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For some out there, you already have a good idea of what’s needed to pull off a great show. This is usually due to some practice and a few “Holy S**T” moments. For those who want to avoid those moments and just in case some visitors want a look at the detailed plan when booking bands, comedians, and celebrities…well, here you go.

Below is an in-depth guide for a major concert set-up along a recommended timeline for planning and executing the tasks and responsibilities of a successful concert event. ?The more prepared you are, the smoother the day of the concert will go. We’ll make sure the talent booking side is ready. With some preparation and the time-line below, we can just add water and Voila! Event Success!

90-120 Days Prior To Concert

- Select your date. Whenever possible, choose alternates dates (especially?week days) to increase your chances of securing the act.

- Begin to make a list of the acts that you’d like to have at your event.

- Reserve facility for all selected dates. Facility must be completely available starting at 8 AM on day of the show.
- If required, have show approved by school administration. Secure any necessary permits.

- Receive list of bands and/or comedy concert availabilities and pricing for each act.?

- Select your top five choices for talent for your event based on the availabilities list. Campus surveys can be very helpful with this process as can your concert agent’s experience and knowledge.?

- Rank top five choices and begin to narrow in on which act will work best for your event.

- Discuss policies with your administrator about general liability insurance, venue operations (technical capabilities/limitations, room usage, curfews and access to?venue staff including electrician.

- Begin offer submission process with your concert agent.

60-90 Days Prior

- Get confirmation on your bid for your headline act (and support acts as long as this does not hold-up other key points in this portion of the timeline).

- Review artist contract and riders with your concert agent to ensure complete understanding of terms and conditions, essential tasks and responsibilities, recommended changes, additions or deletions and to be certain that all your applicable legal, business and institutional policies are made part of the agreement.

- Create your marketing and promotions campaign. We will arrange for promotions and marketing material.

- Select chairpersons for all applicable categories of event management areas and organize separate staffing for each category: production and stage, hospitality, box office & ticketing, advertising & promotions team and security.

- Work with your concert agent on the process of choosing all necessary vendors for your event – sound & light systems, staging, stage crew/professional labor, band equipment, security force, catering, ticketing service.

40-60 Days Prior

- Return via shipping service with tracking capability all copies of artist contracts and riders inclusive of your changes, additions and deletions to the agreement as?well as the signature on all copies of your authorized representative.

- Conduct a venue “walk through” with venue management, your principal staff members and administrators and your concert agent.

- Get approval of marketing plan (including all commercial advertising, Web and e-mail promotion, staff T-shirts).

- Arrange for ticket printing and distribution (on- and off-campus). ?We can recommend state of the art ticket vendors.

- Implement your marketing plan.

- Secure all necessary concert vendors.

- If you plan to use t-shirts, order them now. ?We can assist with providing backstage passes.

25-40 Days Prior

- Begin ticket distribution & sale. Note that if your selling tickets for your event that every Monday, Wednesday and Friday you need to provide your concert ? ? agent with a record of ticket sales through that given day.

- Each chairperson for the event should have their respective category fully-staffed or be in the process of completing staffing levels.

- By the middle of this phase (30 days prior), a second wave of marketing outreach should commence or an adjustment in marketing strategy and activities should be created should ticket sales be slow.

- Coordinate with Tour Manager and Production Manager of artists.

- Ensure receipt of contracts from vendors

10-25 Days Prior?

- Reconfirm details with Tour Manager and Production Manager of artists. ?You need to know what time artist will be arriving, sound check times, etc.

- Reconfirm all details with venue management and your vendors.

- Ensure receipt of fully-executed contracts with all artists.

- Return all vendors contracts inclusive of your changes, additions and deletions to the agreement as well as the signature on all copies by your authorized representative.

- Prepare initial day-of-show itinerary inclusive of all tasks responsibilities, staffing #s and a contact list with phone, fax, e-mail information for all principals involved with the show (your staff & administrators, venue management, artists and artist personnel, vendors, etc.).

- Solidify staffing for all event categories.

3-7 Days Prior

- Finalize itinerary and distribute copies to all individuals on the contact list.

- Solidify details with vendors.

- Hold organizational meeting. Give the entire staff a written plan of tasks and responsibilities and time of arrival.

- Make sure you have fully-executed copies of all artist, venue and vendor contracts and that check acquisition and distribution process is on schedule.

2-3 Days Prior?

- Make sure that venue is all set and that electrician will be on hand from time of load-in until show load-out.

- Reconfirm that stage will be set up in time for load-in.

- Have venue decorated and make sure that event posters are up so that when the artist arrives they see strong marketing and promotion throughout the venue and the area around the venue.

