Musictank Offer Music Industry Course: 'Get Plugged In: Live Music, Promotion And Venue Management'
Thursday, 17 January 2013
Written by Jon Stickler
MusicTank’s live course 'Get Plugged In: Live Music, Promotion and Venue Management' returns this year - bigger, better and even more productive. It will include 50% more content, delivering expert insider knowledge and advice on tour management, technology and merchandising in addition to promotion, ticketing and licensing legislation. There will also be some discussion of labels’ further integration and support of the live music industry.
After a second successful year, which has seen the roll-out of this popular course to Cardiff and Gateshead, MusicTank once more partners with live music authority Andy Inglis, co-creator and manager of north London venue The Luminaire, to helm the course in early 2013.
Said Inglis; “We're back for a third year with more tales from the coalface of the live industry. Over three days we'll cover every major aspect of the business, getting plenty of dirt and grime under our fingernails as we dig around for the truth behind the headlines and the bottom lines behind the deals. Together with guest speakers – each experts in their field – we’ll help arm some of the next generation of live industry employers and employees to better face the challenges that lie ahead, in this complex and constantly-shifting landscape, using honesty, embarrassment (my own) and swearing as our weapons of choice.”
Part of the course will investigate the events that led to the closure of The Luminaire, as well as what this award winning venue did to gain such an avid following and a special place in the hearts of Londoners.
Inglis will be joined by a raft of leading industry figures such as Dave Newton (founder of WeGotTickets), Carina Jirsch (Schoneberg Concerts, formerly of Mean Fiddler Group), Mark Muggeridge (proprietor of Evil Genius Media), Ross Allmark (Old Blue Last, Birthdays, Vice), Ruth Barlow (Beggars Group) and Sophia Hagberg (End Of The Road Festival)
Designed as a much needed best-practice roadmap of the processes involved in live music promotion and venue management, the three day course draws on Inglis’ two decades of experience, sharing lessons learned and highlighting the pitfalls plaguing promoters and venue operators UK-wide. It also equips artists and tour managers to get the most out of their relationship with the live sector’s gate-keepers.
October 2012’s Licensing Act reform potentially brings on-tap thousands of small sub-200 capacity venues, all eager and competing to make live music work for them - there's no better time for small venue operators , promoters, booking agents, tour managers and musicians to update their knowledge, refresh their skills and drive new business.
COURSE: 'Get Plugged In: Live Music, Promotion and Venue Management' DATE & TIME: 09.00 – 16.00 January 29th, February 5th, February 12th 2013 VENUE: The Boardroom, University of Westminster, Regent Street, London, W1B 2UW PRICES: MT Members: MT student members £199 | MT Individual members £239 | Full price £299 BOOK HERE:www.musictank.co.uk
2013 COURSE DETAILS
Course Tutor: Andy Inglis, co-founder The Luminaire
Targeting tour managers, promoters, booking agents, marketers, DIY artists and small-to-medium sized venue owners and operators, this three-day course will provide all with a thorough grounding in the business of live music. Today’s best practice will be considered in an open forum and strategies explored for improving attendances and revenues.
Bringing industry context and real world experience to bear on a range of key topics, Luminaire co-founder Andy Inglis will encourage all to look at the live sector’s continually evolving ecosystem, provide pointers for best practice, compare and contrast the UK and European markets, and help inform, encourage and inspire a new wave of live industry entrepreneur.
COURSE OUTLINE
DAY 1 - 29th JANUARY:
The Lie Of The Land: Sector Overview
From 150 capacity rooms like The Windmill in Brixton, to 20,000 all-seated arenas, we'll examine both the common issues and the unique issues they face (how to keep the regular bar punters happy while there's a Japanese noise core band playing in the corner, in the case of The Windmill). This introductory session - as well as defining what the live industry is and which bodies comprise it - will also consider the changing nature of the audience in a world where attention spans are shortening, where technology and an explosion in media makes never leaving the house an attractive proposition, how venues can adapt to cope and survive in the teeth of arguably the worst economic crisis in living memory, and how the introduction of the Live Music Act in England and Wales will benefit those who wish to begin hosting live music, and potentially hurt those who already do.
