Who Actually Promotes the Gigs at a Music Venue?

When researching a music venue, it's tempting to Google:

“Who is the promoter of this venue?”

But many independent music venues don't have one single promoter.

A venue can host events programmed by several different people and organisations, sometimes at the same time.

The Old Blue Last in Shoreditch is a good example. Looking through its programme, you'll find shows presented by different independent promoters and music organisations rather than one promoter controlling the entire live calendar.

So who actually puts on the gigs?

1. In-house programming / venue booking team

Some venues programme part or all of their live calendar internally.

This might be handled by a:

Venue Booker / Talent Buyer / Live Music Manager / Programming Manager

depending on how the venue structures its team.

In this case, approaching the venue directly can make sense because the booking decision actually happens inside the venue.

But don't automatically assume the Venue Manager is the booker - running the venue and programming its artists can be two separate jobs.

2. External live music promoters

A large part of a venue's calendar may come from independent promoters who regularly hire or collaborate with the space.

These aren't necessarily just companies calling themselves “promoters”.

They can include:

• Independent promoters

• Artist management companies

• Record labels

• Booking agencies

• Individual artist managers

• Touring promoters / agencies

• Artist-led collectives

One venue can therefore sit inside several different music networks at once.

If you're trying to get your band onto an existing bill, identifying who is presenting the relevant nights can sometimes be more useful than finding the venue's general email address.

3. Club-night promoters and guest curators

The same venue might also host club nights, DJ events and late-night programmes organised by completely different teams.

These could be:

Club promoters / DJ collectives / resident nights / guest curators / event producers

Their audiences and booking processes may have very little overlap with the venue's live-band programme.

So seeing an event at the right venue doesn't necessarily mean you've found the right route for your artist.

Read the calendar, not just the contact page

When researching a venue, don't stop at:

Who runs this venue?

Look through its upcoming and previous events and ask:

Who actually presents the nights relevant to us?

You may find:

• Venue

  • In-house programming

  • Promoter A - indie / alternative

  • Promoter B - touring artists

  • Label C - release showcases

  • Collective D - club nights

The building is shared.

The booking networks aren't.

That is why researching the event calendar and the “Presented by” credit can often tell you more about how to get booked than the venue's general contact page.

Cornerstone Quick Discovery - notes from our ongoing research across artist management, live music and independent promotion.