Here’s a question from a musician I recently met with. Maybe you, too, want to learn how to book more concerts? If so read on. The musician asked . . .
“I have some great repertoire I’d love to be performing but I’m unsure how to balance what interests me with what I think will interest presenters—especially now.”
Musicians often make a number of false assumptions about what presenters actually want. And now, between the Black Lives Matter movement and COVID, the performing arts are in a period of huge transformation. So let’s clear up the common misconceptions and consider what presenters want NOW.
Welcome to the world of arts presenters
Presenters are the people in charge of programming a performance series (might be at a university, library, festival, community center, or club).
There are many different types of performance series. These can range from libraries with small budgets that bring in children’s programs a few times a year, to large multi-disciplinary university series that present a range of music as well as dance, theater, spoken word, and more.
Because there’s such a wide range of performance series, it would be a mistake to think that all presenters think alike. However, here are some of the overarching principles that apply:
6 Presenters’ Priorities
1. Presenters book artists and programs that help them fulfill their missions. For example, some series focus on contemporary work. Others place an emphasis on family programming and educational concerts. And still others have a focus on the intersection of arts and ideas.
2. Beyond their particular missions, though, in this time of Me, Too, and Black Lives Matter, presenters are also focused on booking socially relevant and culturally inclusive works performed by BIPOC and LGBTQIA artists. Even the most traditional of concert series need to respond to and reflect on this hugely transformational time.
3. Presenters book performances with the balance of their entire series in mind. This is why you need to take a close look at who and what they book to see how you might fit their mission and interest.
4. Presenters book performances to attract, engage, and enlighten their community. Ask yourself if you have an especially compelling and relevant program to pitch—something that might energize and inspire their audience.
5. No matter how much they love any performer, presenters still have to balance their budgets, so they need to pay close attention to what performances will “sell well” in order to be able to keep their series viable.
6. The presenter needs to know that the artist is not just an excellent performer, but that she/he can deliver concerts that make an impact on audiences—and help keep people coming back for more.
If you want to book more performances, put yourself in the shoes of the presenter
Get inside the head of the person you’re writing to—so you can create more compelling pitches that speak directly to their needs and interests.
And for more help with booking concerts, learn how to developing creative programs and how to write a perfect pitch.
Looking forward,
Dream Big, Plan Smart, Live Well
