Preparations for the concert itself--selecting the hall, sound system, lighting, seating, refreshments, literature tables, etc.--are of course at least as important as publicity and selling tickets. These aspects of concert production will not be discussed in detail here. Keep in mind, though, that securing a hall, stage lighting, sound system, and sound technician for the concert should be your first order of business. (For an excellent comprehensive introduction to concert production, get a hold of Making a Show of It, by Ginny Berson (Redwood Records), available through women's music distributors and some feminist bookstores.)
Don't take on too much yourself. isolation guarantees burnout, and we want you happy and healthy. Delegate duties to others, while making sure they know what's expected of them.
Entertaining people, getting them singing along and feeling good about themselves and the possibilities for creating a better world--that's Fred's job, and he's good at it. Turning people out for the concert--that's your job. While Fred's reputation is growing, filling the concert will depend on your advance work.
l. Advance ticket sales are vital to a concert's success. Folks who say sure, they'll be there--some will, some won't. Some will decide they're too tired, or they'll go to a movie instead. if they've already put their money down, though, they're a lot more likely to come to the concert. (Even if they don't, you have the next best thing: their money.) Others may have no intention of attending, but will buy a ticket to show their support. Without advance ticket sales, that money is lost needlessly. in addition, advance ticket sales are insurance against foul weather taking away the crowd--and your revenues.
Selling advance tickets gives your volunteers and supporters a prop to assist them in the word-of-mouth hyping they'll need to do anyway. instead of asking their friends, "Are you coming to the Fred Small concert?" they'll say, "Are you coming to the Fred Small concert? Great! i can sell you a ticket right now!"
Famous last words: "People around here never buy tickets in advance--they just don't plan ahead. They're bound to turn up at the concert anyway!" This rationalization may seem comforting in the weeks before the concert, but it is almost always a formula for a poor turnout. If ticket sales lag, the answer is more energetic selling, not wishful thinking.
2. Price the tickets right. To encourage advance ticket sales, it's imperative to discount advance tickets a dollar or two below the door price. Appropriate prices vary from community to community, but don't sell the concert short by underpricing. Too low a price suggests that the music won't be professional and isn't worth much, anyway. Isn't a live concert by Fred Small worth more than a first-run movie you can see any day?
Of course, don't charge more than Fred's audience would be willing or able to pay. Generally, tickets at the door should be priced between eight and twelve dollars, with advance tickets discounted accordingly.
3. Printing the tickets. Tickets don't need to be as pretty as flyers (though it's great when they are), but they must have basic information on them such as time, date, place, price, and information phone number. They should be sequentially numbered so they may be kept track of; otherwise you'll probably lose some receipts. Printers will charge extra for numbering, so doing it by hand is okay.
4. Getting Them Sold. Although having tickets available for sale in stores is important, you should assume that most tickets will be sold by your staff, board of directors, volunteers, and friends. if possible, assign each of these people responsibility for selling a block of tickets (say, ten or twenty pairs) to acquaintances. (Better still, if they have the financial resources, ask them to pay for the block in advance, thus simplifying collection and greatly encouraging their sales efforts!) Cosponsoring organizations should assume responsibility for selling larger blocks. Other groups may also be willing to help out.
Send ticket sellers to cultural and community events likely to attract an audience similar to Fred's. Arrange for announcement there of the concert and the availability of tickets, preferably at a table in the lobby. Ticket sellers can also staff a table at the local college campus, playing cassettes of Fred's music to stimulate interest.
Stay in touch with the people selling tickets. Call them at least once a week to make sure they're selling them and to find out if they need more, and call them a few days before the concert to exhort them for the final push! A useful estimate is that you'll sell about half your tickets in advance. in other words, as the concert approaches you can get a fair estimate of your expected attendance by finding out how many tickets you've sold and multiplying by two. if the number you get is lower than you'd hoped, light a fire under your ticket sellers!
Tickets should also be sold at several convenient locations open during regular hours, such as public interest group offices, book stores, and record stores. Stores will typically charge you a handling fee per ticket sold.
Keep track of who has which numbered tickets at all times. As the concert date approaches, telephone your outlets and sellers to see if they need more tickets or have more than they need, then reallocate tickets accordingly. The day of the concert, telephone your outlets and sellers to check on sales. if you're near a sellout, tell them to stop selling. in any case, calculate how many tickets you can sell at the door. When you collect revenues and unsold tickets from your outlets and sellers, use the numbers on the tickets to make sure you have money for all tickets not returned or otherwise accounted for.
5. Give Them Away! That's right. But be selective. Certainly give complimentary tickets to the media to encourage coverage and reviews. Also, a wonderful promotional device is to arrange with a radio station for on-the-air giveaways of ticket pairs to "the first four callers," etc. This promotes airplay of Fred's album (likely to accompany the giveaway announcement) and bolsters the image of the concert as an important event. (Check with the station early--they sometimes need several weeks' notice for this kind of promotion.) Finally, give tickets to community leaders you would like to attend but who probably would not otherwise. (see REACHING OUT, below.)
