Secure artists. You will work with booking agents that exclusively represent the artists you want. Major U.S.-based booking agents include WME Entertainment, International Creative Management and Creative Artists Agency. Other important U.S. booking agents include Agency for the Performing Arts and Monterey Peninsula Artists. Contact an artist's record label or management company to find out who his booking agent is. Most international acts without an established presence in the U.S. are booked by agents in their home countries. To book dates, half of the artist's guaranteed performance fee will be required with a signed contract. The other half of the fee -- plus any additional payment due based on ticket sale benchmarks, per the contract -- is due before the artist takes the stage for the concert.
Secure venues. Concerts can take place in stadiums, arenas or clubs that specialize in live music. A stadium or arena concert can earn huge profits, but they are also risky. A promoter can also lose a lot of money in one night. For new or inexperienced promoters, the best route is a series of club dates. A typical club performance includes an early show and a late show.
Lock in specific dates. Both the artist and the venue must be available on the same date. Before booking, do your homework to make sure that no competing local concerts are already planned for that date. The easiest way to find out is to check with all local venues in the market.
Manage ticket sales. Sign on with a major global vendor such as Ticketmaster, then monitor daily and weekly sales -- especially as concert dates draw near. Be proactive in making sure that everything that can be done to sell tickets is being done -- every day.
Plan logistics. Superstar acts fly from city to city on private jets while their staging and equipment are transported overnight by truck. Lesser artists -- the majority -- travel by tour bus. A successful, efficient tour must be well planned when it comes to getting from one date to another. When the crew is tired from driving all night and into the next day, things can easily go wrong. The goal is a well rested crew and artists.
Hire an experienced tour manager and road manager. The tour manager will oversee the entire operation, from start to finish. The road manager will make sure that everything that's supposed to happen on the ground every day happens -- on time.
Hire an experienced tour publicist that will oversee the advance team that focuses on getting publicity for upcoming concerts that still have tickets available as the event nears. Be prepared to have the artist or artists on the tour do satellite TV or radio interviews to promote ticket sales in upcoming cities.