Key Points:
- Communicate regularly with your band or agent without bombarding them with unnecessary requests
- Ensure all generated income goes back into your events fund
- Don't forget to get your events license early
Agents will be more than happy in most cases to forget about the 'little guy' libraries and pursue more affluent income generational projects and venues. It's up to libraries not to be faced down and outline the fantastic outcomes of these gigs. This takes perseverance and enthusiasm.
Previous photos, video clips and media coverage can influence decision making pre-tours, so do emphasise and highlight successful events in your CV. Send all this visual evidence of the performance space early on in the negotiations, and use persuasive language in emails to detail your passion for the project and your music knowledge. Your hard work and energy will be rewarded by some excellent bookings. Nothing good comes easy and that's a simple maxim to bear in mind when pursuing an act for your show.
Now and then you will hit an agent who is sympathetic, supportive and a genuine fan of libraries. When that happens you can begin to build a connection and a rapport and allow the project to grow.
Fees and income
Although most contracts between the artist and the promoter (that's you) stipulate the fees for the performance must be paid in full in cash on the night, there is room for negotiation on payment method. Be sure to outline your local authority's payment policy early on in negotiations.
Fees can range considerably:
- For a new band without too much fervour about their name £100-£250 for a 30-45 minutes performance is realistic
- For a signed or soon to be signed band with a considerable meteor of hype in their sails £500-£1000 will be closer to the mark
- For signed bands with a body of mainstream success in their back catalogue £1500 upwards will serve as reasonable offer
Square your offer against the number of tickets you can sell at the proposed price and make a business decision that reflects the potential popularity of the show.
Payment for your bands will be made by BACS cash transfer into the band's nominated bank account. Please allow enough time for the funds to be processed - action the payment immediately that the booking is in the diary. Request an official invoice that details: artist, venue, date, fee, BACS bank account details including relevant bank sort codes, and then the fee payment can be processed quickly to avoid embarrassing delays.
Arrange with finance and admin officers for a button on your library till to be assigned for GILIL tickets sales. That way all income is reinvested and all the hard work and input can be rewarded by new shows in the future.
In Lancashire County Library and Information Service, all ticket sales income is reinvested in the GILIL project. The overheads for staging gigs in a non-standard, non-alcohol venue are high, and every penny generated can help develop the project for future shows. Modest profits can be made - often on major headline shows, and especially comedy gigs (smaller PA, rider and entourage) but even a solid break even basis will sustain the project over a number of years.
Ask for approval and ensure sufficient library "petty cash" monies, or ticket generated funds are kept aside that can be used for a band's rider (food and drink requested by the band at the same time the contract is issued) and "buy out" (the hot food that is included in a band's contract and any random purchases needed on the day.
Funds generated from tickets for the show sold on the night can be saved until a convenient opportunity to process back under the GILIL function button on the till.
Funding and licensing
Funding can be either centrally drawn from the GILIL fund, or across the UK negotiated in your own library organisation, Youth and Community Services, local council or district. Be bold and bid for pots of money, including community grants, Arts Council funding and reader development funds. GILIL is a socially inclusive project that reflects the fact that all young people connect with music wherever the environment, and all young people need something to do and somewhere to go - use that basic ideology to draw down funds.
The context and integrity of GILIL means it responds in practice to many Every Child Matters principles; use those principles to your advantage when exploring funding streams and exploiting opportunities.
If your library is not annually licensed for the staging of live music performances, you will need to apply for a Temporary Events Notice, generally more than 10 working days in advance of your event (a month and a half is advised). This allows the local council to approve the event. Address areas of concern, and in some authorities invite local people to voice their concerns too.
The advice here is once you have your booking and have started to arrange BACS payment for the fee, ensure you do have a license for the show. Ask your local council for advice immediately, and get clued up as soon as possible.
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Photo credit: Frances Ross