THE starting point of staging a live music event is deceptively simple. But simply having an idea is not enough for enthusiasts or opportunists. Festivals need funds, and financial input from the public and private sectors is a feature of festivals internationally.
In the event that a sponsor is sought, it is necessary to ensure that the artistic direction of the festival is compatible with the sponsor’s products or services. If public money is to be used, the direction will need to satisfy social policies. Choice of artists and repertoire must relate to the identified target audience, and if the event is to be filmed or broadcast, the ”remote” or ”viewing” audience must also be considered.
So often, South Africans have witnessed the demise of grandiose music promotions, whose implementation was based on the assumption that the event would be so ”big” that it would automatically warrant extensive media interest, advertising and media sponsors.
The organisers then get locked into a classic catch-22 situation: potential sponsors want to see the big names, but funds are not at hand to make the deposits required to secure the artist booking. As this process plays itself out, the clock ticks, and the practical aspects of organisation — technical production, logistics, venue bookings, media, and marketing — are neglected.
A full-blown, multi-artist festival ideally requires a minimum of a year’s preparation from the point when the financial commitments are in place — in writing. Production costs are greatly influenced by the selection of artists and venues, and these need to be finalised and meticulously costed beforehand.
Ticket prices have to be realistic for the market, and the show’s production should never be dependent on ”ticket rollover” for running costs.
Cash flow needs to be carefully planned, and it is essential that the promoter or organiser have funds at hand to keep all aspects of pre- production to schedule. Delays in payments to key suppliers (such as sound companies or venues) can easily sink a festival. Show- business professionals sniff out a shaky promoter and quickly opt for other work if deadlines are not honoured.
A festival organiser has to co-ordinate a myriad activities, typically including transport and logistics (from international air schedules and freighting to the runners moving between venues and hotels), accounts (foreign exchange applications, trade exchanges), merchandising (to be negotiated, manufactured, marketed), technical production (including site preparation, staging, sound, lighting), security, media and hospitality.
The festival staff should include personnel who are experienced in their respective fields and can speak with authority, thereby commanding the respect of the management or crew of a top-league visiting artist. Any experienced music promoter knows that the job ordinarily necessitates being available right round the clock.
A well-planned festival will have its production strategy worked out with military precision during the pre-production phase. Staffing must be finalised, and staff and artists should be issued with a handbook detailing contacts for each venue (this is to avoid the visiting guitarist from hassling the accountant for a herbal tea bag). Successful production is based on having the right technical and human resources in place.
Without contracts and funds in place to provide the financial anchor for a festival, there will never be time to collate the production information. A domino effect results, which is chaotic and costly. For example, until plane flights are booked, there will be no confirmed arrival times, and hotel bookings cannot be confirmed.
Ultimately, keeping to time is the cardinal rule of successful production. There will be no chance to develop a production strategy for a festival if the contractual and financial groundwork is not properly laid. And if production and the artists are not in place, there won’t be an event to market.
Steve Gordon is a member of Making Music Productions, a music production partnership based in Cape Town