It takes an entire team of promoters, staff and security to host a successful concert.
Concerts don't just happen. From bartenders to bouncers, stage managers to sound and lighting engineers, it takes a team of people to make the concert a success. But the lifeblood behind concerts are the people who promote the events. Several careers in music pertain to concert promotion.
Booking Agents
At least two booking agents are on either side of promoting a concert--one that works for a music venue and books bands to play, and one that works for every band that comes through and negotiates the terms of the concert.
Before a concert takes place, the two agents will iron out the details of the concert--money, sound engineer, publicity budget, accommodations for bands and more. Because it is in the interests of both booking agents to book a well-attended concert, both often serve as promoters and publicists when hosting or booking a band.
The average U.S. salary for a band booking agent, which is an agent that either works independently or for a company and books one or several bands' tours, depends on the size of the market. The smaller the market, the smaller the agent's salary is.
Publicists
A music publicist works for a band or musical act and promotes the band in every way possible, including tours and concert dates. They contact local media, including radio, newspapers, magazines and local websites, to garner buzz for each concert.
A publicist is different from a promoter. A publicist will execute an efficient and focused marketing campaign based around the band, whether it's following an album release or another "angle." Publicists generally market just a few acts, usually from one to three bands.
A publicist's salary depends on whether he or she works directly for a band or for a company that works with a band. Publicists who work directly with bands often don't make as much money as corporate publicists and see their work with an independent band as an investment or a hobby.
Promoters
Promoters work for the music venue or an independent promotion company hired by the venue to promote the concert through the same media utilized by publicists. Often, venue promoters and band publicists combine their efforts to maximize attendance results.
Promoters hire artists to create concert fliers, send press releases to local media, purchase ads in newspapers, confirm details as the event approaches and hammer out the logistics as the event gets closer.
Venue and event promoters can make on average up to six figures, according to Simply Hired, but salaries usually depend on the size of the markets.
