7 Things Promotors Do To Make Bands Frustrated

After receiving some response about my previous post, "7 Things Bands Do To Make Promotors Frustrated", I felt the need to write a follow-up article. There are many other posts out there quite similar to my article which seem to always go after the bands, so I thought I would turn it around. Promotors are far from perfect and to be completely honest, there are some promotors who frustrate me more than any band could. Here is my list of 7 things promotors do that make bands frustrated.

1. Pay-To-Play - This is one of the biggest pet-peeves that bands not only talk about but many other promotors talk about as well. Some larger promotion companies, who I will not name but many probably know exactly who it is, will seek out any band who is willing to play on a Sunday on a 10 band bill and then make them sell overpriced advanced tickets for no pay or very little pay. It isn't just the large promotion companies who do this but also local and regional promotion agencies. There is a pretty big movement in the USA and the UK criticizing the practice and even a website dedicated to informing bands about who does the practice and why it sucks.

2. Horrible Communication - When it comes to contacting promotors it can be a crap-shoot, even if you have worked with them before. When it comes to booking shows all bands can expect a large amount of their inquiries to receive no response. But horrible communication becomes a terrible problem when you get a promotor to take on a show. Once you get that email of "we've accepted your offer" then it is time to play the waiting game of show details. It is absolutely and horribly frustrating to have waited 3 weeks, contacted the person multiple times, and have received no word about anything. If something is wrong with the show and it falls through this is ample time lost I could have been setting up another show. Some promotors don't even take the initiative to tell the bands the info for the show, so if you don't follow-up you won't know load-in, set times, or anything.

3. Knows Nothing - When a band arrives at a gig they usually look for venue staff or the promotor to find out the where to load-in and the times for the show. The venue staff may tell the band where to load-in but will usually just direct the band to the promotor. It's one thing for the promotor to not know the drink policy for the venue or the closest place to get food but to not know where to load-in, band order, set times, ticket prices, or anything that is their job to decide is just ridiculous. I've played some shows where the promotor just kept saying "I don't know, you decide", which is not just stupid but pretty damn lazy. Which leads into the next part…

4. Does Nothing - When a promotor sets up a show I always see the promotor as the lead-person for the night. They are the director of the show and need to be active with the show. Shows always seem to be rough when the promotor just sits back and does nothing. The promotor should be all over the venue all night; checking on the bands, checking on the door, checking on the sound guy, making sure everything is on schedule, making sure the switch-overs run smoothly, and just gauging everything for possible problems that could arise. If you go to a show and see the promotor sitting all night, expect a shitty show.

5. Horrible Promotion - When it comes to working with a promotor there is one main job everybody thinks about…Promoting. It is the promotor's main job to get the word out about the show and create a buzz. This doesn't mean bands shouldn't promote, everybody involved in the show should promote because it helps all involved in the end. Yet it is the promotor's job to go a step above. You can tell when a promotor's only work was putting up a facebook event and posting on twitter.

6. Mis-matched Bands - I think this is the biggest under-rated qualm I hear from bands these days. It is okay to put bands of different genres on the same bill together but the promotor must make sure there is a theme that can tie it all together. I can't even begin to tell you how many bands have told me they had so much fun at a show I booked just because "the line-up actually made sense".  It definitely happens that shows will have an outliar in the line-up, a band who just didn't quite fit, but to have a 4 band bill with only 2 bands somewhat similar in style is just mind boggling.

7. Being Sketchy - There are many ways a promotor can act sketchy but the biggest tell-tale sign is they always seem to beat around the bush when answering certain questions or give unrealistic answers. Sometimes promotors will deduct things such as food, drink, or supplies from the band's pay without telling the band until the end of the show. Sometimes promotors will promise you a guarantee and then tell you at the end of the night they can't pay you or even leave before the end of the show. Some promotors will lie about the ticket count, expenses, door split, or whatever to squeeze some more money their way. Obviously this doesn't apply to every promotor but there are definitely some conniving promotors out there.

In the end I think promotors and bands should understand that they both have reasonable complaints about the other. This article puts it pretty well, even though it is based in the UK it translates well to what I've experienced (although I don't recommend the video, it's pretty lame).