Putting on a music Festival

Mr.H

Ok so I've been playing around with the idea of staging a music festival/event in one of the non-Dublin cities

I know that I would need an outdoor event license (for capacities of over 5000) and assume that I need Insurance as well as the various fee's for each music act.

Has anyone looked into this before? I've downloaded this PDF outlining everything but there are well over 1000 pages in this thing so its not exactly light reading (all law speak also). So just wondering if anybody could give me the jest of what is needed to set up an event.

Ideally I would be looking at 10,000 - 20,000 and the acts I was thinking are of 'The Editors' 'The National' etc. That kind of level acts.

I just want to know what kind of costs are associated (besides the bands), such as security, insurance, licences, staff and so on. The marketing would obviously be an added cost but that can (I assume) be as little or as much as required.

ghostdancer

to put it bluntly, if you don't already know most of this stuff, you'll almost certainly end up with a complete shambles of an event and make yourself poor/bankrupt.

there are enough non-Dublin festivals of 5k-10k run by promoters who have been on the go for years that don't sell out or turn much of a profit. you, with seemingly no experience whatsoever in promotions, financing this event (i'd guess at least €1m to stage), let alone running it, is almost a sure bet for failure.

put on a few gigs and events for a few hundred people if you can, and take it from there.
if you actually have the money to bring over The National (i'd guess their fee c. €100k), then put on a gig with them (either existing venue or temp stage eg. The Marquee), and go from there.

GoldenTickets

Mr.H wrote: »

So just wondering if anybody could give me the jest of what is needed to set up an event.

I think you've just given us all exactly that.

Mr.H

Yea I agree that is risky but just because its risky doesnt mean its not worth looking at.

After all the Marquee had to start somewhere. It was once a pre-venue.

While I am not thinking that I can swoop in and do what Oxegen couldnt do (for example). I do think there is an opening in the market in lets say Limerick.

A city with a catchment area of almost 200k. Motorways from Dublin, Galway and in good distance from Cork along with train services from Waterford, Cork, Dublin, Galway. Then you have an International Airport and a Ship port for logistics. On top of that you have already established music know-hows with the likes of Dolans who can draw names. Potential venues such as Thomond Park (25k) Gaelic Grounds (50k) and alternative "festival grounds" such as the Uni, Coonagh, and the many unused industrial facilities that could hold an event such as this.

The national where priced at approx. €30k*

If they where in at that cost it would mean an audience of 10k people paying €3. Now I am not saying that would be the ticket cost. What I am saying is that looking at a potential line up of lets say

Muse (€140k+)*
The National (€30k-€40k)*
the Fratellies (€10k-€20k)*
O Emperor (unknown cost but surely not more than €20k considering the above)

Possibly by putting these as headliners with approx 6 local acts and family entertainment

we could be looking at a cost of €200k+

At a ticket cost of €70 and aiming for 15-20k in ticket sales that would be well within the realms of realism

IF only 10k paid €70 that would be an earning of €700,000 (I'm sure more than 10k people will pay €70 for that line up)

What I am trying to figure out, is it possible to stage an event such as this for less than €700k



Now I know the risk and I realise that lack of experience doesn't help. But Obviously I would be looking at getting an experienced partner on board for something this vast (mainly because there is so much involved).

I am just seeing if anyone has done this before (even on a smaller scale) and could they inform me of what costs would be associated. Because if it would cost over 650-700k than the risk reward would obviously be leaning in the "screw this idea"




* (these figures are based on a music promoter who was putting out band costs last year. This price has obviously a big plus or minus with it and is only used for the purpose of example)

GoldenTickets

Mr.H wrote: »

Because if it would cost over 650-700k than the risk reward would obviously be leaning in the "screw this idea"

Listen to this voice, listen with every ear you have!

Mr.H

GoldenTickets wrote: »

Listen to this voice, listen with every ear you have!

But if we all listened to that voice would we ever get to see some great festivals and gigs??

At the end of the day if we don't think "why not me" then who will?

Help!!!!

A long with ticket sales you would also charge food vendors, alcohol venders, Tshirt sellers etc a certain amount each

GoldenTickets

Mr.H wrote: »

But if we all listened to that voice would we ever get to see some great festivals and gigs??