- Make sure that dressing rooms will be ready for artist arrival.

- Double check with your caterer or food service provider that they are all set with artist meal needs and any back-stage catering.

Author Bio: BookmyTalent.net offers guidance based on over 25 years of experience in booking talent including celebrities, bands, comedians, and politicians including the biggest names in the industry. Book talent, book bands, book celebrities, book comedians online with a professional

 

Since music is like a language people have the tendency to believe it must be acquired early in life or else never at all. Really, this party true; like anything, learning while you’re young has its benefits, but so long as there’s sufficient desire and time available absolutely anybody can learn guitar!

People’s brains develop the most when they’re young. Children can pick up languages with ease if they’re being spoken in their homes growing up. Also, despite how over-programmed many have become in this day of after-school clubs, sports, homework and the like, they tend to have ample practice time. Because they’re in school they’re used to learning. In a way, it’s like one more subject they’re acquiring. By the time they’re in their teens or adolescence they should hopefully be capable players with the ability to entertain friends and achieve a good amount of fulfillment. There are certainly benefits to starting young.

But starting later in life has many positives. For one thing, your fingers have developed to their full size and strength. Everyone experiences a time of adjustment where their fingers get used to staying in relatively contorted positions, and waiting for your fingers to numb to the feeling of constantly pressing down metal strings is easier to do when you’re of age. Beginner’s always feel it’s difficult to reach across six strings to do even basic chords, but at least after your fingers have finished growing you know it’s possible!

Also, presumably the decision to play comes from a strong place of desire, and the experiences from accomplishments in other places in life can be used to bolster perseverance. Playing music can be rewarding later in life, and is often therapeutic or even cathartic after a hard, stressful day of work.

All that’s needed is a genuine desire to play and a willingness to persevere to make it happen. It can be frustrating not being able to produce beautiful tones right away (or even half decent ones), but patience is something learned with time. Adults are well suited to this. With age comes the understanding that real beautiful things take time to develop. It’s understood that if guitar could be learned in a day we’d all be guitar players. Children have activities hurled at them, but this isn’t quite true as you get older, and so with age comes a certain seriousness.

While it’s true that musical prodigies are identified at a young age there are more and more people these days trying guitar later in life. Whether it’s something they’ve always wanted to do, something that’s suddenly become appealing, or something to check off the bucket list guitar talent knows no age limit. Besides, it’s not as if guitar only rewards those who reach a certain skill threshold: so long as it’s something that gives you pleasure there’s no reason not to play! The satisfaction playing music yields is unparalleled. Everybody should experience this in their lifetime, no matter how old they are.

Author Bio: Long & McQuade’s Musical Education Center offers guitar lessons North York and guitar lessons Vancouver. When trying to learn a musical instrument in North York or Markham be sure to visit the professionals at Long & McQuade – one of Canada’s largest music stores.

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Parents are thrilled at the prospect of their children showing musical inclinations, and even when they don’t they frequently enroll them in class. It’s well known that music stimulates the mind, and it’s personally rewarding and pleasing to the ear of all surrounding company (if the kid can play!). It’s no wonder music lessons are looked on so warmly. Selecting an instrument is another story, and there’s a big difference between the popularity of drums, guitar, and piano. Naturally, the popularity in these lessons corresponds with the popularity of the instruments themselves.

Choosing to be a drummer is something you really only do if there’s a fire inside. Most children dream of becoming famous lead singers, killer shredders of guitar, or playing tender ballads on piano. But rhythm is inside all of us, and some people feel it harder than others. It’s a common thing for musical people to bang on pots and pans when they’re younger, and these are the kind of people who don’t surprisingly turn to drums. However, it’s an expensive instrument that takes up space, and perhaps the biggest complaint is the noise! Even if you’re a terrific drums player, it’s a loud racket from the basement. And it takes years to get at this stage; hearing somebody learn to play drums can be agitating to say the least! Another drawback is they aren’t portable. It’s no wonder the drummer always hosts rehearsals!

Playing a piano, or keyboard, has been the traditional first instrument for children for ages, and for good reason. It’s visually the clearest way to see the notes, and so learning music theory is simplest. Unlike on other instruments, the notes are arranged exactly in their order of pitch without exception. It’s a beautiful instrument on which you can play melodies and harmonies. However, they are expensive and famously very heavy! There’s a reason cartoon characters have pianos fall on their heads and not mandolins. You can get a keyboard, but the increased portability corresponds with a decrease in sound quality. Plus, the keys sometimes feel too light and plastic-too much like a toy and not an instrument.

