How to Become a
Nightclub Promoter
By Anthony J. Coe
ESN: 36856-080823-285698-70 (eBook serial number)
EBook Registered at Numly.com
Copyright © 2008 - 2009 by First Run Publishing
All rights reserved
Smashwords edition
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Forward
Have you have ever been to an exclusive Hollywood or New York night club where the only way you could get in is if your name was on the VIP list? And unless you were on the “right list” you had to wait in a long line. Then the all-powerful promoter walks out and scans the line. Everyone tries their best to look like they are one of the “In-crowd” as the promoter points and says, “You, you and you … in.”
One of two thoughts may have crossed your mind as you are left standing out in the cold. The first is who does he or she think they are? I’m by far better looking than that one.” Or you may have thought; “Wow! It must be awesome to be that promoter.” If you’re stuck on the first thought, you have more issues than this book can cover.
I’ve been a club promoter since 2002. I don’t promote at any one club. Why limit yourself? If you promote for one club, you are basically their employee. I’m going to show you how to work your own hours, have fun and for the most part determine your own income.
When I started out, there was no one who was willing to help me out by showing me the ropes. I wasn’t looking for any super-secret insider scoops; I just wanted to know the basics. I finally got a gig as a street promoter, passing out flyers, for a cabaret show. I did what most street promoters fail to do. I closed my mouth and opened my eyes. The biggest mistake most street promoters make is over selling themselves. They spend countless hours trying to show the promoter that they can run the entire shows themselves.
Promoters are very secretive creatures, and for good reasons. Our job is super easy. The street teams and sub-promoters do half the work. However, as a promoter you assume all of the risk. A failed event can cost a promoter anywhere from a few hundred dollars to a few thousand. However a successful event can bring in up to $3,000.00 at the door. I’ll show you how to minimize your losses later in this book.
Before we get started I must tell you, this is not a get rich quick book. I highly suggest you start out doing this in your spare time. It can take several years before you can fully support yourself as a promoter.
Chapter 1: How to use this book
This book started out as an article I wrote for Associated Content in 2006. What I found was that promoters were reading the article and using it as a basic manual. So instead of just sitting down and writing a basic “how to” book, I wrote this to be used as workbook that can be referenced. I’ve included some basic forms that you are free to use as-is or modify to fit your needs.
The book is written in sections, so as you actually go out and put this new found knowledge to use, you can easily find the section you need for reference.
What I say in this book is by no means the gospel on how things work. As you start promoting for yourself, you will modify, change, add or even disregard those things that work or don’t work for you.
If you ask a hundred promoters how they do what they do, you will get a hundred variations. This book is only a general overview on how things work. As questions arise, hopefully you will have enough information that you will have an idea of where to start to get the answers you will need.
Chapter 2: Getting Started
Before you run out and start booking your first event there are some things you need to consider. For example, what type of event do you want to put on? What is your budget going to be? Who else is interested in the type of event I want to put on? Do I need insurance? Do I need a license? How do I book a band? How do I advertise? How am I going to find the time to do this all by myself?
This is most likely your first venture. Do not try to swim with the big sharks. Stay away from the major nightclub spots. Promoters are very territorial and will do everything they can, ethical or not, to stop you from succeeding. This is not to say that you will never get to the level where you can hold your own, but you will need a fan base first. I will go into how to develop that in chapter 6.
The first thing you should focus on is what type of music you like listening to. For example, if you like jazz why would you put on a hip-hop event? Yes hip-hop makes money and can draw a crowd, but it is also one of the most high risk events you can host.
Another thing to consider is that you will be at your event all night long. Can you stand to listen to hip-hop all night long? I’m not knocking hip-hop. I have put on hip-hop events and I’m a fan of hip-hop but your first few events have to be something you are passionate about. At the very least it has to be something you can tolerate.
I would give this a lot of thought. You are going to have to convince others to come to your event. Chances are that your friends have similar taste in music that you do. So if you like country western, how are you going to convince your friends to go to an acid rock concert?
Take a good hard and honest look at your music collection. Also think about the age range of the people you like hanging around with. If you view college kids as a bunch of over privileged drunks, then I would stay away from events where they would be your target market. On the other hand if you are in college and love the party scene, how many of your friends would go to a 50’s blast from the past event when they could be out at a real party instead.
Okay now that you know what type of music you will be playing, the next question is do you need a live band or just a D.J. to spin some music? Let’s go back and look at your music collection. Is your music collection made up of mainly MP3 tracks, CDs, vinyl or heaven forbid 8-track cassettes?
If you are spinning vinyl you may be better served with just having a D.J. spin for you all night. Have a night where people can get out and enjoy a night out with friends, have a few drinks and dance a little. This is good if you are into Lindsey Swing dance. You don’t need a live band to throw an old fashion sock hop. A band may distract from the dancing. People tend to gather around and listen to the band rather than dance. So if you want people up and dancing, a good D.J. is the way to go.