At the end of the day if we don't think "why not me" then who will?

Well, I suppose aiming high is good... But I'd feel guilty encouraging you all the same given how much money you're sure to lose...

One piece of advice, consider approaching Aerosmith first, I've heard they're pretty charitable when it comes to gigs like this.

MagicMarker

Maybe start with organising a child's birthday party, then move up to Bar Mitzvahs. Eventually you could organise a gig in Whelans.

Your head is in cloud cuckoo talking about Muse and The National.

Birneybau

The fact that you think The Fratellis would be a draw is not really in your favour.

Furious-Red

Mr.H wrote: »

Yea I agree that is risky but just because its risky doesnt mean its not worth looking at.

After all the Marquee had to start somewhere. It was once a pre-venue.

While I am not thinking that I can swoop in and do what Oxegen couldnt do (for example). I do think there is an opening in the market in lets say Limerick.

A city with a catchment area of almost 200k. Motorways from Dublin, Galway and in good distance from Cork along with train services from Waterford, Cork, Dublin, Galway. Then you have an International Airport and a Ship port for logistics. On top of that you have already established music know-hows with the likes of Dolans who can draw names. Potential venues such as Thomond Park (25k) Gaelic Grounds (50k) and alternative "festival grounds" such as the Uni, Coonagh, and the many unused industrial facilities that could hold an event such as this.

The national where priced at approx. €30k*

If they where in at that cost it would mean an audience of 10k people paying €3. Now I am not saying that would be the ticket cost. What I am saying is that looking at a potential line up of lets say

Muse (€140k+)*
The National (€30k-€40k)*
the Fratellies (€10k-€20k)*
O Emperor (unknown cost but surely not more than €20k considering the above)

Possibly by putting these as headliners with approx 6 local acts and family entertainment

we could be looking at a cost of €200k+

At a ticket cost of €70 and aiming for 15-20k in ticket sales that would be well within the realms of realism

IF only 10k paid €70 that would be an earning of €700,000 (I'm sure more than 10k people will pay €70 for that line up)

What I am trying to figure out, is it possible to stage an event such as this for less than €700k



Now I know the risk and I realise that lack of experience doesn't help. But Obviously I would be looking at getting an experienced partner on board for something this vast (mainly because there is so much involved).

I am just seeing if anyone has done this before (even on a smaller scale) and could they inform me of what costs would be associated. Because if it would cost over 650-700k than the risk reward would obviously be leaning in the "screw this idea"




* (these figures are based on a music promoter who was putting out band costs last year. This price has obviously a big plus or minus with it and is only used for the purpose of example)

I doubt Muse only cost €140 to book. They are one of the biggest touring acts around so .

Dont Limerick use the Big Top tent during the summer too

delbertgrady

As ghostdancer said, you have to start small. There have been numerous examples of things going wrong at festivals over the last number of years where artists and/or ticket buyers have been left infuriated and the promoter maligned. You can't run before you can walk. Using the Marquee as an example of something that "had to start somewhere" isn't really a relevant comment, since it is run by Aiken Promotions, who has been active for decades and had already established good working relationships with many of the artists they brought over, not to mention the capital to invest in it. The venue is also walking distance from a city centre and has always had a diverse, high-profile list of acts.
Also, no major act will sign up to a new, unknown promoter, certainly not for a large scale gig.

Ferris_Bueller

I don't want to burst your bubble but if it was that easy to do then everyone would do it. I'm presuming you don't have any experience in areas such as this, unless you have a hell of a lot of cash I wouldn't advise risking it. If you're doing this just to try and make a load of money I can't see it working, but if you have a genuine interest in events and organising some kind of festival/gig you'd probably be much better off starting off smaller and then seeing how it goes from there.

I found this article about Knockanstockan quite interesting, it gives you a bit of an idea of the amount of effort and organisation that goes into organising something like this, and that's only a small festival!

Mr.H

Well this is still in the idea and feasibility stage right now.

Yea with the vendors and merch. etc. it would possibly cover the initial license cost €2500.

