A concert that can claim to be one of the most memorable events is the result of carefully planned work. Zoya Skobeltsyna and Svetlana Yaremich told JazzPeople where a young professional should start, about the most difficult part of being an organizer, and about success in the concert industry.

FIRST EXPERIENCE WHERE TO START? STEPS OF WORK ABOUT UNIVERSALITY ABOUT ADVERTISING THE MOST DIFFICULT

The need to be constantly involved in the process. It is impossible to open a PR company and not monitor it. You always need to keep your finger on the pulse, and if it lasts 2-3 months, then psychologically it is quite difficult.

Control all stages of preparation simultaneously. It’s not always possible to gather an audience either. simple task. The best option, when a musician is scheduled to release a record, premiere a song, or shoot a video. Collaborations with other artists, synthesis different types arts also attract people.

FEMALE OR MALE PROFESSION

This is a big responsibility, especially when there are several thousand people at your event. Not every girl is able to withstand such a load and act quickly in a critical situation.

It's definitely physically difficult. Personal life suffers greatly. There are emotional breakdowns, physical exhaustion and overstrain. I am inclined to believe that this profession is more for men.

SELECTION OF ARTISTS

Back in the “apartment” we held children’s birthday parties, and then I immediately realized that I would not seriously take on this type of event. But everything can change. I don’t do weddings or corporate events.

I won’t take under my wing an artist whose music, relatively speaking, I don’t listen to in the car. You need to be passionate about what you do, otherwise the result will be appropriate.

I take a personal approach. I can’t work with musicians whose work is not close to me. I am involved in many projects, not only jazz, and I can say with confidence that music that promotes violence, has political overtones or carries an aggressive emotional message is definitely not my thing.

YEAR OF OPERATION

I'm not very good example. If I'm interested, I jump into battle without hesitation. I often began to think that sometimes I need to be able to stop and carefully choose the artists with whom I start working. Much depends on the format of the event, its duration, and the number of participants.

This is influenced by the number of projects you are involved in. this moment. After all, each performer can have 3 or more concerts per month. If I represent the site, then, of course, we're talking about about almost daily performances, the responsibility for which is yours. This is continuous work with musicians.

CONCERT AND FESTIVAL: WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE? EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES

I realized that I like teaching. The music market has changed a lot due to the economic situation. The demand for competent music managers is growing. I like the task of developing Russian independent music, and for this young bands need management. Now I give many lectures and seminars not only in St. Petersburg and Moscow, and speak at forums. An online course was born in my head, which, in my opinion, will allow you to get necessary knowledge, take an artist and start working with him.

As such educational projects I don’t have one yet, but they are planning to. In February, we will launch, together with the BM50 art space, a project for future organizers of events in the cultural field.

I'm a fan of electronic music as well. Last year we held an experimental music festival. In addition, I collaborate with the non-profit short film festival Potential - one of the few in Russia that accepts not finished films, but selects best scripts(or synopses) and allocates a budget for filming.

WORK IN THE FIELD OF MUSIC

Where would we be without her? Music is associated with feelings of happiness. We make people happy!

This is my life! I can't imagine working in another field. Music is a living sphere, and I receive an incredible charge of energy from the people who surround me, colleagues and friends.

ABOUT PROSPECTS

For example, at the Roof Music Fest, which presents everything musical styles, special attention is paid jazz concerts. The prospects are excellent, I think jazz is becoming more and more popular, well in St. Petersburg for sure.

Jazz has begun to attract more people, but not all groups that include the concept of “jazz” in the description of their repertoire are such. It's clear that this has become a trend. There is an audience that loves “refined” jazz, and there are those who prefer to listen to pop jazz, smooth jazz, nu jazz. Fusion is always unusual, this is exactly what helps expand the audience.

ABOUT SUCCESS

From a technical point of view, this is the quality of sound, the audience and its quantity, the public's reaction to the concert, the work of the artist. But there is also an intangible criterion - the atmosphere of the event, which is difficult to convey in words, a feeling that just needs to be captured. This is what we work for.

The emotional component is important to me, how satisfied people are. Success is when listeners and musicians understand each other, exchanging positive energy. When the audience does not regret coming, they do not spend the entire concert talking or in the bar, but when they give part of themselves and their time to the artist.

PROFESSIONAL MOTTO

You have to take risks! When you make a challenge, the universe answers you. She knows exactly what is needed, the main thing is to ask the right question.

