Less is more
During covid I decided that I was no longer going to play local events mid week and instead host and run events myself. The reason for this is that I’d rather not play at all than to an audience that is not really there to listen to music. Don’t get me wrong, past years of playing the local circuit has been fantastic for building up playing skills and becoming at ease in such situations. My producer always said “one live gig is worth ten rehearsals” and he’s 100% correct!
These days I organise live music events on either a Friday or Saturday night and make sure we have a great venue and excellent sound. There’s nothing worse than attending an event where the sound is terrible. Even some well known venues can have horrible acoustics and/or sound systems. I’m done with fighting against the playing environment and so “less is more” in such matters – better quality events. The other consideration is that I am finding that people are more picky about what they attend, which is no surprise in these tougher economic times.
Work with great artists who are true professionals
I set up Green Eyed Records and Music for the Head and Heart to promote and share great music. There’s a lot of great music out that that in my view deserves to reach a wider audience and these platforms assist with making this happen. At times it can be a serious financial undertaking, but I’d rather work with professional artists who can bring a great live show to an audience. Pre covid I hosted two Music for Head and Heart events with local artists before deciding to crank things up by working with more substantial artists who have established audiences. The first event was last year with the brilliant Jon Gomm which sold out. I was also pleased to invite Towse to be a support act along with my own Heartache ensemble. This was a fantastic evening and everybody brought their “A game”
This May I am hosting Martin Simpson at The Old Woollen with my band The Small Change Diaries running support. I’ve been doing substantial promotion for the event and Martin was good enough to agree to shooting a video promo and interview which is helping to drive interest. Tickets available here
Quality control and pricing for best value
As soon as you start to run live music events for hundreds of people, quality control over who you host and pricing become crucial. I hosted artists in the past who are nice folks, but totally lack the skills to work to create a great evening for a more diverses audience beyond their own limited fanbase. Some artists are terrific to work with and I’m delighted to share all my promotional contacts, marketing skills and other benefits. In contrast some are a nightmare to work with and have the unique ability to “snatch failure form the jaws of success!” You can always spot such folks as they are endlessley complaining about their lot and how unapreciated they are by the wider public!
Pricing events is also a real art and its really important to pay attention to the figures. Its important to me that everyone is financially rewarded and the audience get best value for money. Added value like free parking can really help attract an audience and I have learned that pricing will simply filter who attends the event. To date all the events I have run have sold out, but that’s no reason to take one’s eye off the ball in such matters.
This year I am running a second music showcase with the brilliant Towse and Harry Orme, where we’ll showcase a great new project. More details soon and tickets available here