Ever since the 60′s guitar has probably been the most popular instrument amongst all ages. They sound great, they’re portable, and cheap. They’re not super hard to play decently. Like piano, melody and harmony can be played. Also, with electric guitars and amps and pedals there’s a huge range in sounds. There are a lot of songs that just sound like they’re supposed to be played on guitar: folk and types of easy going rock in particular. Unlike on piano, your hands are directly plucking the strings, and this connection to the instrument resonates with all kinds of genres. The image of the lead guitar player jumping around the stage and smashing his guitar has become one of the leading motivations for people to take up guitar.

There’s all kinds of beautiful instruments out there, and the best one is the one you most want to play. But for a lot of people, that instrument’s guitar.

Author Bio: Long & McQuade’s Musical Education Center offers professional guitar lessons for all different skill levels. Learn how to play guitars today at Long & McQuade!

 

It’s not surprising that one of the best guitar makers of all times have countless guitar players voluntarily endorse their brand. The word “Gibson” evokes the images of a legendary performance in nearly any type of setting. They are coveted guitars by all players of all skill sets, from the very bottom to the very top. Whether it’s the abundance of concerts or famous recordings, many of the notes that made music history were played on Gibson guitars by innumerable legends from various genres.

Blues legend Robert Johnson famously plucked a Gibson. Though his career output was limited to fewer than forty songs, he vastly influenced the many American and British players of the sixties and beyond, most notably Eric Clapton. He’s possibly one of the reasons slide and finger-picking blues is so associated on Gibson. The image of Johnson nattily dressed up in suit and fedora smoking a cigarette while holding his Gibson in his lap is etched in the minds of all guitar players. Other legends include none other than B. B. King, Jeff Beck, and Muddy Waters!

The folk singers and songwriters utilizing Gibson’s catalogue was no less impressive. The demi-god of folk Bob Dylan played a variety of models all throughout his career. Before him were the Guthrie’s, Arlo and Woody. Earl Scruggs and Bill Monroe played on Gibson Banjos and mandolins respectively, testifying to the companies’ wide-ranging prowess. Sheryl Crow uses Gibsons now, as did George Harrison and Paul McCartney of Beatles fame. Read the rest of this entry »

Booking talent is a tricky combination of finding a performer who will entertain your audience at the right cost and still leave everyone wanting more. There are some important things to avoid when booking talent towards this end and years of experience will help you avoid these issues. So let’s take a look at what NOT to do.

A good friend of mine had a scheduled phone interview for a job right smack in the middle of Spring Break towards the end of college. We were out on the Colorado River after a pretty late night. The woman on the phone kindly asked my friend what he wanted to do. Tom replied back with “Well, I know what I DON’T want to do”. Let’s just say he didn’t get that job but his answer is not too far off when planning an event around talent. There are certain things you DON’T want to do and we’re going to walk through the big ones here. Obviously, this is a short list but as professionals of 25 years in booking talent and bands, we’ll make sure to protect you from the rest.

The most common mistake is to be unrealistic in terms of what talent, bands, comedians, or celebrities you can afford. Be realistic…If your organization has a $20,000 budget then you can’t afford the Dave Matthews Band or Lady Gaga.  Make a list of 10-20 performers that you and your committee will be happy with.  Once we have that list, we can find out who’s schedule will work to be in your area and who can perform for the budget that you have allocated.  Don’t get your heart set on one band.  You need to have a fairly open mind so that you end up with someone you are happy with but who works within their touring schedule and your desires. We can work with anyone out there and we’ll negotiate with a proverbial baseball bat but that doesn’t change what certain talent expects in terms of payment. Read the rest of this entry »

Having conquered the R&B, jazz, rock – even opera industries – African Americans seem to hit a roadblock in regards to country music. Can we make a lasting impact? Do we have what it takes to do so?

In 1926, DeFord Bailey broke racial boundaries when he became the first African American to appear on stage at the Grand Ole Opry, the very representation of country music.

It would take some 40 years before another African American made such an impact. It was 1962 and Ray Charles, although primarily an R&B artist, released the groundbreaking album “Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music” featuring the number one hit “I Can’t Stop Lovin’ You.” The tune made Charles a household name in country-lovin’ homes all across America. To emphasize its massive appeal, it is among Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, as well as the 100 Greatest Songs in Country Music.

That same year the legendary Nat “King” Cole cut a tune called “Ramblin’ Rose,” which became the second country hit by an African American in the genre.

But it wasn’t until the mid-60s when a young Charley Pride caught the attention of record producer Chet Atkins that Black country singers were taken seriously. Marketing Pride simply as “Country” Charley Pride, Atkins had no photos distributed of the African American baritone. Rather, he would let the music speak for itself.

