The Music Industry
The Live Music Industry Part of a musician’s job is performing at live concerts and gigs. Musicians do these live concerts and gigs for many reasons, including connecting with their fans, making money from ticket sales and merchandise and publicity for a recently released album. The type of venue that musicians’ choose for these live concerts and gigs is important and would depend on many different factors. 1. The time of year – outside festivals tend to be in the summer time because of the weather. 2. The size of the venue – sometimes famous artists want to play large arenas and sell as many tickets as possible and other times they want to perform a gig at a smaller venue because they want to connect with their fans and maybe do an acoustic set. 3. The location of the venue – it is important that fans are able to get to the venue so there needs to be good transport links such as a train, bus or tram station and good car parking. 4. The venues available – in larger cities there are usually many different types of live music venue but in smaller towns and villages the choice would be more limited.
Matching the Venue to the Performer
When musicians first start out, they are more likely to play smaller venues such as pubs, clubs and venues in their local area. They do this to gain experience and to try and grow a fan base. As they become more successful they may play student venues and smaller music venues such as Manchester Academy and Band on the Wall. Some artists are also asked to support a more famous act on an arena tour which is really good promotion for a smaller artist. Famous bands and solo artists tend to be able to choose the type of tour they want to do. Some choose big arena tours so that lots of fans can come and see them and sometimes they decide to play smaller venues because they want to play specific material or want to play an acoustic set or they want to be able to see and connect with their fans in a smaller setting.
Types of Venue There are two main types of live music venue: 1. Small/medium venues 2. Large venues
Small/Medium Venues Small venues include pubs, clubs, small theatres, spaces that host live music or mixed art performances such comedy clubs and dance halls. These venues host local acts and in cities also attract more famous names. They host a wide range of music from small genres to pop and club bands and singers.
Examples of small/medium venues in our area include: Gracie Fields Theatre Various pubs Oldham Coliseum Theatre Manchester Academy (part of Manchester University)
Large Venues
These tend to be found in larger towns or cities because they have better transport links. Some of the large venues are multi-purpose arenas, sports venues and outside spaces. Some are theatres that host rock and pop bands, touring production such as musical theatre and acts linked to TV programmes.
Examples of large venues in our area include:
Manchester Arena Etihad Stadium Castlefields in Manchester (outdoor space) Manchester Palace Theatre
Questions
1. Why do musicians play live concerts and gigs? 2. Why is the live music industry important? 3. What are some things to think about when artists decide on a particular venue? 4. Why is the location of the venue important? 5. What are the two main types of venue? 6. Give some examples of small/medium venues in our area. 7. Give some examples of large venues in our area. 8. Can you think of the advantages of performing at a small venue? 9. Can you think of the advantages of performing at a large venue? 10. Create a mind map of the information about live music venues.