Aerosmith? Will check that out. Didnt consider a band actually wanting to help out. Was thinking more a long the lines of getting someone like Dolans, Thomond park etc to help event wise.

But as I said I'm just looking at figures before I start rocking the boat and talking to companies about this.

I would be looking to finance this initially through grants (to fund applications for licence's and part insurance)
Then sponsorship to help pay for the acts (Dolans, Munster Rugby, Live95 all before the local business's)
Then the takings from the gates as well as cash from vendors, merch and any other potential income could go to paying outstanding fee's, costs and a portion to a local charity (Limerick Animal Welfare being my ideal charity. Could even get them to have an early day family event to promote themselves)


There is potential there. The problem is initial costs and what those costs actually are for

delbertgrady

Ferris Bueller's post about Knockanstockan is an excellent starting point, not least because it's a small festival that relies heavily on a small, established network of people, and - crucially - is populated by acts who, in most cases, and with no disrespect intended, are basically unknown. Yet it still requires a hell of a lot of time and effort. Talking about booking Muse is a serious case of overreaching.

Birneybau

delbertgrady wrote: »

Ferris Bueller's post about Knockanstockan is an excellent starting point, not least because it's a small festival that relies heavily on a small, established network of people, and - crucially - is populated by acts who, in most cases, and with no disrespect intended, are basically unknown. Yet it still requires a hell of a lot of time and effort. Talking about booking Muse is a serious case of overreaching.

Talking about any Glastonbury headlining act really...Sure go for Daft Punk while you're at it.

Help!!!!

Check this out
https://www.facebook.com/pages/WEX-ROX/263382687204655

It wont make you millions but it could be a start. Wex-Rox all the bands play free of charge as its all about getting regular gigs.
Will get you experience though

Drakesha

5 cents from the bottom link in the chain. (musician, yes) Last year this month I had 10-12 festivals booked, now I have one :-)
Not a good time to start anything, unless you have a sponsor who can cover the loss, unless you have a pro team who'd deal with PR, legal, good accountant, someone who can get travel, accommodation, food special deals etc, 20+ volunteers, good knowledge or your target audience, good friends in local media and bulletproof nervous system. There's a 101 things which can and will go wrong, including the band being picked up in the wrong airport, lead singer being arrested, wrong size posters printed, sound man getting hormonal, half of the audience turning up 1 week before the gig because of the misspelling, bass player wanting to kill sound man, and so on....(insert your own experience here)
And I am not talking about the festival :-). Try to run something in Whelans, and you're ready for cardiac arrest.
And you're not eating for the next month.


I am running a small (100 seater) event, and the amount of hustle is unbelievable.
You do this for the love of it.
But if you never done it before - DON'T !!!

Not being negative, just realistic.

Furious-Red

Yea as everyone is saying start small.

Even book some gigs in the different venues around Limerick and build up a reputation before going straight into a big 10,000-20,000 capacity gig with im guessing no experience. Its not just like book the venue , book the band , put ticket onsale and go. There is so much other stuff to organise.

Also some acts will be cautious about going with a promoter who has no experience and also they will want a chunk of their fee as a deposit.

I know everyone wants to run their own big gigs (id love too) but start small even bring over bands who could sell out smaller venues. Like the guy who is booking Mastodon and Black Stone Cherry in Cork. Build up a portfolio

BullBlackNova

I'd say about 80%+ of people who work in the music industry in Ireland do so for the love of the job, not the financial rewards. I hope that some day I'll be reading the Ticket as Limerickfest goes global and you're saying "The Boards.ie community laughed at me - look at me now!" but these are phenomenally difficult enterprises to get off the ground.

As was mentioned above, there are a few bookers who make names for themselves by putting on regular gigs in Cork, etc. (Edel Curtin @ Coughland's Live is the latest and she's doing a killer job) but this is far from a case of picking bands and throwing money at it.

Plus, "it's about 1000 words of legal speak"... Yep. That's the problem. Read the damn thing or you'll bankrupt yourself. Hell, you might bankrupt yourself anyway...

And, finally, you've got to be kidding when you say you think you could Muse to play to 10k people in Limerick, right? Look at Indiependence - has been going 10 years and they still struggle with big acts, picking them up in the second year of their touring cycle.

