll depend on for your livelihood.

So why do so many new promoters get involved with projects when they have no experience, education or understanding of what's really involved?. Long time promoter Hal Davidson says, "because the industry draws people who want the perceived excitement and think it's far easier and cheaper to enter than it truly is."

The fact is that promoting concerts and music festivals is one of the most difficult and demanding careers anyone could enter into. "That's the main reason I wrote two candid and thorough books on how to promote. New promoters need more information to guide them. The books have helped thousands of grateful new, and established promoters." Davidson said.

in 2000, Davidson wrote "How Not To Promote Concerts and Music Festivals", first written a s 160 page compilation of notes and advice, the book has become the Bible of Promoting now at 374 pages. After listening to hundreds of promoters asking for a simpler version, Davidson authored "How To Promote Concerts, Simplified", an attempt to make a very complicated business, simpler to understand. At 160 pages, without explaining the details of constructing a music festival, the 2008 concert How-To manual has proven to be the most complete guide on promoting concerts in the industry. Both books are updated annually to stay current in a fast-changing industry.

Davidson walks the promoter through step-by-step instructions, steering new promoters away from pitfalls and common mistakes. "They all misjudge the cost of producing a concert and think sponsors will pay for their entire event. the reality is that you need a substantial amount of funding to start promoting, it's called core funding." Davidson said.

Here's just a sample of the structure required;

ORDER OF ACTION:
The book details the Sequence of Events more detailed than this overview.
Do you have a concept? What type of show, venue, city, how much funding.
Who’s going to do what spelled out in an Operating Agreement.
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. Only then can you determine ticket price, break even point and potential gross (PG).

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.

Much of this business may seem like common sense. Then why don't more promoters use common sense when promoting? Because the level of detail, the correct sequence and the proper method to use is not so clear without a primary education. Davidson's books spell out the details and encourages readers to call for advice, free at first and even when charging for consulting, he's surprisingly low priced.

Dozens of promoters have used his service and thousands of books sold, Hal Royce emerges as the promoter who cares. "Bringing people together is about the humane and virtuous thing you can do in this new polarized society." Hal said.  

Ken Johnson, a new promoter in New York City called Hal Davidson "an Angel". Many others have made similar comments, realizing that Davidson may be the only active promoter who shares his knowledge with newbies for a higher calling. Davidson's book website is www.concert-promotions.com.

About Hal Davidson and concert-promotions.com: A Maryland based promoter and event producer with 37 years of promoting many types of events. A life-long promoter, Hal is a beacon of ethical business practices. He is one of the only promoters to openly write about wrong-doing in the industry and calls attention to unethical operators. His websites help to serve as a reliable resource for new promoters world-wide.