Find Combo Platter on Facebook and Twitter!

This blog is my first child, digitally speaking, and will always be maintained with in-depth discussion items, but for more frequent quick stuff like breaking news and brief tidbits, please follow on Facebook and Twitter.

Posted Monday August 30, 2010

How to Make a Festival Great

1. For key staff positions, such as managers of production, vendors, security, and marketing/PR to name a few, hire people who are experienced in those roles. If that means putting things off in order to raise enough money, then do it. Do not rely on volunteers, interns, family or friends to handle critical elements if you want your fest to have a shot at repeating. This is item #1 for a reason.

2. Start planning early. If it’s a first-time event, start planning VERY early. Depending on the size of the event, this could mean anywhere from 4 to 18 months or longer.

3. Pay attention to details. Well-crafted signage, clear and ubiquitous directions, snappy graphics, plenty of trash cans, extra supplies, lots of entrances and exits (or one big one), just to name a few. And make it all look nice and inviting.

4. Anticipate: weather, traffic volume and flow (both vehicle and foot), tardy vendors or artists, lost or malfunctioning equipment, staffing or volunteer shortages, injuries, security & staffing needed, visits from fire marshals and health inspectors (make sure all permits are in order).

5. Take care of your people. Not just the audience, but that also means the artists, vendors, suppliers, sponsors, staff, volunteers, media, road crews, and anyone else that is necessary to run a great fest. Treat them with respect, feed them, pay them competitively and on time, do what it takes to make sure everyone wants to come back next year.

6. Plan to lose money for the first year or two at least. Even the biggest, most famous fests have lost money in the beginning only to become hugely popular and profitable, including Bonarroo and Coachella.

7. Don’t bite off more than you can chew. As with any business, which is what an event is, start with what you can handle and plan to grow from there. Trying to be everything you want from the get-go has led to more failures than successes in every business, especially festivals.

8. This is not a comprehensive list. Think for yourself. Consult with other organizers. Do your research. Plan for the long term. And be sure to check out the blog tags and the rest of this site for more info.

Have other input? Share!

Need an expert for your festival or event? Check out the About page then Contact Combo Platter.

Posted Monday August 30, 2010
in , ,

Comment

Why It's So Easy to Rip Artists Off

Posted Saturday August 14, 2010

Comment

Newest News!

Updated sponsorship opportunities are now on the Newest News page!

Posted Wednesday May 5, 2010
in

Comment

Thoughts on SXSW 2010 Music

It use to be that merely being invited to showcase at SXSW was enough to garner attention, networking, and with a bit of luck perhaps a leg up in an act’s career. Not any more. There are more acts than ever showcasing at the fest, not to mention what seems like hundreds of parties, official and not, and tons of unofficial shows (“official” meaning registered with the fest, and many parties & shows are not). So, as with SXSW marketing, bands ideally should really hustle themselves to get lots of opportunities to play during the fest. One show ain’t gonna cut it any more.

Oh, you thought this post was going to be about all the new discoveries in music at this year’s SXSW? Ok, well I definitely missed out on a lot of shows but one standout, at a Berklee College of Music daytime showcase, was Audible Mainframe. WOW.

Posted Saturday April 17, 2010
in ,

Comment

Great Advice From Smokey Robinson

Posted Friday April 9, 2010
in

Comment

Thoughts on SXSW 2010 Marketing

The biggest takeaway for me was temporary branded venues. Temporary in the sense that they were only for the duration of the festival but many were in actual brick-and-mortar buildings vs. tents. This is an idea that began at least a few years ago and seems to have really taken off. No surprise there, as it offers a great opportunity for brands to create and control an entire experience for consumers over the span of several days.

Many venues featured free day parties with comp food & beer (a sure way to attract a crowd) and of course live music. Zone Bar’s Live Create Lounge featured laptop stations, wall art that attendees could contribute to, an interactive word-magnet wall (a bigger version of what’s likely on your fridge), a cell-phone charging station and of course plenty of free Zone Bar’s. Added value fun and convenient stuff is a smart idea.

Other examples include Canada House, British Embassy, and Levi’s Fader Fort, the latter of which partnered with local music charity Health Alliance for Austin Musicians who helped spread the word and benefited from sales of Levi’s apparel. This kind of partnership between national brands and local music-related entities is something I am a big advocate of and would love to help other brands get involved in.