You're looking at Limerick as a logistical nightmare for bands - most take in Ireland as part of a UK/Europe tour. They want to get the ferry to Dublin, play, up the road to Belfast, ferry to Scotland, and out. It's easy to transport equipment, etc. Factoring Cork in is difficult for most bands, Limerick would be an added issue - I imagine it would ramp up expenses big time.

And the Fratellis are not a band that will shift any tickets. Actually, are the Fratellis still a band?

ghostdancer

Mr.H wrote: »

Muse (€140k+)*
The National (€30k-€40k)*
the Fratellies (€10k-€20k)*
O Emperor (unknown cost but surely not more than €20k considering the above)


* (these figures are based on a music promoter who was putting out band costs last year. This price has obviously a big plus or minus with it and is only used for the purpose of example)

a very big plus or minus really, as they're way off.

The Killers were 500k for EP a few years ago, Muse aren't coming in at less than that, probably closer to 750k.
The National aren't far off headlining festivals themselves, no chance they're coming in at 40k, very minimum they're double that.
Fratellis is probably accurate enough.
O Emperor i wouldn't imagine would even be 5k.

your imaginary takings of 10k people at €70 wouldn't even cover the bands, let alone security, insurance, infrastructure, general overheads etc.


and while i'm at it, how are you planning to pay for this? most of the costs of putting it on will have to be paid before the festival even takes place. unless you happen to have 500k just sitting around ready to be used, you'll have no way to finance this. no bank will entertain such a risky idea.
established promoters (and realistically, there's only 3 in the country that have gotten big enough to do it) can afford to because they have money in the bank from building up and having a wide portfolio of gigs over many years.
e: i see you're talking about grants, sponsorship, and ticket takings. grants and sponsorship won't even cover the insurance, let alone anything else. any half-known band will want most, if not all of their fee up front. you can't factor in ticket sales for anything other than paying off suppliers after the fact that might let you buy on credit, although any supplier worth their salt would demand the money upfront from a new business, and i don't see it being any different with a brand new concert promoter.

Drakesha

Mr. H, if you're still reading this....
I find the replies here being intelligent and informative, I hope you don't feel you're being put down like a rabbit.
Numbers and details aside.....somebody above said 'If you didn't do it before - don't'. Agree 100%

BadTurtle

Oh deary deary me.

TrustedApple

They tried to do a one day music Festival in my home town and it failed badly like extremely bad. They desired to hold it in the local park witch would be quite big for a music festival could easily fit 10k if not more standing in it. They basically dug up the hole park and even cut down the tress in the place for it.

I went down there the day it was on to see was anyone around for it there was not at all. There was more people standing around who where helpers at the music festival at the gate into the car park.

I found €20 way to much for the line up they had for this it was basically Paddy Cassy and Bressie doing a DJ set who was the headliner to make things worse.

I think they ended up with 500 - 700 at it at best witch is say didn't even cover the costs of it like say 600 people paid that is only €12,000 to cover the costs of the stage, lighting, speakers, Generators, Security, Drinks Licence and so on.

So thinking the large bands will even give you a look at you need to stop dreaming as must need some kind of proof of who you are and what have you done before. I was speaking to someone who books gigs for there pub and sometimes they lose a lot of money. Then another guy i know used to book metal gigs and the likes but he had to stop as he had no money to book anything as you need a huge outlay and a crap ton of money to even book anything.

In waterford they also have daytripper witch would be in there 3rd year this year and i think in the 1st year they lost there balls on it then last year i think they broke even. A few years before that 50 Cent played in waterford and i think they barely sold 2K tickets for it and you could watch the gig across the road from the car park for free as it was so badly set up from the photos i have seen and what i have been told. They even had to say acts had travel problems as they couldn't pay them as they where losing to much money coming up to the weeks before the gig

Lemag

I would love to see a big covers band festival. One could create their dream lineup (dead or alive) and then seek out the best cover act for each respective band/artist. Imagine a line up with Jimi Hendrix, the Doors, The Beatles, Led Zeppelin..

