New York, NY (Top40 Charts) The Australian music scene is as competitive as any other market on the planet. Artists see a beacon of hope with the new rise of streaming services, but they pay as poorly as a traditional record label deal does in terms of revenue sharing. Your 1000 plays on Spotify may pay you as little as 6 cents and record labels take the bulk of the cut from album sales, leaving your true chance at financial success in the concert space. Now, this isn't the worst thing that could happen since the true thrill of being a successful artist comes from performing to live audiences. But killing it in an empty arena can be more soul-crushing than having a label reject your demo. No one wants to kill it in the darkness, and everyone wants to sell out. Read on to find out the cool, crafty ways you can boost your ticket sales and have a smashing concert.
Marketing Is Key
The first step to selling tickets is making sure people actually know about your concert. Fans can't exactly show up if they don't know when and where. Letting people know about your upcoming events can be difficult given the seemingly never-ending number of artists out there. This is where social media becomes a key player. You need to be accessible to your fans; whether that's by Tweeting, Instagraming, Facebooking, or using any other social media platform that your fans frequent. Popular artists tend to have a website with a page dedicated to their concert/tour dates. This is very useful for reaching the fans that don't frequent social media or are likely to lose your posts in their ever-changing feed.
Follow The Trends
You need to know where your fans are, how they think, how they book tickets, and where they get their news from. Most people today will have a few websites or platforms that they frequent to find the events playing near them. In busy cities, this is key. For Aussies, finding events happening in Auckland can be overwhelming and people usually revert to no more than a handful of web-based spaces to find out what's happening around them. But the good news is that there are only so many worthwhile sites you need to make sure you're visible. Online ticket providers help your fans find you when they look for you, but, more importantly, help you garner the attention of new people who may not yet be fans. Many online ticket providers offer perks through loyalty programs and that can be just the added incentive your fans need to come to see you live and help you sell out your event space. So be sure to stay hip with which ticket providers are hot and make sure you're on their platform. And, when they do book with these providers, they're sure to get an email reminder the next time you're in town.
Ticket Pricing And Perks
If your fans are predominantly of the younger demographic, depending on your ticket prices, it may mean they can't afford to see your show live. Offering different pricing categories can help you make sure that all your fans attend. Whether they're in the nose bleeds or front row-center you can have all of them there cheering you on. If you don't like the inherent capitalistic nature of seat location-based pricing, consider an affordable, uniform ticket price and have the seats go on a first-come-first-served basis. That's bound to have your top fans right up front close to the stage. Also, consider offering perks for ticket purchases. Whether that comes in the form of a free T-shirt or a meet and greet, small perks drive people to get tickets. It's something about thinking they got a good deal… it makes the event impossible to pass up.
Vary Show Dates
We can't always be free to hit up that amazing show of yours. People have lives, responsibilities, prior engagements, and so on. Offer enough shows, on enough different dates to make sure your fans can catch at least one of them. Don't go crazy, but just make sure you're accessible enough.
Having your fans find and support you is as easy as ever before, but competing for their time and money is as competitive as ever. If you market yourself properly, utilize tools like online ticket providers, and offer a variety of dates and ticket prices, you are bound to have all your fans at your show and sell out. Use any of these crafty methods to boost ticket sales and have the concert of your dreams.
