Music promoters are incredibly important players in the music industry. If you want to be a famous performer and play big shows and festivals then you will have to work with promoters for your shows.
A music promoter coordinates with artists and venues to put on and promote events. They are responsible for running the show and finding new talent. They are heavily involved in promoting the show because they need to sell as many tickets as possible.
Some promoters go on to create incredibly lucrative careers for themselves. It can be quite an appealing career path and some artists end up promoting alongside performing.
Promoters essentially need to be able to find local acts and book them for gigs at venues. However, finding and coordinating talented acts with buzz is only one side of the role. They also need to work with the venues and run the event. The role becomes more challenging as artists and venues get bigger. More coordination and bigger crowds are expected. If a promoter can work their way up to this stage then they could find themselves in a pretty rewarding career.
To sum it up:
- Liaise with artists or agents to agree on a date for performance.
- Book a venue for that agreed upon date.
- Negotiate a deal with the artist for the gig – what fee or ticket split will be paid?
- Promote the upcoming gig this can be to the local press and radio, put up posters, social media, hand out flyers and email their mailing list.
- Make sure everything the act needs is in place – stage equipment, accommodation, rider, etc.
- Set up sound check times and the running order of the show.
- Organise the running of the event, selling tickets and making sure everything is running to plan and everyone is happy.