Venue Management (The Luminaire):
Though it closed 18 months ago, the basic rules of venue management are universal and haven't changed much over the decades. One of this award-winning venue's founders and co-owners opens up about how they did it, the mistakes they made, and illuminates the intricacies of juggling art and commerce
Artists and Touring:
Can someone please show us the money? The importance of playing live, particularly now, and the climate in which bands must now operate. The toilet circuit, and at which level things start to improve. How artists earn on the road from fees, merchandise and branding. What can artists expect from touring in the UK, Europe and America, and how do conditions compare as they drive their splitter vans between Clwb Ifor Bach in Cardiff and Botanique in Brussels?
Compliance:
Venue owners and promoters face a slew of legislation top-down; from the changes ushered in thanks to the Live Music Act (2003 & 2012, to a burgeoning raft of health and safety legislation, noise abatement issues, security and temporary event notices. How does this affect the day-to-day of the live sector, who exactly is responsible for what and how is this legislation best managed. We'll look at health and safety, fire and smoke machines, overselling shows, and greasing the wheels with neighbours and local authorities.
DAY 2 - 5th FEBRUARY
Selling The Gig: Marketing & Promotion
From promoting the barely-breaking-even backroom gig, right up to sold out arena shows, we’ll consider the full gamut of marketing methods available. From traditional press ads, flyers, posters and street teams to the constantly evolving digital methods and platforms: e-lists, Facebook, Twitter and whatever else has appeared in the past five minutes, we’ll establish what works, what doesn't and what’s best value for money. What tricks can be learned from the likes of Live Nation and Kilimanjaro and what do the cream of indie gig promoters keep up their sleeve?
Selling The Gig: Ticketing
From Ticketmaster and WeGotTickets to the new direct-to-fan companies snapping at their heels, we'll look at booking and administration fees, kickbacks, paperless tickets, entry systems, fraud and what new technology has in store for the future of ticketing. For those with sell out gigs on their hands we’ll also consider the new front opened by a contentious secondary ticketing market jostling for a slice of a particular huge and tasty pie, and examine the fallout from 2012's Dispatches (Channel 4) exposé - The Great Ticket Scandal - of the some-would-say nefarious practices of the secondary ticketing sector...
Power brokers: The Booking Agents
Little moves in the live industry without the blessing of the national booking agents. We look at the largest and smallest, examine their strengths and weakness, their skills and challenges, and advise on the best way to approach and work with them
Festivals:
The general consensus of opinion is that 2012 was a very, very tough year for both our household name and lesser-known festivals. Are they still relevant? Does the audience want something more than a general focus on headliners to sell tickets and is the move toward boutique events that better understand their market and cater for niche audiences the way forward? And what effect will high-profile closures and cancellations have on the financial health of this sector? When ticketing agencies stop paying out money in advance to bankroll the artists' fees, who is going to put their neck on the line to keep a festival running until the income finally arrives?
Funding and Support:
Can someone please show us the money? If London's streets are paved with gold, why can't we see it? And what of the rest of the UK? We'll show you how to find it and which tools you'll need to chisel it off. We'll also compare the UK with other territories and look at how different societies view and fund culture and the arts.
DAY 3 - 12th FEBRUARY
A Life on the Road: Tour Management
The glue that holds it all together, the parental figure, the counsellor, the confidante. The job of a Tour Manager is relentless, rewarding and not for everyone. We tell tales from the road and share experiences of touring the UK, mainland Europe and the US, with plenty practical advice on logistics, accounting, and how not to annoy the venue staff who you need to keep on side for the next eight hours.
Merchandising: how to keep your tour afloat:
A look at one of the most lucrative forms of income for bands, which can make the difference between a tour losing money or breaking even/going into profit. How to manufacture it, what it'll cost, what will sell, what won't.
New money
When record sales continue to shrink, artists need to look at other avenues for income. We'll show you how else artists can finance themselves in the live arena
Technology for artists
Examination of new technology in the market which can help artists and venues in the live arena.
WHO SHOULD ATTEND?
This course is intended to encourage and inspire a new wave of live industry entrepreneur AND those at the coalface looking to enhance and further grow their businesses. Core participants: small-to-medium sized venue owners and operators, tour managers, promoters, booking agents, artists and managers.
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