During a global pandemic, it can be assumed that booking live entertainment is the furthest thing from most industry professionals’ minds. Things may feel odd right now, but when life returns to its new normal, people will be itching to get out to a live music show. For that reason, booking your live entertainment now has many advantages.
Don’t Forgo Future Live Entertainment Possibilities Out of Fear
We don’t know when live entertainment will be back in full force. Here at TSE we feel it’s important to not miss out on future opportunities out of fear of the unknown. Although most major live entertainment shows for the summer have been canceled or rescheduled, the future is already looking brighter.
When COVID-19 first swept our nation, city officials all over were doing what they felt necessary given the lack of information and safety guidance from the professionals in disease control. However, now with our economy severely needing some love, states all over the country are slowly re-opening.
We have seen how fast and frequent things can change in the current climate of the COVID-19 pandemic, but so far things are looking far more promising for the live music industry than they have in the past few months.
At this time, nobody can say with one hundred percent certainty that there will be packed arenas, venues, and concert halls six months or even a year from now. But as long as we don’t enter a full-on global apocalypse, it appears live entertainment is on its way back to us. After months of isolation, there will be many people ready to venture out to enjoy it!
So even with restricted capacities and extra safety measures, it’s time to think about how best to restore live music to venues.
Businesses that feature live music entertainment, as well as the artists that get to perform, are all better off with a more positive and proactive approach. With the current atmosphere it’s a whole lot smarter to think about how to bring live music back rather than stopping the booking of live entertainment altogether.
Booking Costs May Be Considerably Lower
With all that has transpired since mid-March, industry professionals are understandably feeling hesitant about spending money on booking live music. However, due to the same circumstances, entertainment booking costs may be considerably lower than before. Artists have been severely impacted financially by the pandemic and the cancelling of their live music bookings. Your deposit for a future event can look very good to performers who have had their shows cancelled. Once a show is cancelled for a Force Majeure (in this case the Coronavirus) the funds provided to the artists and agencies who represent them must be returned. Suddenly the money that was in their bank accounts is gone. So is their lifestyle unless they can replace it. That’s why now is a good time to book live entertainment for your future events. Musicians are ready to put gigs back on their calendar, and with the understanding that it is a riskier time than usual to book them, costs should be less than what they would normally charge.
Smaller Live Music Shows Means Fewer Risks
What’s better, booking smaller shows for smaller audiences, or not hosting live entertainment at all? No matter what new changes come our way, the spreading of COVID-19 is the biggest issue across the board at this time, and fewer people means fewer chances of spreading COVID-19. Sure this also means less money flowing through your live music venue, but any number is still larger than zero.
Booking for smaller shows means booking smaller to medium-sized live entertainment (in terms of budget). Live entertainment will have to slowly return to its glory days, but for now it’s important to remember that less is more. Plus, booking live music this way during these times will safeguard you from any possible flips in events that may occur.
You Can Still Rock N Roll with a Plan in Place
There are a number of things that can be done to ensure that your live music shows can safely happen. Things such as temperature checks at the door, capacity guidelines being strictly enforced, and sanitizing stations readily available for attendees.
We know now that outdoor spaces are safer than indoor spaces. Many cities have made accommodations to help businesses by allowing them to use outdoor spaces. In comes cases, even closing off streets so restaurants can put table outside on the street. If the city will allow you, what about your parking lot becoming a concert venue? Some entrepreneurs are even creating “drive in” concerts where people remain in their cars during the performance. Be creative. The government wants you to survive so many agencies will work with you to bring live entertainment back to their jurisdictions.
Whatever measures you are able to implement, it’s important to keep up with the ever-changing guidelines offered by the CDC, your local public health department and organization to which you may belong. One good one is the Event Safety Alliance Reopening Guide. Put a plan in place and be able to easily adjust to those changes. Hopefully, changes to guidelines from these groups will continue to evolve and loosen requirements for live entertainment venues. That should result in all of us in the live entertainment business being able to expand and do more and more as the months go by.
You Aren’t Liable for Natural Disasters
As long as the entertainment booking agency you use to book your live music has a Force Majeure clause in your contract, you don’t have to worry about being left liable should opportunities shrink again, and you’re unable to follow through with your live show. This “Acts of God” clause specifically includes Public Health Emergencies like the one caused by the Coronavirus pandemic. What it means is that you can reschedule or cancel your live entertainment knowing that your deposit is refundable in the case of a declared public health emergency.
TSE includes this clause in all our contracts. That should give you peace of mind when you are looking to book live entertainment for your event or venue. Your contract provides for the fact that you won’t be liable in the case that the event is canceled because of continued COVID related restrictions.
Don’t let fear plan for your future. Proactively booking now for future events is a way to remain positive and prepare for when live music comes back. Doing so is not only good business but confirms your support to those musicians that are also suffering from the current conditions.
You may also be able to host small private parties and corporate events at your venue to help generate more revenue to supplement your small live music shows! Read more about that in our latest blog; Corporate Entertainment Booking at Your Venue Can Be Lucrative .
No matter your live entertainment needs, TSE entertainment is always here to help! If you have more questions on how you can possibly continue forward during this ever-changing climate, our booking professionals are here to assist you!
While this pandemic may be a first for us, TSE has seen almost everything else. After all, we’ve been booking live entertainment for fairs, festivals, clubs, corporate events, weddings, casinos, and private parties since 1975. Our clients keep coming back because they find us knowledgeable, more than competent, easy to work with and we exceed their expectations of what an entertainment booking agency can do to help them with their live music events.
Don’t forget to thank a healthcare worker, first responder or the other people who are working to feed us, supply us and keep us safe. We Are Grateful for Our Healthcare Warriors
