The AAA – access all areas – pass is the revered token that denotes hip rock n roll success. You either have one, or you don’t. Having an AAA pass means you are in the band, in the crew, or are so close to the band they deem it necessary for you to have the … Read more
Are you playing your first green-field music festival or outdoor show this summer? Not quite sure how it all works on the other side of the ‘Artists Only’ sign? Don’t worry; help is at hand. In an extract from my book on playing your first music festival, I am going to give you my tips … Read more
“First three songs and no flash” is the catchall restriction applied to professional photographers given passes to take photos from the pit (the space in front of the stage between the stage and the crowd safety barrier, if there is one). This basically means that after three songs, the photographers must exit the pit and … Read more
Audiences can be ignorant about the fact that the show is finished. In my experience, you will always get a handful of people who will shout and plead for more songs. As a performer, you should try to resist the urge to play more songs just because someone asks for them. If you have worked … Read more
Artists I work with often complain that their management or record company gets their hands on the band’s guest list passes and tickets before the band members do. This is especially true of festival tickets and passes. Although I can see the band members’ point of view, I find this complaint to be short-sighted. I … Read more
Promotional activity (‘promo’) includes anything non-show related such as interviews, live acoustic sessions or meet and greets. These activities are often arranged (by the artist management or record company) to take place at the venue on a show day as it is easier for all the journalists and film crews to be in the same … Read more
Ive been travelling around various continents as FOH and tour manager this summer. I’ve been part of some great shows and also witnessed some situations that needn’t have happened if bands, road crew and promoters had put a bit more thought into what they were hoping to achieve. I have listed a few tips here, … Read more
Playing a show will usually involve some kind of sound check. This check will take place before the public arrive and involves setting up your equipment, having the sound engineers place appropriate microphones and DI boxes, cabling everything into the mixing console and playing a couple of songs in order that the front-of-house engineer can … Read more
If you are curious as to how much money you could be earning from your music, producing other people’s music or working as part of the road crew you should check out the new study from Berklee College of Music, Music Careers in Dollars and Cents. Originally released in 2010, this revised study by the … Read more
