With the amount of boutique music festivals and gigs continually popping-up around our great southern land, it seems just about every Tom, Dick and Harry are motioning toward throwing killer live music experiences, and who can blame them, Aussie punters love nothing more than a cracking day/s out watching their favourite musicians perform, but what does it really take to host one of these gigs?
Sure, the logical answer that our minds first race to is to book huge acts and pump a helluva lot of promotion in the lead-up to the event, but what about the equally important yet more concealed necessities like liability insurance, music and liquor licensing or even basics like ample access to water, sunscreen and toilets?
If you’re interested in joining the ranks of hosting a live music event, we’ve pieced together a handy checklist of things you need to tick-off before launching your next live music event.
Music Licensing APRA/PPCA
Think you can just throw an event with some bands and DJs and it’ll be all sweet? Guess again. Without the appropriate licence you could be sued for playing live and licensed music without a permit, and trust us – these guys will catch you. To avoid this, you’re going to need music licensing, potentially two types through APRA and PPCA.
Got no idea what these are? We’ll give you a brief explanation on what APRA and PPCA, as well as how to obtain these sorts of licenses.
[include_post id=”427563″]
APRA is the Australasian Performing Right Association, a group responsible for paying artists royalties each time a live song is played within a public space like a venue, restaurant, festival and so forth. It is essential to have this form of license as artists must be financed each time their music is played, whether it be live or a cover. Check out APRA’s website for further details.
PPCA is the Phonographic Performance Company of Australia, these guys are a little different and may not be a license that every event requires. They instead focus on when a recorded song is played in a public place. It can be a little tricky though, one would still need this licence if you’re throwing a festival or event and plan on having a DJ perform, or even in playing music in an intermission. Check out PPCA’s website for further details.
Liquor Licensing
If you plan on serving alcohol at an event anywhere in Australia, which includes selling or giving booze away for free, you’d better have a liquor license or your event will be shut down in a heartbeat.
Application for liquor licenses can be somewhat of a headache as each town and city in Australia typically have different local rules that apply in serving and selling alcohol. It’s in your best interest to either apply for an event liquor license, or to hire a catering company that has already obtained a license. The only provision with the latter is that you’ll have to serve alcohol through the catering company and will too need to serve food.
The relevant liquor authority in your area will have most information on their websites if you’re interested in reading the finer details.
Of course, there are a couple of alternatives to needing a liquor license, the first is to host your event in a venue that already has an event liquor license. Otherwise you could simply not serve alcohol at a your party, however that may only be appropriate for an under age shows and festivals – who doesn’t want to have a beer and watch live music?
Access To Money
Unquestionably one of the most over-looked and forgotten things when hosting an event.
You can never predict how punters are going to pay for alcohol, foods and merchandise, and you definitely need to be stocked-up with all multiples of change to ensure that correct change can be continually issued for the outset of the event.
As a person who has worked a register, as well as someone making the purchase, it can be incredibly frustrating is it working together to ensure the correct change can be organised for a transaction.
First Aid, Sunscreen & Water
Speaking of medical areas, your event needs a dedicated first aid tent, or if you’re inside a venue, at least on person available at all times who has a certified First Aid certificate.
[include_post id=”427473″]
This is Australia, and for the majority of the year it’s quite easy to get both sunburnt and dehydrated if spending hours outdoors, so do the right thing and provide your guests with an adequate supply of both sunscreen and water as well as an escape from the impending heat.
If you plan on chucking a festival, this is such a no-brainer, you need an area where punters can go and be treated for any minor issue under comfortable shelter that is removed from where all the party action is happening.
Signage, Programmes, Timetables & Maps
Let’s see a show of hands, how many times have you rocked up to a music event or festival and had to actively search for the playing times, amenity locations and positioning of stages because they’re not easily presented to you? Too many, we know.
Clear and easy-to-follow signage is an imperative to ensure your event runs smoothly, especially if you’re a newcomer, being able to find your nearest drinks, toilets and food is essential.
Have dedicated staff members handing out festival and event guides upon arrival, as well as piling them at bars and the like with accompanying jumbo signs if applicable for large area festivals is a wise move.
Security
Safety always comes first, whether it’s for performing artists and their crew, punters, staff, yourself as well as your physical surrounds.
There’s always going to more people at your event then there are you and your staff, by having bouncing staff that are trained to control any sort of situation that may arise as well as assure the safety of those around you is both a legal requirement and common sense.
Rubbish Bins
True, most existing venues are typically already equipped with an appropriate level of rubbish bins as well as bussie staff to ensure trash doesn’t pile-up, but what about at the likes of outdoor spaces?
This week we’ve seen what devastating affect a music festival can have on the grounds when punters don’t choose to use bins, so ensuring that you’ve got plenty of rubbish space and it’s clearly marked will favour majorly to the longevity of your event.
Toilets & Toilet Paper
Yep, we’re going there.
Any concert goer, especially those that frequent musics festivals know how painful it is when you’ve got to bail to the bathroom, only to find that it’s ages away, or even worse, there’s very limited access to toilets with awfully long cues, resulting in you missing live performances. It’s a problem we all have experience too many times, and one surefire to keep punters satisfied is to provide more than enough toilets. In addition to this, an endless supply of toilet paper is a must.
This may seem like a trivial thing to discuss, however it is an essential.
Liability Insurance
This is without a doubt one of the most important and yet surprisingly overlooked elements when organising a festival.
Are you prepared for an accident like a stage collapse? What about a drunken patron tripping over and trying to slam you with medical bills?
How is this kind of thing combatted? Liability insurance.
There are many differing types of insurance that can protect your event in case of any unpredictable mishap, and the perfect place to take a look at the long list of options is via a leading advisor such as Action Entertainment Insurance.
We admit, it can be pretty intimidating when trying to find the right Liability policy, but groups like Action Entertainment simplify things and ensure your event is protected exactly how it should be.
