Event logistics, publicity, contracts & fees

Updated for 2017 and 2018 concert seasons

I'm often asked about the logistics, publicity, contracts and performance fees for my concerts. Rather than let uncommunicated assumptions (your or mine) drive our booking discussions, here are the elements I offer, requests I make and the terms I negotiate.

"He who has the talent to instruct, amuse or entertain needs no
passport. All doors fly open at his touch."  —  From 1933 cover
of the "Old Ohio Moon" orchestration for the Hawaiian guitar by
Oahu Publg. Co., Cleveland, Ohio

Logistics
I bring four to six vintage acoustic guitars to every concert for an authentic sound. Ranging in age from 60 to 125 years, my guitars are precious period pieces and integral to every Vintage Music Concert.

I also bring a good sound system. It includes speakers perched on tripods and high-quality microphones on stands — one for the voice, one for the guitar.

I perform 75- to 90-minute indoor concerts with a program theme and without an intermission. Seated theater-style, my audiences have ranged in size from 35 to 350 people. In the past 17 years these events have taken place morning, noon and night, weekdays and weekends, in the following variety of spaces:

  •  galleries, retail showrooms, classrooms, boardrooms, function rooms
  •  auditoriums, multi-purpose rooms, country club ballrooms, gymnasiums
  •  hallways, conference rooms, solariums, foyers, libraries, chamber rooms
  •  churches, basements, coffeehouses, lobbies, theaters, railway waiting room
  •  museums, living rooms, patios, bookstores, dining rooms, lounges, gardens

I need access to electric power, a six-foot-long conference table to display the guitars and one bottled water at room temperature. It takes 45 minutes to set up this equipment, tune up my guitars and address last-minute issues. I need a similar 45-minute period for pack-up after the concert.

I request a brief intro from my host. My concerts are intimate enough that I ask there are no cellphone calls, texting and videos at the event. Likewise, video or audio taping by hosts are prohibited without prior permission. I remain after a concert to answer any and all audience questions or discuss vintage music and vintage guitars.

Publicity
I can send hosts multiple copies of an 8½ x 11-in. color poster on card stock. Other publicity materials are available as well, including PDFs and Word® files of my posters, promotional postcards and bookmarks for libraries. I can also send press releases to concert sponsors for distribution to their local media.

My website — www.KenLelen.blogspot.com — has a current tour calendar, links to music videos, photos and background info on Vintage Music Concerts. These resources are useful to hosts as they plan their posters, invitations, press kits, sponsor materials and promotions.

Contracts and fees
I receive emails from folks who ask my fee but don't reveal a date, program or budget. Truth to tell, I don't have a one-size-fits-all fee for them. I work for a variety of venues, sponsors and facilities, and compensation for these events varies as well.

I usually ask what date, program, concert theme and budget are proposed. I'd like to know what kind of event I'm offered, how it fits my tour schedule, what logistic issues are present, and what concert themes are possible. As important to me are the scope of an event, expected audience, publicity plans and budget. 

Once we air the major issues, it's not a big step to discuss terms for logistics, publicity and fee. This process occurs in one or two phone calls, not in endless rivers of emails.

I perform upon receipt of my signed, one-page contract. It encapsulates event terms, conditions and fee we discussed. I will supply an invoice, W-9 form, voucher or P.O., and publicity materials. But I don't show up unless the contract is signed and I don't sing unless I'm handed a check at the event.

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©  2017  Kenneth  Lelen  —  All  Rights  Reserved