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Presales and Pay To Play; What Local Bands Need to Know - Concert Booking Series Blog #2

A Concert Booking - MA and Hear Now Live Blog Series

Love them or hate them; presale tickets have become a standard policy for a lot of shows in Massachusetts and around the US. A high resentment has been brewing towards the policy from the DIY music scene. We hear musicians tell horror stories about them, but what you’re not hearing is the expenses involved behind the scene. Lets take a deeper look into the reasoning and ethics behind one of the most commonly misunderstood (or abused) concepts of local concerts. (Check out “Booking The Right Show” to see if shows with presales are right for your band.)

The “How” and “Why” Presale tickets are put into place for a number of different reasons. They’re sent to local bands typically to fund the expenses of the concert they’re playing on. The band agrees to sell a certain amount with the promoter or agrees to sell what they can and a certain amount of tickets are given for the local band to sell. The band sells to friends, family, and fans for a $2-$3 discount usually. They sell what they can and give the promoter the revenue from the sales. If pay is involved, the promoter calculates what they have sold along with who they have brought to the door and pays the band on a % commission of their total sales.

There’s two things to consider when understanding why the promoter will put these presales in place. For local shows, presales and drawing at the door is essential for the local bands to do if they want to be booked back again. The promotional efforts can not solely fall on the promoter because they can only do so much. If a promoter puts $100 into advertising for a national band, they’d get a larger return on their investment. $100 put towards advertising for a local show cannot have as much of a return because only their 10-100 person fan base has heard of them. Not only this, but posting flyers is illegal in Massachusetts. Local bands are relied on to put the work in and bring a crowd if they want to be playing on bigger shows. This is not always the case but rather the situation on the majority of concerts. The other thing to consider is when a promoter is abusing their presale policies with bands. For example, if a promoter has a large national band at their venue you can tell something is wrong when ten locals are required to sell 100 tickets each. This is presale abuse. Any band should never have to pay X amount of money in order to play especially since its illegal. This type of preselling is what gives fair and legitimate promoters (who ask for optional presales sold) a very bad name. I’ll admit that I too utilized this policy during the start of my promotion career. I unfortunately made this mistake because when I was in a band this is how every show I played was being enforced. This led me to believe this was a good way to promote.

What You Should Be Paid Depending on the context and the extent of your presales your band should be paid. If you’re drawing 50+ people to a show and not getting paid, something is definitely wrong. It’s essential to read the details the promoter emails you. If they are not clear, communicate this in advance of your show. I’ve had bands give me a very hard time because they assumed they were going to be paid a certain way,then I’d pull up the email on my iphone, and they’d still be frustrated and refuse to work with me. Prior to the show is the ideal time to negotiate these terms. See what you can compromise on if you feel the deal isn’t totally fair or ideal. Pay from presale can be determined through a few different ways. A band can receive $X after X sold (door is always included through tally tracking.) This % can be anywhere between 50-100% for smaller shows and 20-40$ for supporting national acts. Why less? National bands request a backend % of the ticket sales after the expenses have been paid. This % can be rather high so the promoter needs to leave room for this. You may receive bonuses for every five or ten tickets after X sold but this is an uncommon deal to see.

Below I have listed what is an appropriate and fair amount of presales a band should attempt to commit to and how much they should be paid for the sales.

10-15 Tix

This commitment is probably for a small 100 capacity venue without a headliner; a local show in other words. Your band should be paid 60-100% after the 10-15 tickets, or, be paid 20-40% of each ticket from the first dollar.

20-25 Tix

The show should be either a decent headliner that your band is familiar with, a battle of the bands, or a small festival. The bigger the headliner and venue, the less your commision % will be (but the trade off is for the bigger crowd). Rates are usually around 30%-75% after X sold.

30-50+ Tix

If you’re not playing for a very large national act or a decent sized festival, then you are getting ripped off most likely. This isn’t always the case because sometimes the band and promoter feel comfortable with this amount and arrange a special deal with pay/time slots. The same venue/headliner rule applies; the bigger they are the less you should expect to be compensated. Local venues at this size include The Middle East, Paradise Rock Club, The Palladium, and The Sinclair. Rates are usually around 15%-75% after X sold.