Thundercats Ho

Lemag wrote: »

I would love to see a big covers band festival. One could create their dream lineup (dead or alive) and then seek out the best cover act for each respective band/artist. Imagine a line up with Jimi Hendrix, the Doors, The Beatles, Led Zeppelin..

There used to be one called Shamrock, but the website isn't live anymore.
It obviously wasn't a runner.
I never went to it, but it does sound like a good idea.

Toast

Lemag wrote: »

I would love to see a big covers band festival.

http://www.glastonbudget.org/

nxbyveromdwjpg

Lemag wrote: »

I would love to see a big covers band festival. One could create their dream lineup (dead or alive) and then seek out the best cover act for each respective band/artist. Imagine a line up with Jimi Hendrix, the Doors, The Beatles, Led Zeppelin..

Already happened, in Punchestown no less.

http://www.rockathon.ie/About.html

Pretty sure it bombed, or at least I never heard anything much about it at all which is what I'm basing that on

bodhrandude

There was a dance festival that was organised by folk in Limerick back in 2010, 2011 called Bump Musick Festival, it was camping in 10,11 anyway but they discontinued the camping festival which was held in Clare about fifteen minutes from Limerick. They didn't make great money in 2011 so the festival reverted to a few club nights the following year in Limerick city instead. No doubt MR H you will know some of these guys, track them down and get a bit of info from them.

nxbyveromdwjpg

I don't know why people are saying it's impossible to be fair, it could be done and can be obviously as they are, the only bit wrong is the sums.

The stuff about grants, not a hope, you would need massive capital for this.

You could start by booking a small to mid level band to a small venue on a split arrangement and take it from there.

MagicMarker

nm wrote: »

I don't know why people are saying it's impossible to be fair, it could be done and can be obviously as they are, the only bit wrong is the sums.

The stuff about grants, not a hope, you would need massive capital for this.

You could start by booking a small to mid level band to a small venue on a split arrangement and take it from there.

Of course it can be done, if you have the money, resources, reputation, contacts and experience.

The OP has none of this. It can't be done by him.

nxbyveromdwjpg

MagicMarker wrote: »

Of course it can be done, if you have the money, resources, reputation, contacts and experience.

The OP has none of this. It can't be done by him.

Everyone starts somewhere, telling to just forget it full stop is depressing and unnecessary.

He just needs to re-calibrate his expectations of scale.

MagicMarker

nm wrote: »

Everyone starts somewhere, telling to just forget it full stop is depressing and unnecessary.

He just needs to re-calibrate his expectations of scale.

Have you read the thread, pretty much everyone is telling him to start off small.

nxbyveromdwjpg

Mr.H wrote: »

Aerosmith? Will check that out. Didnt consider a band actually wanting to help out.

They rocked Waynestock

Motley Crue

ghostdancer wrote: »

to put it bluntly, if you don't already know most of this stuff, you'll almost certainly end up with a complete shambles of an event and make yourself poor/bankrupt.

This thread should have ended after this post. Any self respecting businessman would do enough homework into an idea BEFORE stating his intention online. If you're hoping someone here will join with you in a financial decision and help with the burden that's an even riskier move.

Just walk away now. You will spend thousands and thousands and will probably
(just) break even, in a financial sense, if you're lucky....I can tell you now there is NOTHING more costly than concert promotion. Festival promotion is an ENTIRELY bigger universe and things like Download, Leeds and Rock Am Ring don't just happen, they're solidly built on strong historic financial decision and capital, plus repetition of such

Magico Gonzalez

You would need public liability insurance , employers liability (even for volunteers), no show insurance, property insurance and some sort of insurance to cover you in the event of a cancellation from causes beyond your control.

The insurance alone would blow your budget, I imagine there are prerequisites (membership of professional bodies or professional certification) that would stop you from even getting a quote.

montec

Here's some interesting reading:

http://consequenceofsound.net/2014/06/still-want-to-book-your-favorite-band-heres-how-much-itll-actually-cost/

Plus add in the cost of the rider, have a read of Metallica's one for instance:

http://www.thesmokinggun.com/file/metallica?page=0

But any band of that stature (including Muse) will have similar.
I think there has been a lot of good and honest advice given on this thread and as has been previously stated, start small. Organise a small gig in a local pub for two bands playing original material. Trust me, it will be headache and you would possibly lose money on it, but it is a way to start. Treat the bands and the punters honestly and fairly and you can try and build your reputation from there.

nocoverart

Mr.H wrote: »

Ok so I've been playing around with the idea of staging a music festival/event in one of the non-Dublin cities

I know that I would need an outdoor event license (for capacities of over 5000) and assume that I need Insurance as well as the various fee's for each music act.