Canada did a nice job of cross-promotion between their venue, a hosted day party open to badge-holders and invited guests (in a different, outdoor location), and a booth at the trade show. Well done. And most importantly they offered great music from bands like Plants and Animals, You Say Party! We Say Die!, Born Ruffians, and Radio Radio. For Canada’s wrap up and a free download of their Canadian Blast SXSW 2010 Sampler, go here.

Posted Tuesday March 30, 2010
in , , ,

Comment

Why Artists Need to Know Their Business

An artist’s first job and top priority is to pursue his/her creativity, whatever that means to that artist. That might mean recording, writing, singing, performing, painting, acting, cooking, finding a cure for cancer, or any combination thereof.

But the road to creative fulfillment is paved with artists who got totally screwed by people on their “team”, people who they probably trusted a great deal to handle their business (label, legal, financial, marketing, touring, etc.) so that they could focus on being creative. Merely off the cuff without thinking too hard about it, artists that come to mind who fill that bill include Prince, Billy Joel, TLC, and the Beatles, not to mention the thousands of lesser known artists.

I’ve gotten into heated debates with artist friends over this topic. I am of the firm belief that an artist should understand the business side of their work – however distasteful that may be – for the sole purpose of protecting themselves from the wolves at the door, who may or may not be strangers. Not saying artists need to become experts in every area, nor do they need to always be looking over the shoulders of every person on their team for the duration of their career. Ideally a balance can be struck whereby an artist can focus on creativity, but still be aware and savvy enough to know when things are getting hinky and act before any real damage is done.

This delicate balance will be different for every artist, and this is one reason why industry conferences such as South by Southwest represent a great opportunity for music artists to get something of a crash-course in the business side. And if SXSW is too difficult to get to, check closer to home for similar conferences in your area. The success of SXSW has inspired a great deal of copy-cats, albeit smaller, in lots of other cities.

There are also plenty of websites and books that cover the business side of music. Entertainment attorney Don Passman’s All You Need To Know About The Music Business is widely regarded as the all-encompassing bible. Starpolish is also a great resource, and be sure to check out their excellent forum as well.

However you go about it, if you’re an artist, please protect yourself. TCB!

Agree? Disagree? What do you think?

Posted Monday March 29, 2010
in ,

Comment

Musicians Using Twitter in the Creative Process

Social media has long been a great avenue for musicians to connect with fans ever since MySpace blazed the trail some years ago. Although that particular platform has nosedived to has-been status in recent years, the paradigm shift it ushered in remains entrenched and probably will be for a very long time, though the players will always evolve.

Hopefully most artists enjoy the direct interaction with their fans that social media offers. Some may at times view it as yet another necessary but sometimes unwelcome distraction from the creative process. But in a fascinating development, Twitter recently acted as a catalyst for creative collaboration for Curt Smith of Tears For Fears and a means for Erykah Badu to – quickly – get clearance from Sir Paul to sample a Wings song on her upcoming release.

In a related but slightly different vein, 30 Seconds To Mars used a dedicated website to allow fans to be a part of the recording process and contribute artwork for their latest CD. Look for the details in this article.

Love it! What might this bode for the future? (Marketers could learn a thing or two here.)

How have you used social media in the creative process?

Posted Thursday February 25, 2010
in , ,

Comment

Gear Alley at SXSW

Dear SXSW Music Fest Producers,

What a cool idea you came up with in Gear Alley! A dedicated trade-show-within-the-trade-show with the sole focus on musicians’ gear.

Suggestion for next year: open it up to the general public for a cover charge.

And wouldn’t it be great if a company or two would then buy a block of tickets to give away to their customers and business partners, and host their own private gathering in Gear Alley for them. With free beer and barbecue, natch.

SXSW, you guys really need to start thinking about how you can let folks access certain parts of the fest without having to go all-in with one of those badges. (Kinda ‘spensive.) Ditto for smaller or more niche sponsors. A company that manufacturers drum cymbals, for example, might not consider the truckload of cash it takes for a real sponsorship presence at the entire fest – and I’ve been there, I know those numbers – but they would be a perfect match for Gear Alley.

Just sayin’.

See you in March!

Posted Wednesday February 24, 2010
in ,

Comment