Support Artists, Buy In Advance #SABIA

As a full time musician, and someone who has a very active role in organising and holding concerts, I think it's really important that we try and promote a culture of buying tickets in advance.

In recent months I've heard stories that suggest there's been a bit of a shift away from people buying in advance, and that can make organising concerts really stressful for those involved. I know a number of extremely successful and talented artists that have had shows pulled recently due to poor sales.

And this morning - ahead of a concert tonight - I've just been told there have been less than wonderful pre-sales. My last three concerts were sold out, and tomorrows also sounds like it's going to be completely sold out... so, I'm not taking it too personally!

But it does highlight a bit of an issue.

Booking in advance doesn't just guarantee you get a seat; it helps ensure that the concerts and events can happen in the first place, and the higher the percentage of advance bookings the better the event will be. When you know ahead of time that an evening has sold out you can plan the seating, lighting, bar stock, bar staff, merchandise and stage layout far better. It reduces the stress levels of the promoters, artists, agents... and that - certainly in my case - results in a more enjoyable evening for everyone, including the audience!

I'm not expecting to get there and find it to be a completely empty venue... and I'm grateful that the promoter has decided to continue with the concert regardless. If there's only 1 person there I'll still strive to give them the best performance of my career. 

But the huge element of uncertainty does make it much more stressful.

Days like today I end up stressed about ticket numbers, when I should be warming up my voice, tweaking my set list, and enjoying the build up of excitement for the evening ahead.

I'm hoping there will be a relatively reasonable number of people there that haven't booked... and I owe my career to those who do choose to come out for live music instead of staying at home and watching TV, but I think it's important that we promote a healthy culture of understanding that advance ticket sales do more than guarantee a seat - they add to the quantity and quality of live music in the world. That can only be a good thing!

So, let's all try and get on board with this: supporting live music by turning off the TV and coming out to a live concert is fantastic, but supporting artists by buying in advance is even better!

Support Artists, Buy In Advance #SABIA