For me, loving my job means investing my soul. It won't work without a soul successful project. You can see me in every case I take on.

If you're thinking about throwing your dream concert, but don't know how to approach this idea, follow 15 tips from experienced organizers - and your concert will be doomed to success.

1. Register your business. Alas, individual cannot organize a concert - to do this you need to be individual entrepreneur or legal entity. Cases like this will have to be registered.

2. Forget about your own musical preferences. Your tastes may not be to the liking of potential viewers, so analyze social networks and streaming services to understand the approximate size of the audience ready to come to this or that artist.

3. Don't you dare forget about social networks. Your audience lives there, and without regular notifications like “team Y is coming to city X,” people simply won’t know that you’re working hard to organize a concert of their favorite band. Don’t skimp on advertising and occupy social networks - let everyone know about your organizational activities (but not right away - see point 10).

4. However, don’t rely on surveys like “Which band should you bring?” Fans of Shortparis, 1/2 Orchestra, “Corpse-Eyed Toads” and other less popular bands will shower you with likes and comments, but they may not come to the concert itself - in which case you will be left with an empty hall and a gaping hole in your wallet.

5. Don’t jump into big projects right away. It’s better to gain experience by making big shots on small moves than to make a big profit, unknowingly make mistakes and lose big on the cash.

6. Outline the expected costs as clearly as possible. Make an estimate for the event, not forgetting to include some amount for unforeseen expenses. And in general, provide yourself with financial insurance - remember about working capital.

7. Don’t do events with your last money. Concerts cannot be considered as a wild card that can rehabilitate your financial condition, – you can be left without money completely. Yes, you need to be prepared for incursions - at first it is inevitable.

8. Get ready to waste time, money and nerve cells. Musicians, venue owners, managers, media representatives, techies and officials will annoy you with questions and demands, while simultaneously making your wallet less tight. Accept it, but don't let yourself go over budget.

9. Discuss everything, everything, everything. Having decided on the band and venue of the concert, agree with the musicians and owners of the concert venue on the date and time of the event. Also, don’t forget about the fee: discuss not only the amount, but also the form - some groups work for a percentage of ticket sales.

10. Don't rush with advertising. Before the tour certificate is issued, any advertising is prohibited. Due to a violation of this rule, the coldwave band, for example, did not perform at “Korpus” last spring.

11. Get a “tour”. This is a certificate that allows you to hold concerts on the territory of the Republic of Belarus (yes, everything is complicated). To obtain such a certificate, you will have to contact the city executive committee or the regional executive committee - bring an application for the certificate, the program of the event, background information about the group and pray that your concert will not be labeled as "". The “tour card” will be needed not only by foreign, but also by domestic musicians - in this case, everything is done in a simplified form, and there is no need to pay for the certificate itself. However, there is no need to relax - the ideologists of the Minsk City Executive Committee treat their compatriots, as well as foreign performers.

12. Control your time. The “tour” takes about five working days, and ten days before implementation entrance tickets

You must have all the documents on hand. 13. Follow technical and household rider

artists.

But be prepared for the fact that these requirements may contain very crazy things: Kanye West, for example, demands towels from Versace, and The Rolling Stones indicate in their rider a separate room with a pool table. It’s good that you don’t plan to bring these particular guys to us...

14. Always think about the audience. They are the main link in the entire concert chain. If you screw up with the sound, the dance floor, the warm-up or the wardrobe, you will get mass hooting, a flurry of angry comments and a pile of dislikes.

15. Know: it will be scary. What if your musicians' flight is cancelled, or a drunk drummer loses his passport? And the traffic jams may blow out in the middle of a concert and the vocalist will definitely break an expensive amplifier... Remember that force majeure happens, and keep an action plan in mind so as not to sit in horror with your head in your hands. If you have total problems with stress resistance, find a calmer activity.

We express our respect to Ivan Vasilyevich, Yan Popkov, Pavel Bogdanovich, Oleg Chubakov and Sergei Polazhenko for their help in preparing the material. Well, imagine that you want to give a concert to group X. 1. First you need acquaintances.

