How to hold a gig?

Question

I know this is not a question about theory or practice but I've looked around Internet and find nothing information about this, so I ask this question here with a hope that you guys can give me some advice. Our band wants to hold a small gig ( around 200-300 seats), and we don't know what should we plan in detail: finance (we can find some sponsors for the show), venue, logistics, marketing, how many people do we need to hold a show,.. We've been played for many events and gain some local reputation before but this is the first time we want to hold our own show. can you please give us some advice? Do you guys have any procedure or checklist to hold a gig that can be shared? Thank you guys.

Answer 1

Well, there are a lot of things to research and consider. One of the main reasons folks take on a task like this is to promote themselves, so you need to figure out how you want to do this. Do you have tangible product to sell, CDs, Videos, T-shirts, etc.? Can you afford to rent the chosen venue? What will you need to handle security? Will you sell tickets or charge at the door? Who will keep track of income and expenditures? Is this a one time occasion or are there plans for a series of these events? Will you need to hire lights and sound? Will you need a permit for this performance? Many municipalities require them. Will you buy radio air time to promote the event? Can you get investors to help with the expenses and do you wish to split the profits with them? Who will print posters and who'll distribute them for publicity? As you can see, there is a lot of hassle involved. You may choose to deal with already established promoters who make their living doing this, or you may choose to set up a business of your own that can handle all the details. It's a business and you'll discover there is a lot of competition among those involved in it, and sometimes it can get nasty. Be aware of this and don't count on magic to make it work for you. Best of luck anyway.

Answer 2

It's hard to give a lot of concrete advice without knowing more about your situation. Early in your career, the most typical venue is the bar/night club. This requires that your band members all be over 21, of course. Alternative venues, typically coffee shop type places typically book acoustic acts over rock groups, so there are not a lot of options for the young band.

Are you playing original music or covers? This will also make a difference. Covers require (technically speaking), that the venue pay licensing fees for the music paid (this is a legal requirement which is often ignored, but is still a legal requirement and the venue might find themselves facing a bill or cease and desist order). Here in the Chicago area, there's a bit of bifurcation where suburban venues generally book cover bands and city venues book bands playing original music, although the distinction is not absolute.

I would say that, unless you have a significant following (which, from the question, I would guess you almost certainly don't), booking a theater-type gig, like you've proposed, would be folly even without the current social distancing regime. Early-stage band gigs are typically almost always bar shows or, if you're lucky and work hard, community festivals.