If you need to book a performer for your event, then you need to make sure you find the right artist. Finding that artist will require time, research, and negotiating. It’s usually not a quick and easy process.
With that in mind, it’s important to start your search for the right artist for your event as early as possible. The key is choosing a performer who can help make your event successful. Never choose an artist simply because you like them. Instead, you need to match the performer to your event goals, budget, and audience.
To get started, follow the five tips below for finding the right artist for your event.
1. Your Event Goals
Never pick an artist until you identify your event goals and consider how the performer will affect those goals. For example, does the performer need to be the primary draw for ticket buyers? If so, then you need an artist that people in your area know and like enough to buy tickets to see in person.
Is the performer not the main focus of the event? Do you need a performer who won’t steal the attention from the real main focus but rather enhances the experience from the background? If so, make sure you choose an artist who can deliver a low-key, unobtrusive performance.
2. Costs
The artist you work with will charge a performance fee, so identify your budget for the artist in advance. It’s perfectly acceptable to try to negotiate this fee. In addition, you’ll need to pay for the performer’s travel expenses. These expenses typically include airfare, ground transportation, and hotels as well as food and drinks. If the artist travels with multiple people, you might incur these costs for the performer’s entire entourage.
Keep in mind, if the artist is already on tour and will be in your area at the time of your event, your travel-related expenses could be much lower. Costs can also be lower if you book artists during the week rather than on weekends.
The artist’s performance fee is only part of the costs you’ll incur when hiring a performer for your event. Most artists will have additional requirements outlined in an artist’s rider. Some of these requirements could be negotiable, but it’s very likely that they’ll increase your costs. Therefore, read the artist’s rider very carefully. See #3 below for more details about artist requirements.
3. Artist Requirements
Artists can have very long riders and strange requirements. Many artists will want special equipment, lighting, and sound at their shows as well as specific staging requirements. You need to know that your venue can accommodate all of these requirements before you sign on the dotted line and agree to hire a performer.
In addition, the artist could require very specific foods in the dressing room as well as very unique dressing room requirements such as furniture, decorations, and even scents! Read the rider carefully and make sure you can adhere to it. Each of the artist’s requirements takes money out of your event budget.
4. Artist Popularity
How many tickets does the artist usually sell? Ask the booking agent and promoters who work with the artist for this information. The booking agent’s website often provides contact information for promoters, or you can ask the booking agent for it. Also, contact local radio stations to learn how much airplay the artist is getting. This is a great way to determine if there is local interest in the performer.
Another step you can take in your research process to find the right artist for your event is to check out the artist’s website and social media accounts. Most artists publish information on their websites and social media accounts about album releases, tours, appearances, and so on. This information is useful to you because it can tell you if a release or appearance could generate a spike in interest in the artist, which could translate to more ticket sales for your event.
5. The Contract
Review the contract very carefully. Most artists will provide a contract to you, but don’t sign it until your attorney has reviewed it and negotiated any necessary points. The contract will include all of the artist’s requirements, but you need to confirm that it also includes your requirements.
For example, the contract should include the event date, time, and venue as well as information about rehearsals and payments, and details about the performance. Identify the equipment you’ll supply and what the artist is responsible for. Also, include a list of “must play” songs if you have any, and a list of “don’t play” songs that might not be appropriate for your event. If you’ve negotiated any special backstage fan encounters or other appearances, those should be included in the contract, too.
Your Next Steps to Find the Right Artist for Your Event
If you need help, consider working with a talent buyer or entertainment booking company. An experienced ticketing provider can help, too. AttendStar has been ticketing events for years and can provide a wealth of data and information about ticket sales figures, successful marketing, valuable promotional tools, and even setting ticket prices that are right for the artist and your market. If you need help with your event ticketing and choosing the right artist for your event, contact AttendStar at (615-223-1973) or use the Contact Us Form.