Conclusion

I hope this sets a decent barline for newer or unsure bands regarding ticketing. In conclusion, selling tickets can be a great way to get paid, increase your draw, and save your fans a few bucks. Use your new knowledge to negotiate and/or pass up any show that appears to force tickets to play, asks for too many tickets sold, and/or doesn’t pay much or at all. To find shows with the fairest deals, pay rate, and optional presale ticketing, check out Hear Now Live!

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Orgone @ The Middle East Downstairs - Friday 7/25/14

The Middle East and Hear Now Live will be hosting LA's Orgone along with Boston local artists Abstract Dub Co., Mother Ton, and 33 Leaves!

Buy Tickets! Event Page!

Formed in the late 1990s in Los Angeles, Orgone remains dedicated to creating heavy, raw, adrenaline-fueled funk and sweat-dripping soul. With a core rhythm section of close friends and self-taught musicians steeped in the DJ culture of L.A., Orgone has spent the last decade expanding their roster and evolving a sound that simultaneously recognizes its roots in old school respect and pulsates with the force of the new millennium. While becoming a staple on the festival circuit in the early 2000s, Orgone has gained a reputation among fellow artists for being one of the baddest go-to backing bands on the planet. In addition to writing and performing their own music, Orgone also works wonders as a backing band to many of today's popular artists. From appearances on Alicia Keys' "Teenage Love Affair" (2008) to Cee Lo Green's "Fool for Love" (2011), Orgone is constantly evolving to stay tuned in to the rhythm of music's ever-changing tides. Price: $12 Advance / $15 Day of Show 18+ w/Valid I.D. / NO I.D. = NO ADMISSION 7:00pm doors Friday, 7/25/14

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Concert Booking Blog Series - Intro

We are happy to announce the start of our new blog series on booking concerts. We aim to educate artists and promoters from the Massachusetts area on how to effectively utilize this aspect of the industry through your role. You can find our first blog post here:

http://hearnowlive.tumblr.com/post/91805064463/booking-the-right-show-booking-series-blog-1

About the author: - Jay Pallazola This is the first of many similar blogs to come. Five years ago, my dream was being in a band that played shows, recorded EPs or albums, and maintained a great chemistry. Unfortunately, life can get in the way. This, and the fact that its hard as musicians to properly manage the industry end of things. My goal with these blogs is to have this advice reach out to the local musician running his or her band as best as they can and say "you have great potential. I see the mountain you're trying to climb, but it may be hard to reach without a walking stick. Please, take mine. Let me know what it was like on the top." Basically, I was a 19 year old with a lot of talent and dedication running my band as best as I could, but I had no direction or guidance. Had my future self told me what I now know, maybe my bands would've stayed together. Why? There is SO MUCH that I went about wrong and that I see other bands doing wrong. That's fine, but if you really want to push the limits of what you think you can do and beyond, then you need to invest in a band business plan and research as much as you can.

I'm lucky to have worked with many bands in MA and NH to the point where I know many members on a personal level. This is especially important. Why? Every band can technically be considered a "product", and every product has a different marketing plan, different customers/fans, and a different process for getting shows and general success. My point is, this blog series is directly targeted towards the bands I've worked with, and have yet to work with, in that I am specifically advising you on how to handle our Boston/MA/NH concert industry. While some aspects can be similar to other states, we have very unique aspects too. For example, our liquor laws can be rather strict, and the demand for bar sales has greatly increased the demand for 21+ events. This and other obstacles I will bring to your attention and help you maneuver around them to reach whatever destination your band is trying to get to!

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Booking The Right Show - Concert Booking Series Blog #1

Whether your band is starting out or trying to work with a new venue, booking shows can be a daunting experience. Are you required to sell tickets? Are you being paid for your efforts? When bands have to coordinate time around working, paying bills, and other common situations in life, its hard to enough to find the time to practice, let alone building the know-how to negotiate your bands shows! Fortunately, that's what this article will be all about.

"Let's play all the shows we can!"

"But wait, we still need to practice our set. We also don't have merch or albums to sell."

"Dude, its fine! I just got us this huge show at the palladium and then another later at Boston that night."

"Ok, but wait, aren't there ticket requirements? I just joined the band, I don't know if my set is even ready."

"Man, there's only 30 tickets we need to sell."

"So 15 for each show?"

"Oh no, 30 for each show. 60 tickets total." - Quits band

This was a real situation that happened to me! As I mentioned before, not considering and properly preparing your industry skills can have you being overwhelmed very quickly and easily, and could possibly lead to the deconstruction of your band.