Has anyone looked into this before? I've downloaded this PDF outlining everything but there are well over 1000 pages in this thing so its not exactly light reading (all law speak also). So just wondering if anybody could give me the jest of what is needed to set up an event.

Ideally I would be looking at 10,000 - 20,000 and the acts I was thinking are of 'The Editors' 'The National' etc. That kind of level acts.

I just want to know what kind of costs are associated (besides the bands), such as security, insurance, licences, staff and so on. The marketing would obviously be an added cost but that can (I assume) be as little or as much as required.

My advice, don't make the line-up generic like 99% of Festivals.

K.Flyer

Just to throw my 2 cents into the hat as such.


The advise of start small and see how you get on is the best advise that you can get. This is something a few of us played around with many years ago, and to be honest it was great fun, but hard work and not a huge money spinner.
Even for a One Night, Three (great) Bands, the amount of organising was surprising, from choosing and arranging the bands, the venue, transportation, PA system, staging, promotion, ticketing, getting things set up, scheduling, helpers for the night etc. etc. All money and time, and for the first few gigs, a huge learning curve.
Money Money Money!!!
Cash money up front for almost everything, with the bands paid on the night. All in the days when insurance and security were not a consideration either.
To be honest, it was great fun and I suppose if we had of kept it up who knows where it could have gone. But you need to take a cold look at current music weekends and the amount of organisation that goes into setting and running one, definitely not something that you can do all on your own, big events require big teams and big money.
And if you are going to give it a go, try not to let your heart rule your head. Just because You like the band or their music, it doesn't guarantee a successful night.

Mr.H

OK well some mixed responses but anything that isn't seen as "positive" is just realistic and that's good.

Well I know and see that looking at big scale is probably just too risky (financially speaking). So I was thinking of lower scale right now. Maybe one day I'll have a "bigger" festival with a couple of big bands but for now I think I could start with a 'battle of the bands' type competition. Maybe charging bands a modest entry fee to cover costs and the prize fund along with getting a bar on board.

I guess my real OP question was, what exactly is needed to run a festival? I think I wasn't exactly thinking "lets book Muse for a gig" but more "What is needed to run the actual festival (regardless of scale)".

Whosthis

Mr.H wrote: »

OK well some mixed responses but anything that isn't seen as "positive" is just realistic and that's good.

Well I know and see that looking at big scale is probably just too risky (financially speaking). So I was thinking of lower scale right now. Maybe one day I'll have a "bigger" festival with a couple of big bands but for now I think I could start with a 'battle of the bands' type competition. Maybe charging bands a modest entry fee to cover costs and the prize fund along with getting a bar on board.

I guess my real OP question was, what exactly is needed to run a festival? I think I wasn't exactly thinking "lets book Muse for a gig" but more "What is needed to run the actual festival (regardless of scale)".

Never charge a band to play, if you want to be a promoter you charge punters not bands. The quickest way to develop a bad rep is by running any kind of pay to play gig.

MagicMarker

Mr.H wrote: »

OK well some mixed responses but anything that isn't seen as "positive" is just realistic and that's good.

Well I know and see that looking at big scale is probably just too risky (financially speaking). So I was thinking of lower scale right now. Maybe one day I'll have a "bigger" festival with a couple of big bands but for now I think I could start with a 'battle of the bands' type competition. Maybe charging bands a modest entry fee to cover costs and the prize fund along with getting a bar on board.

I guess my real OP question was, what exactly is needed to run a festival? I think I wasn't exactly thinking "lets book Muse for a gig" but more "What is needed to run the actual festival (regardless of scale)".

Pay to play?

Just give up now.

