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Reply to: Where are our audiences?

Richard

Most of the following is common sense and I don't mean to teach
"Grandmother to suck eggs"... but you did ask!  It was going to be a
one-liner but I got carried away!

I don't know whether this might help your plight - Over the last 12
months we've broken into a new catchment area (The Playhouse, Harlow,
Essex) because we couldn't get enough concert slots in the theatre on
our home stomping ground (Kenneth More Theatre,Ilford, East London). 
We've now performed in Harlow three times and have got our next gig
there this coming weekend 6th June, 7pm start. plug plug! We've never
had less than 250 and we peaked at 314 in the audience in April.

On the marketing side - we do a combination of:

1) Theatre brochure entry - they send out a glossy brochure 4 times a
year to over 10,000 locals.
2) Free tickets - Accompanied Children under 16 always have free entry
to our concerts.
3) Free tickets - I work at Nortel Networks in Harlow and am lucky
enough that our corporate communications department are willing to send
out my "Free ticket offer email" to the 1200 staff at our site.
4) Free tickets - I normally send out a handful of posters to every
school in the area (search the internet - Electronic Yellow Pages
www.EYP.co.uk for your area).  I don't know if the posters ever get
stuck up but what I do is ALSO include either a "complimentary ticket
voucher" or a "two for one voucher" redeemable at the box office - if
they go straight in the bin I loose nothing. However, if they turn up
it's a bonus and you never know they might come again - especially if
you number the vouchers and keep a record of which ones get cashed in. 
I do this for all the doctors & dentists surgeries in the area too.
5) Posters in the local community centres & Tourist Information (and of
course the theatre itself!).
6) Posters on TESCO community notice boards.
7) Emails to all local radio stations offering listners "two for the
price of one" offer.
8) Press release to all local newspapers.
9) "What's on next month..." section in the printed programme at each
concert.
10) Most importantly - mailshot to regular supporters.  250 people on
the list who receive our free newsletter mailshot 3 or 4 times a year -
detailing what's been happening and what's going to happen in the coming
months.

And I wonder sometimes why I don't get enough time to practice!!  IT IS
a lot of work - I'd recommend coinciding rehearsal with envelope
stuffing to share the load 25 people stuffing 10 envelopes is much less
painfull than 1 person stuffing all night :-))

Notice that 1) to 9) don't cost me a penny!

Programme:
The overriding main tip to bear in mind though is "Give 'em what they
want"... we been doing themed concerts for the last couple of years and
feel that it is definitely the way to go. We've noticed a difference in
the age spread of the audience for say "Glenn Miller & Friends" Vs "Out
of this World (space music)" ... so its not just the blue rinse brigade
every time (no offence to any blue rinsers out there - I wish I had
enough hair to make it worth while dying!!).  "Songs from the Shows"
goes down well too - the people that turn up at least "want" to listen
to a particular type of music so you're half way there!  Look carefully
at who you are aiming at and what sort of music they would prefer to
hear - with all due respect they're not all musicians - they just want
to go out for the evening!!  We vary the content by choosing a spread
of: orchestral arrangements, band arrangements, film music, TV music,
Show music that all relate to a particular theme.....

For instance, the programme for our forthcoming concert "Exploding
Brass"  - an evening of music dedicated to battles, the military and
explosions - pyrotechnics for 3 of the numbers (wish us luck - Melvin is
likely to disappear in a puff of red smoke and flying sparks if we get
it wrong!!).  OK, its an unashamedly "blue rinse" night if you were
wondering - and I make no apologies!, we'll all have a great time!

Mars from the Planets
French Military March
On My Own
M*A*S*H
Spitfire Prelude & Fugue
Colonel Bogey
Our Boys will shine tonight
Good Old Songs
Dam Busters

Soldiers in the Park (Listen to the Band)
Star Wars
Mission Impossible
Loves Old sweet song
St Louis Blues
Schindler's List
Aces High
Nimrod
1812 Overture

The playhouse, Harlow:	6th June, 7pm, email me!
Kenneth More Theatre, Ilford: 13th June 8pm, email me!


Hope some of the above is of use to someone - I don't mean to sound like
a know-it-all because I know I'm still sing around for the winning
formula and I'm not there yet by a long shot!   

If anyone out there has got any tips I'd love to hear them. Incidentally
- ALL our concerts are promoted by us (me) - what do other bands do? It
is certainly a motivator knowing that whatever the size of the audience
at the next concert "you're still going to get a bill for 450 quid for
hiring the Theatre". Is there anyone out there that would like to book
us and do all the hard work for me?!

Back to lurking

Cheers
Alan
Band Manager, Redbridge Brass

ps how much are your tickets - ours are normally 6quid and
4quid(concessions)

> The band has tried to present a season of concerts at the Queens Hall in
> Edinburgh and Henry Wood Hall in Glasgow, both halls are good acoustically
> and are close to the City Centres. The concerts would feature the band
> joined by a guest soloist, sometimes from Brass Bands and sometimes from
> other artistic areas and always features a good mix of repertoire.
> 
> The first of the season took place in Edinburgh to a quarter filled hall in
> February. This is despite a brochure being issued to thousands of customers
> of the Queen's Hall advertising the concert. The most recent concerts were
> to take place this Saturday and Sunday, however with tickets sales in double
> figures for the Edinburgh concert and a grand total of nil for the Glasgow
> concert we have had to cancel both engagements. This is despite having the
> present Young Musician of the Year, Adrian Spillet as our guest.
> 
> We are still scheduled to go ahead with a further concert in Edinburgh
> during the Festival featuring the Halle Brass - I hope that the brass band
> public of scotland can be more bothered this time to get out of their chairs
> and listen to one of their countries top bands!
> 
> I wonder if any other bands have had similar problems and can suggest ways
> to break the lack of motivation for the concert going public.


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