There’s a lot more to organising a gig than most people think; it can be an easy process, but most of the time troubles arise. Make sure you do it the right way and avoid the problems that so many others have to face.

Start Early: Make sure you leave yourself plenty of time to get the gig organised. Yes, you want to get bands playing and get your teeth in to it as soon as you can, but the longer you have to organise and promote your gig is ultimately better. Try to book a gig a few months in advance.

Don’t go for all the popular bands: So you can get 4 big bands to play together and bring in quite a big crowd with each, but realistically, how many times does that band play in the same place within a few month of each other; the bigger the band, the more times they’ve been there before. Try out a gig with one bigger headliner and three smaller up-coming bands. Each of the bands get the gigging experience, and being younger and newer they probably haven’t played many shows; that means more of their fans want to see them, and their show is something more special even than the headliners.

Don’t overload: Both on equipment and bands. Only put on as many bands as you think is necessary, don’t try to squeeze out 5 minute change-overs just so you can stick another band on, play it safe and keep it smooth. The same goes for equipment, using one drum kit all night is best, and getting the bands to help each other out when it comes to amplifiers is always a big bonus. Less equipment = less hassle, which ultimately = smoother gig.

Think big: Just because your putting on a small gig at the local music venue doesn’t mean it can’t sell out. With the right promotion and the right bands, any gig can get close to selling out on the night. Always think big when it comes to creating posters and promoting; look at professional posters and find the bits that draw attention. Stay away from cluttered posters with band websites and reviews scribbled all over them - when it comes down to it, the only thing people need to know is who and where the bands are playing.

Get on the bandwagon: So you don’t like MySpace, you don’t like Facebook, you don’t like PureVolume – get over it and get on promoting. MySpace is the biggest promotion tool you could ever dream of. Make a digital copy of the poster and send it to all your MySpace friends; tell the bands to send it to theirs and tell them to keep sending it on to their friends. Viral marketing is key to a successful gig.

Pre-Sell tickets: This can not be stressed enough! Pre-selling tickets means that those people who like to say they’re coming to a gig, but fail to show up have a ticket before they get there. It works as an insurance policy so people know they have a ticket, and will come to the gig because of it. If the worst comes to it, then you’ve still got the money from the advance tickets.

Sound check everyone early: Most engineers will tell you that it is better to sound check each band, and it is. Make sure that you get the bands to the venue quite a while before the gig so each gets time to sound check fully. Most bands will be happy to show up if they know they’re having a good sound check for the show.

From experience, gigs go much more successfully when you inject a bit of common sense in to the equation; don’t go in feet first, plan and get it right. Anyone can put on a successful gig when they know how.

About The Author
Pete Crewdson is a music journalist and gig promoter. He runs his own online music magazine in the Devon area (http://www.hysteriamag.com) and is famed for his online fan site for Linkin Park (http://www.forfeitthegame.com). Articlecity.com