Art directors, concert managers of clubs. To begin with, you will find out the amount for the site. That is, it can be either a fixed amount (in large halls) or a percentage of tickets. These
-wonderful people(There are three types of payment: if the group is famous and attracts 300 or more people, then as a rule it is a fixed fee. Sometimes groups play for a percentage of tickets, but this is rare. And even less common is the system “the first N-thousand go to the club, the rest group". The latter type occurs in small clubs for 100-200 people). By the way, most bands accept fees in dollars. Without disclosing specific amounts and personalities, I will say that the average popular group usually costs 1000-2000 bucks. Famous guys from 5000 green and above;

- Pay for their travel and rider, where there can be anything at all: from a table, a chair, a bottle of whiskey to the presence of an Arizona beaver at the age of 3 and a half years in the dressing room. Be prepared to look for and buy any nonsense if you are bringing famous guys. Although in practice, most often the rider consists of “tickets to your city, food, sleep.” By the way, about the Arizona beaver - a real case;

- Pay for the site. And associated expenses in the form of your own travel to the club, then to your home, to the airport/train station and back. It seems like a small thing, but it costs a pretty penny;

- Advertising. This is the worst thing. The overall attendance at your event depends on this point, so hire yourself a good SMM and PR person. This will deprive you of part of the profit, it would seem, but without these people your concert will attract, say, 200 people. And with them 500. So they will bring you more income than expenses. Finding them, by the way, is not so difficult: remember the latest high-profile events and concerts that your ears were buzzing about, find meetings in VK and there will already be contacts of these people.

3. Lots of free time. You will have to actually advertise the event. According to the "publics" of the city, according to. It could be putting up posters, handing out leaflets, targeting, mailings to group members, etc. As I said, advertising is the worst thing. And even if you have a PR specialist and a master’s degree in SMM, this will not save you from the hardships of working on your own. In addition, it is also necessary to agree on a sound check for the musicians and book them a hotel (if necessary). A separate problem is the sound system. If the group doesn’t have a sound guy with them, then you need to find a normal one. Otherwise, you run the risk of bumping into a drunkard apprentice, after which the fans will stretch you to the very skies. Moreover, big clubs usually have their own person, but you shouldn’t rely on his professionalism. We still live in Russia. Stands with merchandise, sponsors if available. In general, promotion is everything you can do to interest and diversify the concert in conjunction with productive work.

4. After the event, when you have paid everyone, you may have some pennies left. You can buy yourself some tissues and wipe your face from tears. After the first few concerts, you will probably get the feeling that you are helping people hear the music, helping them just relax and feel a little happier. And the topic of money will somehow disappear by itself. But these are temporary difficulties. There is no point in dreaming that from your first concert you will collect enough money for a comfortable old age. In general, I don’t recommend expecting any sky-high results. Start with three or four concerts for little-known bands. Immerse yourself, so to speak, in all the beauty of organizational activity. And there you will already understand whether you really need it.

It's no secret that there is always competition in the world of music. But despite this, people still appear who are interested in organizing concerts and music festivals. And if you, too, sometimes wondered how to organize a concert, then it would not be superfluous for you to familiarize yourself with a simple scheme for organizing concerts for beginners.

To get started you will need:

• Any budget
• Knowledge of local groups or contacts through which you can invite stars
• Friends willing to offer help
• Sociability, nothing without it
• A designer who will be involved in artistic design issues
• A computer with Internet access

Instructions for organizing a concert

• Before organizing a concert, you need to do a little analysis of music venues and teams. To do this, you will need a computer with Internet access, thanks to which you can go to specialized sites, where you will learn a lot of information about groups and can even find contacts to communicate with them.
• It is necessary to carefully consider the genre of the concert itself, and which venues for it will be more relevant, because organizing concerts of stars has a completely different focus.
• Decide on the groups that will directly perform at your event. Prepare a list of teams that are most interested and write them a letter of offer asking them to perform at your concert.
• Next, when you already have a list of groups and some performance venues, you need to decide on the date of the concert. Weekends are considered the most best time for absolutely any concert.
• Promotional materials are simply indispensable for organizing any concert. These include flyers, posters, posters, etc. And the designer will help you develop them, because who can know better how to make a concert poster. You should make sure that you give the designer accurate information about the teams, dates, name and location of your event.
• The bands that will be participating in the concert can also help you. It is enough to simply give them a certain number of tickets for resale, and of course offer them a percentage for the tickets sold. This will help attract as many people as possible to the event.
• Events should be promoted as actively as possible using posters and a variety of leaflets. They can be distributed to musicians, who in turn will distribute them to their friends and fans. Also, do not forget to hang a poster at the venue of the concert itself.