So what things do you need to consider for your act? A lot of things! So let's figure out what these aspects are by first seeing what the venue and/or promoter wants. Why are they booking us and what are they getting out of it?

Let's figure out who we're working with. Did a company or venue contact you, or did you contact them? Are you talking to an assistant, a promoter, a venue owner or manager? Each one of these 1st or 3rd parties will have different motives and expectations of your band. Here they are:

3rd Party Promoter 

They want ticket sales. You usually sell tickets in advance and get paid $X per ticket sold after Y. This draw/ticket selling deal is basically a commission pay and encourages bands to sell and draw people to the door as much as possible. Why? Because this is the promoters main, if not the only, form of revenue for the show.

In-House/Club Venue - 18-21+ or AA Matinee

A few things could happen in this situation and the venue could want a variety of different things from your band. The #1 thing a venue (clubs/bars especially) is for your act to draw a 21+ drinking crowd. 90% of places you'll gig in MA will be clubs that serve drinks and/or food. Even food isn't that profitable for venues most of the time; they want bar sales, and they want a lot of them. If you're in high school these venues may not be the place to play because chances are you won't be asked back. Unless, you're playing for a 3rd party promotion company as described above.

Genre is also an important factor along with the drinkers you draw. If the venue has common walk ups or if you're on a multi genre show, your metal/hardcore band might have a hard time being asked back, even if you bring a large drinking crowd. Why? Unfortunately, our audience and fans are not as creative and/or accepting of different music genres as we are. The venue will easily get nervous if a band is scaring away the other bands' crowds. The goal of the venue is to have as many people as possible at the venue to stay and drink for as much and as long as possible.

Variations on Club Venues - 21+ 

If you're the type of band that can bring 30-50+ people 21+ in age, you may qualify yourself for a few headlining one-offs, a weekly residency, or a co-headlining two band show with a long set. These shows are mainly about providing the venue/club's entertainment. Depending on the situation, you'll get a $100-400 guarantee just for showing up! The venue may just want your music to encourage walkups, for you to draw your fanbase, or a combination of both. Its good to communicate what exactly they're looking for. If there's tickets, you may find yourself getting a cut of the door in addition to your $100-400 guarantee, or just a higher % of the door.

It all depends on what you negotiate and what the venue is willing to do. Again, don't demand, negotiate. You don't want to come across as entitled or egotistical, but at the same time you don't want to be taken advantage of. Knowing where this line is comes from experience. Feel free to ask me about your situation and I can give you a good estimate of what deal you should be asking and/or receiving.

Hall Rentals

They're hard to find in MA/NH but they can be gems if you find the right one to play. They are cheap, easy to rent for your band and others, and are an easy way to play AND make a lot of cash! Some may have a bar with the option for all ages matinee shows, while others may just have an optional kitchen for your friends/staff to sell concessions at for extra cash. Most often these places don't have their own sound system which you may have to rent for $150. Whether you're renting it or someone else is, the expectations here are not too high pressure to draw people and drinkers. Its a great place for high school to younger college bands to start because of this reason.

All Ages Venues

We have a few here in MA/Southern NH. The Sad Cafe just north of middlesex county, onset school of music in wakefield greater boston area, 3065 live wareham south shore. Similar to halls, these are obviously the go to venues for a band that draws a sub 21 crowd. By the way, if you don't draw 21+ or 18+ that well, do your band, the promoters, and the venue a favor; !don't take the show! Don't show an interest, don't lie about your draw, don't assume there will be a built in crowd. Built in crowds are nearly non-existent at ticket/free shows for local bands. I'll get more into this in the next article though. Anyways, the main difference between all ages venues is that the expectations are higher and have a presence.

AA venues are more similar to 3rd party promoters in that the demand is focused on ticket sales. What's worse is that a good amount of these hard to find venues don't pay even if you PACK THE HOUSE!!! An all ages venue that I used to work at had this philosophy that these bands would be just happy enough to just be on the show. Bands were selling 30-40 tickets alone and making the venue $350-500 some nights. I paid a few of these bands out of my own pocket because they deserved it! Avoid playing these all ages places. Don't be afraid to ask about pay and don't demand it; negotiate it. Any venue or promoter that is serious about the business will agree to a draw or ticket sale commission.

