5 Tips On Booking Live Music For Your Special Event
“We’re having a party” the memo read. The boss has asked you to book the live music. Don’t panic! It’s not as daunting of a task as it seems. Here are a few tips to make the process a bit easier.
Tip #1: Assess The Guest List
Base your choice of live music on guest demographics. What percentage of your guests are children, millenials, baby boomers and/or senior citizens? A diversified guest list may require musicians who can play a wide variety of music. Knowing your audience will help you choose the right type of live music for your event.
Tip #2: Background Music vs. Dance Music
Do you want live music that just creates ambiance, or live music that rocks the house — or both? A wedding ceremony, silent auction or dining event may require live background music, whereas guests at a holiday party, wedding reception or grand opening will want to dance the night away.
Background music options include mostly soloists and duos. If you want a dance band, there are even more options: Do you want rock, Top 40, country, Motown, hip-hop — or all the above? Do you want a female and/or male lead singer?
Tip #3: Finding Musicians
Names of performers can be obtained through referrals, event planners, booking agents and other musicians. Once you have narrowed down your choices, contact each performer to check availability and pricing. Ask each artist if they have a website, printed materials and audio/video samples. Find out if you can see and hear a live performance. Ask each performer for testimonials and/or letters of recommendation from previous clients.
Tip #4: Understanding Booking Fees
Booking fees are based on several variables including number of musicians, number of hours they will perform, load-in/out time, travel and day/time of event. Events on holidays will cost more. Get three quotes for both background musicians and bands so you can make apples-to-apples comparisons.
Tip #5: Perfomance Agreements
Once you select your performer(s) and have agreed to terms, put it in writing in the form of a contract, AKA “performance agreement”. This includes all pertinent details. It is customary to place down a third to a 50% deposit. It is a very common practice for the perfomer to email the contract to the person booking the event. Upon receipt, that person will sign and mail the contract back to the performer with a deposit check.
| Reprinted with permission from my colleague, Rick Iacoboni
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