Top Tips For Looking After Music Artists At Your Venue

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No matter the event you’re setting up — be it a one-off gig or a regular show — looking after your music artists while they’re at your venue is essential. As well as showing the artists respect for their professional services, going the extra mile can help you build strong relationships and secure repeat bookings. It’s a win-win for everyone. 

If you’re wondering what the key pillars for looking after musical performers are, read on for our top tips. 

1. Offer great communication

Great artist management starts with excellent communication. Try to be as clear as possible from the outset to avoid any misunderstandings on either side.

Before the event, ensure that the gig instructions on the booking are comprehensive which states everything the artist needs to know clearly and concisely. From arrival times and general venue rules to specific information they might need to know for your event. When you hire a live music act with GigPig, our booking enquiry form provides space to add all the essential information to your initial communication with the GigPig team.  

Communication throughout the event is vital, too. Make sure the artists know their stage call times to ensure the performance goes smoothly and try to keep in touch after every set to update them of any event changes. 

2. Respect their requirements

Most professional musicians will provide a rider for larger venues or music festivals — a document specifying what they need during their time at your venue. 

There are lots of stories about outlandish rider requests, but what artists require are the essentials to a good and safe performance at your venue. It is considered good practice to offer artists: 

A secure area

Most artists will need a safe area to get ready in and somewhere secure to leave their belongings. Depending on your venue, this doesn’t need to be a dedicated dressing room — as long as it’s private and secure, any backstage room should work. Security is especially important if the musicians need to leave instruments or equipment while they’re onstage.

Refreshments

Bottled water for onstage is a common request to help the artists stay hydrated while they’re performing. They may also ask for snacks, particularly if they’ve been on tour for a while. This part of the rider might cover any dietary requirements — for example vegan, vegetarian, or kosher. 

Many venues offer performers a hot meal if they are performing for more than two hours as being onstage takes a lot of energy. If you choose to do this (and it’s not already in the rider), make sure you check for any dietary requirements ahead of time. 

Technical requirements

A rider will often cover technical requirements, too. They may ask you to prepare a particular stage setup, lighting, or sound. If GigPig artists need a particular electrical supply, they specify it within their details, making sure their requirements are clear from the get go.  

If you’re booking independent artists or local performers, their riders will likely be basic (although you never know, you may get some more niche item requests). 

3. Keep on top of health and safety

If you do offer any form of alcohol, make sure the artists know your policy on it. Do you allow musicians to drink while performing, for instance? If so, is this covered within your venue’s risk assessment?

Just as you have a responsibility to keep staff and customers safe, you need to take musical performers’ health and safety into account. Let them know key information, such as where the fire escapes are, and any potential hazards they might come into contact with. 

4. Pay them on time

One of the biggest factors that can affect whether a performer will want to work with your venue again is your payment process. Many bands and singers have been burned by late or missed payments, especially when they’re just starting out. Prompt payment showcases your professionalism and indicates respect towards the artists. In turn, they’re likely to respect you and may recommend your venue to other performers. 

Venues are required to clearly state their payment terms, managing the artists expectations from the beginning as to the timescales for payments, as these can differ from venue to venue. 

When you use the GigPig live music marketplace to find and book artists, we can help you manage performer invoices, too. We’ll automatically generate and send you HMRC-compliant invoices as soon as your gigs are signed off. Our smart invoicing system also allows you to pay a single invoice, and we’ll split and distribute the correct payments to your artists. 

Build great artist relationships with GigPig

Creating a good rapport with professional performers benefits your business as well as the artist, so it’s a wise idea to look after them while they’re at your venue. Our top tips above can help create a smoother gig process for everyone involved, and the GigPig platform is here to streamline how you find and book fantastic artists in the UK.

Get in touch to see our platform in action and explore our pricing tiers. Any questions? Take a look at our FAQ page or feel free to get in touch with our dedicated team for further support.