If your collection is more current, then you may want to look into getting a local band with a small fallowing. What? Did you really think I was going to tell you to go out and get the hottest band around? Small local bands are easy to attract and they will help you sell tickets. I’ll explain later, in chapter 6, how to get them to do a lot of the promoting for you.
If you are holding on to those 8-tracks, I can’t help you. All I can say is let the dead rest in peace. Just kidding, there is a big demand for oldies night. My biggest successes have come from hosting cabarets. I don’t mean the strip joint type. I mean real old fashion speakeasies, juke joint, and muddy water review type stuff. My guests range in age from 25 to 90. The big spenders tend to be in the age range of 50 and older. I charged $25.00 cover per a person for a full show. Couples paid $50.00 to get in. On top of the cover charge they buy drinks, dinner and they were great tippers.
People love to relive the past. If your 8-track collection is large enough and you have a working 8-track deck, you can throw one big 1970’s retro party.
In short your first event has to be something you like and would go to. You are going to have to convince others to come to your event. You can’t do that if you wouldn’t go yourself.
It’s true that a good promoter can promote anything, but you are just starting out. If you take a good look around, you will notice that even top Hollywood promoters only promote certain genres. This is because you will soon build a fan base, and it is hard to get a Pop music fan base to go to a Nashville Review.
Another thing to keep in mind is what time of the evening or day you want to put on your event. Most likely since this is your first time out, you are not going to get a Friday or Saturday evening. Those are primetime slots and are usually reserved for in house events or the top promoters.
So you will have to keep in mind that your guest will have work or classes the next morning. So you don’t want the event to go too late. You also don’t want it to start too early. You need to give people time to go home and relax a bit.
You may be wondering if you need a license. That depends on if this is a one time event or if you plan to make a business out of it. Check with your local government. Each city has a business license section. Some don’t require a license for a home based business and some do.
If you are doing this as a business you will need to register a business name. You don’t want to build up a reputation as nightlife-entertainment business only to learn that someone else has that name registered with the county. So go down to your county recorder office (Some may allow you to do it online) and spend a few bucks and make sure no one else is using that name.
If you are setting this up as a business you will need a taxpayer identification number for your company. You can get that from the IRS. Some states require a tax payer identification number from them also. However, for the most part all you will need is the one from the IRS. You may also want to look into incorporating or setting up a limited liability corporation. If you are in the U.K. doing this as a business, you may need a VAT.
Chapter 3: Choosing your venue
Now that you have an idea about what type of event you want to host, it’s time to start thinking about where you are going to put this event on. Take a drive around your town. Go downtown and look around to see where the hot spots are. Also pay attention to the not-so-hot spots. Also look at the bars that are sort of out of the way and not too well known. Don’t discount any club as a possible venue.
Now it’s time to do what all good promoters do, spy on what the other guy is doing. You are going to have to pay a few bucks to get into the clubs. Cover charges usually range from $5.00 to $10.00 depending on the night you go. Take a friend, hang out and enjoy yourself.
Don’t take a note pad and start jotting down notes. Make mental observations. You should be able to spot the promoter and the main sub promoters right off the bat. They are usually the social butterflies making sure everyone is having a great time. Look to see how the guests are reacting to the entertainment. Are they just sitting there nursing the same drink? Or are they up and dancing, having a good time? Try to figure out what is working and what isn’t. Oh yeah, remember to get cards and contact information about the bar. You can also get the phone number from the phone book or the Internet. Always keep track of the venues you visited and how to contact those venues again.
If there is live entertainment at any of the venues you visit keep in mind, how do the guest react when the band starts to play? Are people up and dancing? Do they gather around the band to listen? Or do they ignore the band or worse yet do they get up and leave?
Go on different nights, to the same clubs. You want to see what is going on during the week as well as the weekend. Most bars make their money on the weekend.
If you are leaning towards a live band, look to see how big the stage area is. Is there enough room for the guest to dance?
If you are going to have a D.J., are there hook ups for the D.J. You may not know the answer to this until after you speak with the club owner or manager. You are not contacting bar management at this stage. Does the D.J. have a booth or an area away from dancers so their equipment doesn’t get damaged? You don’t want a speaker falling on someone’s head.
Finally, does the club venue fit the show you want to put on? For example if the club has a country western theme you are not going to host a hip-hop event.
When you get home jot down your thoughts. Write down the pros and cons and what you would do different. Compare how the club was on a good night verses a slow night.
Don’t be afraid of gay and lesbian bars. You don’t have to be gay or a lesbian to host an event a gay or lesbian club. However, you can’t look down on them either. If you are uncomfortable around gay and lesbians then don’t try to fake it. People can spot a fake a mile away. Approach gay and lesbian bars the same way you would any other venue. Their taste in music and entertainment are just as diversified as anywhere else.
Just be aware that if you choose to promote an event in a gay or lesbian venue, you will have to market to the gay and lesbian community. So unless you have ties to the gay or lesbian community I would stay away from promoting a gay or lesbian venue for your first event. Once you are better known, you can start to promote to them if you wish. The gay and lesbian communities aren’t just limited to certain bars. Most likely they will come to your event. So how you treat everyone is very important.