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Outsourcing Music Festival Artist Management.

Andy Robertson

One of the biggest headaches in organising any music festival is the management of performance artists along with stage management and show production. It takes time and with so many logistical factors hinging on good artist management is it worth considering outsourcing this to a reputable third party?


Big music festivals often employ artist liaison managers, stage managers and producers to manage every aspect of artist management but if these key members of staff leave or are unavailable through sickness the festival can be vulnerable to considerable disruption. Whilst many festivals successfully manage these key elements as they grow in size with more stages, shows and artists to manage it can quickly get out of hand. There are many third-party companies that specialise in live event artist management for an additional cost however, the benefits can outweigh any financial burden. 

Artist Advancing. 
Completion of the Artist Advance is one of the key tasks that organisers cite as key to running a successful event. There is so much that depends on the advance being completed including date and time scheduling, tech specs, riders, accommodation and transportation among many others that it need to be confirmed as early as possible in the process. Outsourcing this to a third party can free up valuable time for organising staff to focus on other factors like marketing, ticketing and managing contractors, vendors and volunteers for example. The outsourced company can ensure that advances are completed on time and chase any outstanding or missing information.

Artist Hospitality Logistics. 
Another time-consuming process is the booking and management of accommodation, transport and any associated hospitality. This is another task that can easily be outsourced to a third party with expertise in hospitality logistics. Hospitality is often is subject to constant changes making it a labour-intensive operation. 

Stage and Show Management.
 
Many festival organisers prefer to stage manage and produce their own shows because they can control the overall flow and creative output of the artist’s performances however, it is something that can be outsourced. There are only a limited number of really good independent producers and stage managers available and is a service that is only sometimes outsourced. 

Most music festival organisers do prefer to keep artist management in-house but they can be safe in the knowledge that if circumstances change and they struggle with this particular aspect there are a number of well-run experienced and professional artist management companies that can be commissioned to help out. The advantage of using these outsourced services is that they can be customised to exactly what a festival organiser needs from a comprehensive full artist management service to just specific aspects. They can fulfil the needs of the organisers for just one festival or they can be used on a longer-term basis. These outsourced services provide festival organisers with great flexibility being able to use what they need as and when. 

For any event organiser planning their festival using a software management platform like
Festival Pro gives them all the functionality they need manage every aspect of their festival logistics including every aspect of artist management. The guys who are responsible for this software have been in the front line of event management for many years and the features are built from that experience and are performance artists themselves. The Festival Pro platform is easy to use and has comprehensive features with specific modules for managing artists, contractors, venues/stages, vendors, volunteers, sponsors guestlists and ticketing.

Photo by Canva Studio from Pexels

Andy Robertson
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