If you prefer to make your own poster, find a graphics professional willing to donate his/her services. Use Fred's glossy photograph and/or an original graphic. Be sure to include on the flyer all the information listed above in the section on community calendars. Also include at least one testimonial quote from Fred's promotional literature (e.g., "One of America's best songwriters"--Pete Seeger). A flyer that simply advertises "Fred Small" will mean nothing to someone who has never heard of him!
Assign volunteers to post the flyers around town in places likely to attract the attention of your probable audience, such as book stores, music stores, public interest group offices, food co-ops, union halls, left hangouts, and all places frequented by the public where flyers are routinely displayed. Put some up at the concert location itself, too.
2. List the concert in all community calendars. Newspapers, weeklies, and radio stations will usually announce events for free. Calendars circulated by activist groups and churches may also be available. Some require many weeks' advance notice, so you should phone to ask about deadlines and format requirements. Include in the listing the time of the concert, date, day of the week, name of the hall, its address and location (e.g., landmark or cross street), sponsor(s), ticket price, location of ticket outlets, phone number for information, and information on child care, wheelchair-accessibility, and signing for the hearing-impaired. Include also a brief phrase describing Fred's music appropriately for the event and community, e.g., "topical folk songs," "songs for peace," "songs of conscience."
If you know someone with access to audio equipment, ask her/him to prepare a public service announcement (PSA) providing concert information for radio broadcast, using Fred's recorded music. Check with the radio station for the preferred length and format. Deliver the PSA to the station in plenty of time for repeated broadcast.
3. Spread the word. Talk up the concert! Use your organization's telephone tree to advertise it, and ask other groups to do the same. Arrange to have announcements made at other concerts, community events, and public interest group meetings in the days and weeks before the concert. (See REACHING OUT, below.)
We will provide you with a copy of Fred's mailing list for your area--names and addresses of those who have signed up for more information at Fred's concerts or who have purchased his recordings and books through the mail. Send flyers to these people and to any other good mailing list to which you have access. (Don't spend hundreds of dollars mailing to an organizational list, however, unless the likely return is high. For instance, a cold mailing to a peace network might make sense, whereas one to a mainstream church list might not. To help you decide, sit down with a calculator and figure out how many ticket sales the mailing must generate to justify the expense.)
4. Encourage features in the media on Fred's music. Fred's personal history (Ivy-league educated lawyer turned folk singer) as well as his songs can be used to generate feature coverage and interviews to promote the concert. Either photocopy his promotional material or request extra copies from us and deliver them to arts editors, lifestyle editors, talk show producers, etc., along with a news release announcing the concert (see sample provided with this guide) and a glossy photo (for print media). Be sure to follow up by phone. Fred may be available for press and live radio and TV interviews prior to the concert, or else a telephone interview can be arranged.
A review of Fred's latest album in the local press will also provide good publicity. Please request from Flying Fish the review copies you need.
Finally, to gain publicity for your group and to lay the groundwork for Fred's next concert in your area, encourage local media to send someone to review the concert, hopefully someone knowledgeable in and sympathetic to the genre.
5. Maximize radio airplay of Fred's music. Provide at least one copy of each of Fred's albums to every local radio station likely to air them. (Unfortunately, most radio stations other than those with regular folk music programming are not worth approaching. Most are compelled to adhere to playlists drawn up at corporate headquarters. Flying Fish Records, at (312) 528-5455, and Rounder Records, at (617) 354-0700, will send promotional copies of their albums to stations that don't already have them. (if time is short, give them your own copies and we'll replace them.) Besides notifying the program director and folk deejay, alert the station's public affairs (e.g., peace, environment, feminism) staff to the content of Fred's music.
Especially encourage airplay a week or two before the concert with accompanying plug for the event. Have your staff, volunteers, and friends telephone the station to request airplay of Fred's songs.
Flying Fish will provide extra copies of Fred's latest album for on-the-air promotional giveaways by radio stations. Flying Fish will also provide an LP for use as a premium by a public radio station in its fund raising appeal.
Organizations of any of these groups may be asked to cosponsor (sharing in work and revenues) or endorse (for publicity purposes) the concert, and should at a minimum be specifically invited in writing and then by telephone follow-up. Enlist their help in selling tickets or, if they are on the margin of interest and support, give them a few tickets to encourage attendance, laying the groundwork for future cooperation. Invite them to have literature tables in the concert lobby. Ask that announcements of the concert be made at their meetings prior to the concert (by your representative, if appropriate), flyers posted in their offices or meeting halls, and listings or articles published in their newsletters.
The concert hall should be wheelchair-accessible if at all possible. Any limitations on accessibility should be noted in publicity. Interpreting the concert in American Sign Language is preferred, but to attract the deaf community to the concert substantial outreach efforts will also be necessary. We will upon request provide the interpreter with lyrics and cassette tape in advance.
Take advantage of the fund raising potential of Fred's concert beyond ticket revenues. People will be hungry and thirsty--sell them food and beverages at "benefit" prices (comparable to those at a movie theater) ! Sell buttons, bumper stickers, and t-shirts to benefit your organization. Sell raffle tickets at the door for a drawing at intermission. Have a sign-up sheet available for your mailing list.
Sincerely,
PEACH PRODUCTIONS
2 Apple Valley Drive
Acton, MA 0l720
(508) 263-6072