A country star was born. Before the predominantly-White country-music-lovin’ population knew what hit them, they’d bought his records, requested radio air play and made him one of the top artists for RCA Records ? second only to Elvis ? during Pride’s heyday in the early- to mid-70s. The strategy worked: to date, Pride has sold over 70 million records, is inducted in the Grand Ole Opry and today is arguably one of the best country singers of all time ? Black or White.

There have also been other “crossover” African American artists who have made an impact on country music, such as The Pointer Sisters (“Slow Hand”); and Lionel Ritchie (who collaborated with Kenny Rogers and is credited with such hits as Rogers’ “Lady” and “Through the Years,” among other country tunes).

And lesser known Black country singers have certainly put forth great effort. In the late 90′s, Trini Triggs made a few waves on the country music scene. At first glance it seemed as if the attractive cowboy was going to strike gold, but just a few short years later and his star has yet to reemerge. In fact, his Wikipedia page lists minimal information and his Web site simply states, “Coming soon.” But when?

Black Country Singers in the 21st century

What about Black country singers in the 21st century? Will the country music landscape continue to reflect a “Whites only” policy? It’s doubtful. While we’ve a long way to go regarding Black country singers ? there have been strides.

In the past several years, chart-topping African American artists from other music genres have segued into ‘country’ territory. One such surprising collaboration involves hip-hop artist Nelly who collaborated with top-country performer Tim McGraw on the catchy tune “Over and Over,” which received air play on both R&B and country stations throughout the U. S.

Cowboy Troy is also making a name for himself by blending country music with rock and hip-hop to form a unique sound all his own.

But the most popular of all Black country singers today is the multi-talented Darius Rucker, former lead singer of Hootie and the Blowfish. Rucker, who decided to ‘go country’ just a few short years ago, has made a seamless transition from rock music to country music in a few short steps. In 2008, Rucker became the first African American since Charley Pride to reach Top 20 on the country charts with his “Learn to Live” album. And his single, Don’t Think I Don’t Think About It,” reached number one in September of that year, making him the only African American since Pride to reach that status.

With his appearance at the Grand Ole Opry and his album going platinum in 2009, Rucker is well on his way to country stardom.

African Americans are resilient and multi-talented. It is no longer of question of ‘whether’ we will prevail in country music but rather ‘when.’ As those before us (Pride, Charles, Cole and others) have indicated, we have what it takes to get there. And with today’s star on the rise (Rucker), Black country singers shall remain.

Author Bio: J Blair Brown is a writer for ; Regal Black Mens Magazine The publication focuses on ; African American Community News Politics Sports Health The magazine features a ; Local Online Classifieds & Job Classified Black Business Directory Visit to read about ; Black country singers

The Essential Charley Pride

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What is the next big thing in music? This is a question that every musician and music lover has asked themselves. The answer is never simple, and always coupled with uncertainty. The most common answer is that “it’s impossible to predict”, which is probably true but also somewhat of a cop out. So for the sake of this article we are going to denounce this theory. We often hear that the next big thing in music will be a completely new genre that hasn’t been established yet; almost as if music will take some futuristic turn led by robots. Though rare, originality has indeed occurred in music, but it’s usually either accidental or influenced by something that’s already been in existence. After much thought and consideration, we have created our own theory. Music is cyclical! Much like weather, finance and even clothing, music is no stranger to reoccurring trends. So this idea leaves us with one question. What genre will be next to make a comeback? In this article we will take a look at popular music history, and let patterns guide our prediction on where we believe the scene is heading.

Let’s turn back the clock to the 1930′s, when use of the radio first became widespread. For those who are unaware, the time frame between 1930 and 1950 is often referred to as radio’s “Golden Age”. Since most of you probably view reading about the 30′s as a snoozefest, we’ll do our best to keep it brief. Just think about this; prior to the 30′s the radio wasn’t a household item, and therefore music wasn’t nationalized. Without getting too bogged down by needless information, we’ll keep this decade simple and present you with one more takeaway; that by 1935 “Swing” had taken over the music scene, and continued to dominate throughout WWII and further into the 40′s. By the late 40′s, “Big Band” had become renowned and impeded on “Swings” turf. With all this in mind, we have concluded that since radio was still in its infancy, popular music in the mid 30′s and 40′s lacked a universal identity. Read the rest of this entry »

Showing my age here, but I love Bob Segar and I love that old time rock and roll. Reminds me of motorbike rallies and motorbike club discos, good music and good memories.