Important points in organizing concerts

Safety is probably the most important thing important point regarding the organization of concerts. That is why all the organizers’ thoughts on how to properly organize a concert should first of all be aimed at organizing all the necessary security measures for this event. And all because holding any kind of public event carries a certain hidden threat, because at a concert it is very a large number of equipment, which makes us think at least about fire protection.

In addition, even the decorations are dangerous, because if their fastenings are not of high quality, they can collapse at any moment, which can subsequently harm the guests themselves. Often, in staging their concerts, organizers use fire and light shows, which require greater caution and compliance with special safety rules.

Organization of a group concert

If you are thinking about how to organize a band concert, then you should know two main points that concert visitors do not know, but you, as the organizer, must know.

• The first is the fee, namely, how much the work of this or that group on stage will cost you.
• The second is the rider, or in simple words technical and living conditions. Usually it depends on the popularity of the group.

Classification of performing groups

• Widely popular in wide circles. Groups of this kind fill stadiums, their fees are very high, the conditions of the rider are almost impossible to fulfill, but they will undoubtedly attract a full audience, from babies to pensioners.
• Widely popular in narrow circles. These are mostly successful bands that work in any style other than POP. Their fees are usually quite reasonable, and riders include several items.
• Narrow popularity in wide circles. They have less success than the groups from the first point, but their fees are higher than those from the groups from the second point, and the riders are listed on several sheets.
• Narrow popularity in narrow circles. Almost no one knows about them, although they may have two released albums and one video clip, which was shown a couple of times on music channels.

And if you are thinking about how to organize a concert with the participation of groups, then first you should use the services of groups that are widely popular in narrow circles. And if the event is similar to a fest or session, then groups that have a narrow popularity in narrow circles will be suitable.

Of course, to ensure that your event does not consist of mistakes and shortcomings, it is better to turn to trusted organizers - professionals in their field. The cost of organizing a concert may not reach the $1,000 mark, or may exceed a million, so before starting work on organizing the holiday, you will need to decide on that amount from the very beginning Money that you are willing to spend.

If your interests include music, then it can also bring you good profit. Naturally, if this is not limited to the extensive playlist in the player. How to make money from such a hobby? Organize a concert, of course. It could be music Festival or solo concert. This activity will not only bring a lot of experience and contacts, but can also increase your capital. If you feel that this idea is for you, then let’s consider all aspects in order.

And so, there is an idea, there is a desire and aspiration. But where to start? And we should start with the following. It is unlikely that you will go to conquer the capital with just one idea and desire. There are plenty of them there, and they have more money.

You will get your first experience in this business in your city, even if it is just a small provincial town. At this stage, it is worth studying what kind of music the residents (especially young people) of the city prefer. Here you should close your eyes to your opinion on this or that genre, unless, of course, your goal is to make a profit. To do this, you need not only to attend several events, studying the number of people who came, but also to be close to young people and study their preferences. Who knows, maybe there are a lot of rock fans in your city who limit themselves to “garage” concerts.

Having decided on the audience, it will not be difficult to find a potential group or singer. Here you can create a poll on social networks and hope for the popularity and originality of the “star”. Do not stop at one option, because there should always be a supply. But don’t rush to invite a performer. Now it’s worth thinking about issues such as the concert venue and equipment. Why?
These aspects often become stumbling blocks in this business. Either the venue will be unaffordable, or there will be no musical equipment.
The site issue can be resolved as follows. If the city has night club, or something similar, then we go there. Such establishments attract more people than palaces of culture. You can relax here and there is a bar nearby.

It is better to talk with the director of the club, since the manager will not be able to help you in all matters, and it is better to talk about the rental price directly with the owner. But here it is worth showing confidence in your business. Make it clear that the idea is worthwhile and profitable. Without any doubts!

Don’t let your interlocutor think that you will run away with the money, if you can earn it at all. If everything goes smoothly, then you can even agree that you will pay the rent with the money you earn, but this does not always work out. Solve this question - move on to the next one.