K.Flyer

Mr.H wrote: »

....
I guess my real OP question was, what exactly is needed to run a festival?.

A team that has experience and knows what they are doing.
I have to ask the question, but have you ever been to an actual festival, for example Electric Picnic or Oxygen. Or even a one day outdoor event like Slane, Marley Park, The Marquee, Phoenix Park? ??

If you have you would have seen what is involved, the list is huge and to detail Everything here wouldn't be practical.

Birneybau

MagicMarker wrote: »

Pay to play?

Just give up now.

Yeah, have a read of this. There was some backlash!

http://www.irishtimes.com/blogs/ontherecord/2015/02/04/paying-to-play-at-the-killarney-festival-of-music-food/

Mr.H

So charging a competition fee is not a good idea? From chatting with a couple of people in the business it seems to be common enough?

Maybe not a great motivator but surely raising 1000 quid for example as a prize would be good motivation to unknown local up and coming bands

K.Flyer wrote: »

A team that has experience and knows what they are doing.
I have to ask the question, but have you ever been to an actual festival, for example Electric Picnic or Oxygen. Or even a one day outdoor event like Slane, Marley Park, The Marquee, Phoenix Park? ??

If you have you would have seen what is involved, the list is huge and to detail Everything here wouldn't be practical.

Been a festival-er all my adult life. But going to Oxegen or EP isn't going to give anyone the in depth knowledge of Public Indemnity Insurance etc.

Mr.H

Paying to play would not be a good idea

Paying to enter a competition though??

Whosthis

It amounts to the same thing. If you run a battle of the bands with say ten bands playing and no entry fee for the band, you charge the punters a nominal fee, a fiver. With a BOTB you have a ready made audience with little or no promotion as every up and coming, unknown band will have at least a few of their friends coming to see them play. With ten bands you could probably expect a minimum of 100 paying customers with no promotion. Its not a massive amount of money but with a little effort you could easily double, treble, whatever your audience. In your OP you spoke about sponsorship etc for a big festival. Take the same idea and scale it down, try get sponsorship from a local recording studio, a day/half day session for the winner. A local radio station that wants to be seen to be supporting local artists, they could offer anything from a few free plugs for the night to airplay/ on air performance/ interview to the winner. Use your imagination. Run it in a venue that has an adequate house PA to help cut costs.

Whosthis

Mr.H wrote: »

Been a festival-er all my adult life. But going to Oxegen or EP isn't going to give anyone the in depth knowledge of Public Indemnity Insurance etc.

I think they meant more the scale of the production. The amount of infrastructure that has to be put in place to create something like that, stages, marquees, fencing, temporary roads, signs, toilets, etc. Not to mention the amount of man hours and number of bodies it takes to put that in place.. That's not even the half of it

montec

Mr.H wrote: »

Paying to play would not be a good idea

Paying to enter a competition though??

Making a band pay to provide a nights entertainment is just not on, not matter what, because at the end of the day everyone except that band will reap the rewards. And before you say it, no, "the exposure you get" doesn't cover it. The amount of times I've seen guys trying this is unreal and I'm glad to say they all fail, because people realise very quickly that they're being had.
Also, imo, Battle of the Bands competitions have been done to death and everyone bar the winners (and its usually fixed) end up being pissed off.
A better idea would be to run a series of showcase nights with two or three bands on per night. That way everyone will feel they got something from the night, even if you only covered the bands diesel.

K.Flyer

Whosthis wrote: »

I think they meant more the scale of the production. The amount of infrastructure that has to be put in place to create something like that, stages, marquees, fencing, temporary roads, signs, toilets, etc. Not to mention the amount of man hours and number of bodies it takes to put that in place.. That's not even the half of it

Thanks, it's what I was trying to convey. The logistics are huge, and insurance is only a small part of a very very big machine.
As well as the above you need Garda co-operation, local county council co-operation, public transport co-operation, licence (see Garth), co-operation of ticket master, suitable venue, power supply systems, cctv systems, transport for acts to and from airport / accommodation / venue, sound systems, sound engineers, lighting rigs, medical staff and facilties and serious amounts of advertising and marketing, the list just goes on.

All covered here OP...