You booked a gig yourself? Good on ya mate, the scene needs more people like you! You’ve got the venue and lineup sorted, now it’s time to communicate with the other bands to ensure it’s a successful and smoothly run show! Not only is a worksheet an essential communication tool, it can be a handy checklist for promoters to tick off all aspects that need covering.
So bring up a blank word doc or spreadsheet, pour yourself a peppermint tea, gather round to listen to Cabba and start building your template with these worksheet necessities…
**NOTE** I will be using the next Claim Throne event as the case study for this article. Some info has been excluded, I’m sure you’ll get the idea.
Put your band logo, or company logo, at the top.
“CLAIM THE THRONE PRESENTS…”
Add the event name and date, centre it and make it look bold and exciting.
PERTH METAL XMAS PARTY!
FRIDAY 20TH DECEMBER
– No, you’re not promoting the gig here, but you do want the other bands (and yourself) to be pumped for it!
Now list the lineup
Include contact details for each band, and their websites. This is so all the bands know who eachother are, they can share the other band’s details with their fans, and it encourages them to communicate amongst one another.
CLAIM THE THRONE – Triumph & Beyond / Aletales Re-Release
info@claimthethrone.com – www.claimthethrone.com – facebook.com/claimthethrone
SILENT KNIGHT – Masterplan Vinyl Launch
info@silentknightband.com – www.silentknightband.com – facebook.com/silentknightband
RED DESCENDING
reddescending@hotmail.com – www.reddescending.com – facebook.com/redescending
SUFFER IN ROT
sufferinrot666@live.com – www.sufferinrot.com – facebook.com/sufferinrot666
Next comes the venue details
Name, address, phone, email, capacity, any relevant contact names
VENUE: AMPLIFIER BAR
ADDRESS: MURRAY ST PERTH
PH:
EMAIL:
CAPACITY:
Ticket price
$12
– Factor in venue charges and band payments. You want it cheap enough for people to come in, but you must cover all costs and get the bands a reasonable figure. But that’s a story for another day.
Age Limit
18+, photo ID required
Doors open
8:00pm
Curfew
11:55pm
Band load-in
6:00pm – 7:30pm
Via double doors at rear
– Check this with the venue!
Soundcheck
Claim The Throne 6:30pm-7:00pm
Suffer In Rot 7:30-8:00pm
Line checks only after doors open
– Check this with the venue!
Set times
Suffer In Rot 8:15pm – 8:45pm
Red Descending 9:05pm – 9:40pm
Silent Knight 10:00pm – 10:45pm
Claim The Throne 11:05pm – 11:50pm
– Factor in reasonable set lengths for each bands. Openers should play the shortest and headliners the longest. If you send the worksheet early enough then you may find some bands don’t need the full time allocated and some might request more, so you can tinker with it. It is imperative to get this info to bands asap so they can rehearse a set to fit their slot!
– Also allow enough time for changeovers between bands! For a standard local show, 20mins should be good.
Backline
PA provided by the venue
CTT can provide drum kit, 2 guitar cabs and bass cab. Let us know if you require it before the show, otherwise all own backline is required
– Some venues have very limited storage space, we love sharing gear with other bands to make transporting and changeovers easier.
Parking
Load in at rear of venue, cars to move by 8pm. Paid parking available along Murray St
Dressing Room
Downstairs, 1 room, 2 toilets, 1 shower
Door person
Venue to provide
– Some venues don’t provide this, so be sure to check!
Merch
Area and tables available, bands to provided their own merch person
Discuss amongst eachother if you wish to cover the desk whilst playing
– Check that the venue do not charge a merch fee! Some places have sneaky hidden costs and try collecting 20% of your sales at the end of the night even if they did not supply a merch person. CHECK!
Production / Sound / Lights
Venue to provide sound engineer
– Many venues do not provide these, so be sure to check. If needed, hunt down a good sound guy and see if they will do a deal for doing multiple bands.
Rider
2 local beers per band member
– This always varies from place to place, but it generally aint much. You can always request a specific rider, or you can even ask the venue if you can provide some food and drinks for the band backstage.
Guest List
1 guest per band member
– As the promotor this is generally up to you. Don’t let bands bully you into having extra people on their list. That being said, the guests might bring paying friends. Often, more guests means less payers, but be clever about it.
Payment
As discussed with bands individually
Bands must invoice Claim The Throne for payment within 28 business days
– Keep this private. Discuss with bands separately and do not include all bands payment info on the same worksheet.
Promotion
All bands to add posters to their websites and social media. Artwork attached.
Facebook event link – https://www.facebook.com/events/518698711550077/. Please ensure all band members invite their friends.
Flyers/Posters to be delivered throughout the city and these gigs (list upcoming relevant shows). Let us know if you can help distribute these, or if you can help with any marketing activities.
– You can list anything that is relevant here… Radio, websites, interviews, reviews, adverts etc. Another reason why you need to send this worksheet early is to get the bands promoting!
Additional Info
Band members must be 18+ and carry photo ID at all times
And there you have it, hope you took some mad notes. Did I miss anything? Let me know below!
Cheers
Cabba