Opening/supporting large and/or national acts - AA/18+ sometimes 21+

These shows are interesting, risky, and can be a double edged sword. Its very tempting to burn all of your resources to play with that band that's on every band member's ipod. By resources, I mean ticket requirements. Depending on who is hosting the headliner, you may be required to cough up all of the cash for the tickets they ask you to sell, or even pay for the tickets up front. Sometimes they give you the tickets for free and you can sell them after. Sometimes If you fall short of your quota they won't demand the rest of the money to play, but you probably won't get a similar opportunity until you reprove yourself on a smaller show. It all varies slightly and depends on who you're working with. If you push an abnormally large amount of tickets, you might have an opportunity to get paid, again it all depends on who is in charge of the show.

These shows have packed audiences if not sold out. The tension is high for bands to get on and off quickly so don't waste what little time you have on the stage making your awkward time-filling inside jokes. These are the opportunities to take seriously, while still having fun of course. If you practiced well and have some experience playing live shows, these can be the most fun shows to play as you are proving how great you and your music is in front of a huge crowd, the headliner, managers, agents, industry press, etc. The bigger the show, the more likely these people are to come out and check other local talent too.

On the other hand, the headliner might be a "has-been" that still asks for a large guarantee. The name of the headliner might be huge, but do people still go out for them? You might wind up in a situation where your new band draws x5-10 more people than the headliner alone! (I've sadly seen this happen all too frequently with my old companies' shows. Tsk tsk.) Its just another instance where you'll need to flex your industry knowledge muscle and make the right call. It can be exhausting to meet a large ticket sale requirement, so pick these types of shows wisely. The best situation is where you, your band, and all of your friends/fans love the headliner and sales will be easy to make. You'd make a ton of sales, bring a huge crowd, get paid, and meet and play with this awesome headliner!

Festivals - AA/18/21

Festivals are all over the place because there are so many different kinds. Regardless, they all have HUGE turnouts! You want to get on these whenever possible. If you have your pick, try to get on the festivals with similar genre acts as your band. You'll want to be playing to their fans, because chances are they'll like your music and potentially become of fan of your band too!

Festivals could have ticket requirements, buy-ons, or on the other hand no requirements at all. Try finding a few festivals that have had a similar genre band or bands on the bill and contact whoever is booking them to talk about getting on. The nice thing about festivals is that they need A LOT of performers to fill all the time and all the stages. These festivals may be easier to get on than you think! Just reach out and communicate. If you're unsure of how to talk to a promoter just mention that while still getting your point across. They'll understand and work with you if you're not understanding the whole concept. The worst is when bands try to act like they know what they're doing when they don't... Don't be that band!

There are definitely other types of gigs out there such as weddings, private events, etc. but these are the main situations for the type of bands that want to help themselves and that I want to help! It can be very daunting, scary, and confusing to approach booking concerts but don't be; I'm here to help. Please do not hesitate to ask me any questions at all. I WANT to help bands be successful not only because our music scene will be stronger, but because I was in a band too, and I want to hand you the walking stick that I never had.

Want to gig out in Boston and the greater Boston, MA area? If you're looking for shows with decent pay and fair deals, check out the link below! http://hearnowlive.com/hnl-band-application/

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MA Concert Booking Articles

This is a great article by local Boston, MA promoter Lance Tobin detailing the roles involved with booking a concert. We hope to create and share quality and informative content such as this with you as much as possible to strengthen our music community! http://www.hypebot.com/hypebot/2012/07/the-role-of-the-local-promoter-vs-the-local-band.html

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"Concert Booking - MA" - Join Now, Book Your Band, & Win Prizes!

Hey guys! Hear Now Live is happy to start getting our tumblr underway! To celebrate, we are giving musicians and local event promoters a great free tool to reach out to each other to book awesome concerts. Join our facebook group "Concert Booking - MA" and post on the group to receive a free ebook on band management specifically catered for bands in Massachusetts! https://www.facebook.com/groups/concertbookingma/ In addition to this new community we're building, we'll be posting informative blog posts consistently through our tumblr page on band management and concert industry information in MA. Feel free to check out our event list too for some great local music! https://www.facebook.com/hearnowlive/events We look forward to reaching out to you all and improve our MA music community!

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Setting Up The New Tumblr

Starting up a HNL tumblr. Testing out the features. This is a test post.