Finding equipment for your concert is a very important part of the process. Therefore, let's put everything on the shelves. The required apparatus varies from genre to genre. And the more complex the design, the more difficult it is to find a quality device. This is where knowledge of the musical craft comes in especially handy. And if there is no knowledge, then it is best to find a person who can help with this. Don’t try to get into this jungle without any basic understanding. After all, if for club music If you can find equipment in any nightclub, then for rock you will have to look for everything from the console and amplifiers to the drum set. But if there is knowledge (or knowledgeable person), then finding it won’t be difficult. Music equipment can often be found in studios or rehearsal spaces.

Those who know can easily find them. The question remains small. The services of rental companies will cost much more. Such companies can get you almost everything you want, but for your money.

There is one more point: the technical rider.
Famous performers do not hesitate to demand the best equipment from the organizer, and you can find a technical rider on the website of the group or singer. And as already noted: the quality, and therefore the price of the device, varies depending on the genre. Of course, if your concert is limited little known bands, then what you get at local rehearsal points, studios or even cultural centers will be enough for them.

It is also important to prepare lighting equipment. You won't find them in studios, but even the most seedy club has the minimum necessary set. The rest can be ordered from the companies that have already been written about above.

Now you have everything you need to hold a concert, except for the performer. In this case, you should have already stocked up on options. It is worth approaching the issue of invitees no less subtly. If this famous performer, then the fee will be corresponding, which means the price of tickets will rise. For small towns, price is a very powerful argument, and sometimes people may refuse just because of this. To begin with, it’s worth thinking about the “hodgepodge” of different performers.

Such a festival will attract many spectators, and musical groups may not be so well known. Their fee often comes down to payment for travel, and some are ready to work for an idea. So, the skill of persuasion and basic friendliness will help here. But if you decide to go for the big fish, then get ready for difficulties. The stars are very picky, and failure to comply with their requirements can cost you a pretty penny.

Once all this is done, it may seem like you're done. But no. There are, perhaps, two questions left, and if one can be skipped, then without the other you will be nowhere. The first is sponsors. But keep in mind that few people will want to give you their money, even if you post it all over the place. concert venue their advertising. This question can be addressed in the following way. Of course, no one forbids placing an advertisement in a newspaper, on the Internet, or even simply posting it around the city near large stores or establishments.

However, it is often easier for a sponsor to give you the necessary supplies rather than their money. So, for a concert, try looking for a sponsor among musical instrument stores. Maybe they will provide some of the equipment. In return, any sponsor will require a promotion from you. Simply put, make sure to mention it at the concert and include its logo on the event poster.

There is another type of sponsor – informational. They will help you spread the news about the upcoming concert. This could be local newspapers, an Internet portal in your city, public pages on social media. networks. Don’t forget about large online music portals, which very often post posters in exchange for their logo on it. It is worth recognizing that large websites are visited more often than the local newspaper is read. This is where we get to the last moment– advertising. What is written above is a very important part of the advertising campaign. But that's not all.

Don't skimp on printing out posters and posting them around the city. Just don’t trust this matter to hired pasters - you’ll fool yourself. Walk around the city. Offer to place posters in shops or cafes. Will also fit educational establishments, if the event is cultural enough. Since we live in modern world, do not forget to create a concert page on the Internet. It doesn't have to be a website. A page is enough social network. By the way, this is a very convenient way to both distribute advertising and monitor people’s activity.

Having done all this, all that remains is to draw up an accurate plan for the event. Coordinate it with the speakers and the club director. Don’t forget to think about who will host the event, especially if there are many groups and they will need to be introduced to the public. Finding a leader is not difficult. Place advertisements in the newspaper and on the Internet. The club management will be able to help you with this issue. Don't forget to prepare texts for the presenter. Some of them can be obtained from the performers themselves.

On the day of the concert, it would be a good idea to arrive at the venue early. This way you can manage all the preparations. The sound engineer you receive for any device, whether from a renting company or from a local studio, will have to rebuild the device. The sooner he starts this, the better. After all, various minor problems do occur.

Before the concert begins, take the time to thoroughly inspect the venue with a club representative. It is advisable to record the inspection in a special act, because all damage that may occur during the concert will fall on your shoulders and wallet.

Don't forget to greet the performers in person. Consider the wishes of the artists. Some, for example, may need a dressing room or space where they can place musical instruments.

You will make payments after the concert. And don't despair if your first gig doesn't pay off too much. Even if you were able to recoup it, returning all the costs (i.e., becoming a plus), then you should already rejoice, because you have gained great experience, new acquaintances and connections. And all this will definitely help you in organizing concerts in the future.

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