This document provides information and guidance for music promoters on key costs involved in booking and promoting music events. It outlines several major expense categories including: [1] venue booking costs, which can vary from free space to negotiated deals; [2] paying performers, typically through guarantees or door splits; [3] advertising costs, which should be proportional to expected attendance; and [4] additional expenses like riders, equipment rental, accommodation, tickets, and sound engineers. It advises being clear on costs upfront and provides a mini budget exercise to estimate costs for a given event.

1. Music Promoter
Freelance Musician & Music Industry
Key Considerations
www.musicstudentinfo.com
Chris Baker

2. Booking the Venue
1. Booking a venue - your largest cost
2. Some venues may let you have the space for free, other
venues may make a deal for exclusively offering your
event(s)
3. A packed house equals a full bar - don't be afraid to
negotiate if you have a good track record
4. If appropriate reduce venue-booking costs by choosing an
"off" night - say, a Monday
5. N.B. off nights are off nights for a reason, this isn't always a
good deal

3. Paying the Band
• Two ways 1. a guarantee or 2. a door split deal
• A guarantee gives you the chance of making more
money
• N.B. a door split means you'll never end up paying out of
your own pocket
• Support band – usually a small flat fee
(though keep in mind, if you're operating under a door split deal with
the headliner, and you don't break even on the show, you can't pay
the opening band and not pay the headliners - you'll need to pay
both bands in this case)

4. Advertising Costs
• Can vary greatly
• Everything from printing up posters to taking out ads in the
press
• Keep your spending on advertising in line with your likelihood
of making money on the show
• It doesn't make much sense to spend hundreds on magazine
advertising for a show that might attract a crowd of 30 or less
• Costs can be greatly reduced by employing electronic
advertising e.g. texts, email, banner advertising etc.

5. Rider
• The musicians' favorite part of the show
• The music promoters' least favorite
• Costs can vary a lot
• From a few drinks to providing meals, snacks, drinks &
‘extras’ for a sizable group
• Be clear when you book the show what you will provide
• You might provide a "buy-out" - instead of actually buying
stuff you provide the cash that would have spent on the rider
so they can get their own stuff

6. Equipment Rental
• If the musicians need specific instrument or piece of
equipment you may need to rent it
• You charge the musicians back for this cost (meaning you
withhold the cost for their pay for the show)
• You need to be clear about this from the start

7. Accommodation Costs
• Depending on what level you are promoting
• You may have to provide accommodation for the musicians
• In many cases, promoters will pay upfront for
accommodation
• This also needs to be clarified when the concert is booked

8. Ticket Printing
• Printing up tickets is far from a necessity for small shows, but
music promoters may have to shell out to print tickets for
larger shows

9. Sound Engineer
• This doesn't happen very often, but if the venue doesn't have
an in-house sound engineer and if the band doesn't have his
or her own person, then you may have to pay a sound
engineer for working on the show

10. Mini budget exercise
• These are the main concert costs a music promoter has to
contend with - to come up with a budget for your gig,
calculate what each of these costs will set you back

11. The End