 

Greatest Hits

1-Roll Me Away 2-Night Moves 3-Turn The Page 4-You'll Accomp'ny Me 5-Hollywood Nights 6-Still The Same 7-Old Time Rock & Roll 8-We've Got Tonight 9-Against The Wind 10-Mainstreet 11-The Fire Inside 12-Like A Rock 13-C'est La Vie 14-In Your Time (1994/CAPITOL) 14 tracksBob Seger has racked up a lot of worthy tracks over the years, but it took until 1994 for a greatest hits package to appear. Voilà. The bad news: We're missing an awful lot of songs here. Night Moves is Seger's crit-pick album, an

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Bob Seger – Turn the Page
Video Rating: 4 / 5

I am sure you have heard the phrase “practice makes perfect”. Do you agree with that? I don’t. This is because if you practice the wrong things, then you will only perfect the wrong things. So the phrase should be “perfect practice makes perfect”, isn’t it? So what has this got to do with your singing career and confidence building? Plenty. I will explain in a little while.

Similar to the phrase above is “knowledge is power”. What if the knowledge you have contains grave misinformation, then by applying the knowledge, then you may make grave mistakes. That can be terrible and potentially ruin your reputation as a singer or in any other careers.

There are many myths about singing methods and vocal training and such misinformation can damage your voice permanently, shatter your confidence or worse prematurely end your career. Even if the knowledge you gained is correct, it means nothing until it is properly applied. Then will you see results and feel the difference. This is when your confidence will grow. As you see better and better results, you thus will continue to grow more competent and confident. Read the rest of this entry »

What’s A Quick Breakdown Of Jobs In The Music Industry?

Article by Myron Chana

There’s a lot more to the music industry than standing up on stage and singing your heart out. A love of music is a key ingredient in all jobs in the music industry – however all of us show our love in several ways. Not all jobs within the music industry are about performing. For those who’re thinking about making music part of your working life, there are attention-grabbing jobs in the music industry that make use of the skills that you just have.

What sort of jobs can you find within the music industry? Everybody is aware of about musicians and performers, or course, however there’s a complete trade devoted to supporting, producing, educating, publicizing and supporting performers. In case you’re searching for jobs in the music trade, listed here are simply some of the careers you may consider.

Music Trainer

A music trainer may fit in a public or private faculty, have a job with a social agency that gives enrichment, or give personal lessons. Based on the Occupational Outlook Handbook, 3 in 10 music teachers are self-employed, and plenty of music teachers only teach part time. There were about 253,000 music teacher jobs in 2004, however that number is anticipated to develop faster than jobs in other industries as child boomers continue to embrace lifelong learning. The median salary for a music instructor is .eighty five per hour.

Music Ministry

A music minister is far more than the Church organist. Beneath the direction of a senior clergyman, a music minister could arrange the choir, take part in planning of musical occasions for a church, encourage attendance in church and help parishioners develop and present their own musical worship and praise. The American Guild of Organists offers salary pointers for Music Ministers that range from ,000 for a minister with a Service Enjoying Certificate to $ sixty seven,000 for a music minister with a Doctorate in Sacred Organ Music.

A&R Scouts, Coordinators and Directors

If you have an excellent ear for music and a very good grasp of what folks like to listen to, you could possibly find a profession within the A&R (Artists & Repertoire) area. Among the many most enjoyable jobs in the music industry, A&R scouts and different professionals actively search out talent for file labels and manufacturing companies. A&R scouts visit golf equipment and live shows, hearken to demo tapes and watch movies to search out new expertise, and are often liable for discovering songs for existing talent to perform.

Music Therapist

Do you believe within the therapeutic energy of music? Music therapists work both independently or in nursing homes, faculties and other establishments to make use of music as an assist to healing, deliver enjoyment to sufferers at various phases of restoration, relieve ache and provide emotional comfort to sufferers with varied physical and emotional illnesses. For a musician who desires to feel good about his or her work, it could possibly be among the most rewarding of jobs within the music industry.

Songwriter

From freelance to staff songwriting positions, there are numerous jobs within the music business for songwriters. It’s possible you’ll work alone to put in writing and produce your own songs, work as a workers author for a record or publishing company, write jingles and ads for the radio or tv commercials, perform your own work in front of an viewers or by no means sing a note. You may write just the phrases, please, focus on the composition of instrumental pieces or write both.

About the Author

For knowledge in regard to music production software, swing by Carola Keirele’s internet site without hesitation.

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Working in the Music Industry: How to Find an Exciting and Varied Career in the World of Music

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Explores various career areas - record companies, music publishing, and sound engineering. This book presents practical advice. It features case studies and top tips on finding and getting jobs.

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