From the outside a concert looks simple: an artist, a stage, a crowd. Inside, it is dozens of contracts and months of work, and the promoter usually invests money long before the first ticket is sold. We work at concerts as a light show contractor and see how the machine works.
Who is involved
- The promoter. Takes the financial risk: pays the artist, rents the venue, sells tickets
- The concert or booking agency. Represents the artist and sells shows to promoters. Sometimes the agency promotes concerts itself
- The venue. A club, concert hall, arena or open-air stage. Provides the room, part of the equipment and staff
- The ticketing operator. Sells tickets and charges a service fee
- Production. Sound, light, screens, stage, if the venue does not have enough
- Security and staff. Guards, ticket checkers, medics, cloakroom
How to organise a concert: the steps
- Artist and fee. Negotiating with the agency, deposit, rider
- Venue and date. Capacity to match expected sales. A full club beats a half-empty arena
- Rider. Technical: sound, light, stage. Hospitality: dressing room, food, transfers, hotel
- Tickets. Prices by category, sales launch, early bird prices
- Marketing. Targeted ads, posters, bloggers, radio. Most of the budget usually goes in the last 3–4 weeks
- Approvals. Notifying the police for large concerts, the venue’s safety requirements
- Show day. Load-in, soundcheck, doors, support act, the set, load-out
Where the money goes
The main costs: the artist’s fee, venue rental, production, marketing, hospitality and logistics, staff. The ticketing fee and taxes take another share of revenue. The promoter earns on the difference, so the key metric is how full the room is.
This explains many decisions: there is usually no money left for expensive lighting at a club show, and a sponsor covering part of the costs is very welcome. How to build a sponsorship package is covered in how to attract sponsors.
The promoter’s risks
- Weak sales: the main risk, hedged by choosing the right venue
- Postponement or cancellation by the artist or venue: cover it in contracts in advance
- Technical failures: backup sound, spare time for the soundcheck
- Weather for open air: a roof over the stage, a plan B
What to add to the show without renting lights
The climax of a concert is created by the crowd: thousands of people singing and raising their flashlights. We make that moment controllable. Viewers scan a QR code on the screen, and the whole room’s flashlights flash to the beat, run in waves, form patterns. Commands travel via ultrasound through the venue sound, so no mobile network or app is needed.
We have run such shows at concerts by Sirotkin at SummerSound, Pavel Pikovsky and Vasily Urievsky, Nikolay Grinko and at PARI Fest. For a promoter it is cheaper than renting wristbands and needs no distribution at the door: comparison in the article on Coldplay-style wristbands.
After the show, a sponsor, merch or next-concert page opens in viewers’ browsers. So the show also becomes a sponsorship package item with measurable clicks.
FAQ
How much does a concert show cost? The price depends on the number of viewers and is calculated in the calculator. No equipment rental.
Does the show need the artist’s approval? Yes, it is set to a specific song, and the artist or their team should know about it in advance. Artists usually agree readily: it is great content for their social media.
Can we sell the show as our own service? Yes, concert and event agencies get partner terms: hosts and agencies.
How to build the concert itself from the support act to the encore, in the article on the concert script. All concert formats on the concert light show page.