How to Book a Venue for Your Live Music Event

From a former live music event booking manager, key components to secure before selecting a concert venue. The list is long, but it’s complete. I recommend anyone new to booking a venue (or those who need a refresher course) keep this article in hand and follow the entire list from top to bottom while calling various venue options.

Overview

Before you can book a live music event, you must know the major details about the show, as well as the band or musician’s expectations and requirements well ahead of time. This is crucial information so that not only you can secure the right venue but also so that the venue can select you. Various performance spaces have their own set of guidelines and musical preferences and you will need to sort of “pitch” your event to the proper event coordinator or concert booking manager before you assume certain locations as potential event options.

It is a joint decision. Don’t get me wrong, if the music type is agreeable to the event specialist, it often takes only a deposit or signed contract to secure the space. Just remember, you should be choosey about the location as well. Shop around. The success of a live music event relies very heavily on where it happens.

Here, a list of necessary details you should plan to discuss with each prospective booking manager at your various event location alternatives, in no particular order:

*Date*

It’s usually good to have a few dates in mind that might work for your live music event. If the venues you are interested in have any of them available, see if you can place a couple on hold. Most performance spots do this for free with the idea that if someone else requests it, they call to let you confirm or cancel. Usually in these cases, the guy who can put money down first wins.

*Capacity*

How many people can this venue hold for a show like yours and how many live music concert goers do you expect?

*Tickets*

Find out how to go about selling your tickets. Ticketmaster? Does the venue help with sales transactions and/or promoting the concert event or is it all up to you? Do you get all the money from ticket sales or does the venue want a percentage?

*Age Limit and Dress Code*

Find out about the venue’s requirements. Some places do not permit all ages shows primarily for liability reasons. And some places have a strict dress code of no jeans or sneakers. Make sure you ask about these specifics before you end up alienating all your fans because they can’t find anything to wear.

*Merchandise*

Bands and individual musicians often make a large portion of their profits from merchandise sales. Are you allowed to have a merch booth at this venue? And will there be a booth or available extra tables for it?

*Backstage*

Some concert locations have a very limited backstage area for the band to hang out. Determine your musicians’ needs for this event and make sure they coincide with the venue’s availability. Making the band comfortable is key. Find out backstage specs such as capacity, bathroom access, and number of private rooms or areas with doors. Does the backstage area have mirrors or showers to assist the musicians with getting ready for the show, etc? Is there internet access in this area? Depending on the extensiveness of your event you may need more or fewer of these things.

*Manager’s Office*

Do you need one? Some touring musicians have a tour manager that requires a place on the premises with an accessible telephone and laptop hookup with internet. If you don’t need this, great. If you do, you better make sure it is possible before weighing out your live music event venue options.

*Price*

How much is the event going to cost you altogether in terms of booking a venue for the live music event? You may get lucky and find a place that loves your band enough to give you 100% of the door sales as well as all of the pre-sold ticket profits and no room booking fee, while they take only what they make at the bar. Often times though, it is a little trickier than this and the money thing requires a little negotiation.

Be prepared for some quick computing in your head or better yet, call with a calculator ready in hand. Remember, the venue’s main objective is to make money, not give you and your band a break because you’re cool and the music rocks like no other. Be mindful of all parties’ needs and try to figure out something beneficial for everyone involved.

*Curfew*

How late can you play and how long can the show be? If you are playing at a venue in your own hometown, chances are likely that you will be familiar with this information. However, all cities across the US are different in terms of noise compliance rules and curfews, so it’s a good idea to ask how late you can play to every prospect just to play it on the safe side. Plus, you never know which venue owners have their own curfew rules that bypass those of the towns.

*Load In*

How early can your crew get access to the stage to set up? How do you get your equipment inside the door (ramp, freight elevator, etc)?

*Security*

Does the venue provide security or must you hire a company on your own?

*Stage Dimensions*

In the case of props, make sure your event set up will fit.

*Lights*

Finally, you mustn’t forget about the lights. The lighting component of a live music show can sometimes be powerful enough to either make it or break it in terms of popularity with the crowd. Will you need to bring your own lighting director and/or light board and such related equipment or does the venue have one in house?

I know that seems like a lot to handle, but taking charge of a live music event is quite a challenging job. It may seem intimidating if you are just starting out, but keep this list in front of you when you call around to compare venues and follow the sections from top to bottom. And don’t worry about asking a bunch of questions. If anything, the concert booking manager or events specialist will see that you are serious about your job, this particular event, and at the very least, extremely prepared. Not to mention the fact that if you take care of all this stuff up front, the chances of your live music event going smoothly are much higher.