Running a project

Securing Funding

To run a music project, you may need to secure external funding. Such funding is often gained through membership to youth charities and music charities, or through bid application to larger organisations who are keen to contribute money towards community projects. These can be large well-known businesses or local rotary clubs alike. Funding can be sourced from anywhere – all it takes is a sound funding application and a solid project plan. For tips on how to write a project plan, follow these links:
www.projectsmart.co.uk/the-project-plan-how-to-write-a-successful-project-plan.php
www.leadershipthoughts.com/how-to-write-a-project-plan
www.projecttimes.com/articles/10-steps-to-creating-a-project-plan.html

Sponsorship

Some organisations may agree to fund your project under the premise of sponsorship. This is a great way of partnering with external organisations and has several benefits to both parties. You will receive funding as well as have access to a larger network of contacts and resources while the sponsor gets to advertise their brand throughout the project. You can read more about sponsorship here:
www.wrike.com/blog/successful-project-sponsorship
www.projectsmart.co.uk/project-sponsorship-get-the-sponsor-you-deserve.php
www.entrepreneur.com/article/217913

Fundraising

If finding external funding is not an option you wish to pursue, you can always fund raise for your project through donations and contributions. You will need to be aware when you fund raise that there are certain legal procedures to follow, and advice can be readily found online or through your local authority.
www.charitiesinstituteireland.ie/principles-for-fundraising
www.institute-of-fundraising.org.uk/guidance
www.gov.uk/guidance/fundraising-legally-and-responsibly

Legal Considerations

When running a music project, there are several areas where you need to be aware of legalities, most commonly in copyright and intellectual property. Running a music project can often involve the use of other people’s music, lyrics or artwork, and you must make sure you get the relevant permissions before you incorporate this material into your project. It is also very important to consider the legalities of photographing and filming people, especially young people. Always check that you have the appropriate consent to photograph or film someone. Advice on copyright and intellectual property can be found online to guide you through this process.
www.icla.ie
www.copyrighthub.co.uk
www.gov.uk/intellectual-property-an-overview/what-ip-is

Financial Considerations

When planning a music project, or any project at all, budgeting is key to ensure the success of what you do. You will need to sensibly consider what your priorities are – differentiate between what you need and what you would like, and spend your money on necessities first. It is always sensible to allow for a contingency fund; despite very careful budgeting and planning there will always be an area where extra money is needed unexpectedly. Use the links below for advice on budgeting.
www.culturalenterpriseoffice.co.uk/resources/insight/tips-for-writing-a-budget-for- your-creative-project
www.liquidplanner.com/blog/7-ways-create-budget-project/
www.cio.com/article/2406862/project-management/project-management--4-ways-to- manage-your-budget.html

Hiring/Borrowing of Resources

A great way to avoid large spending is to hire or borrow resources. This can include technical equipment, costumes, glassware for events, even staff! Ask around! You may be surprised by how often people are willing to offer resources “in-kind”. Schools, colleges and universities are great places to start as they are often very keen to be involved in community outreach. You could even recruit students as volunteers for your events – it looks great on their CV and you get an extra pair of hands!

PR tips and checklist for running a gig

Create an ‘Event’ page for the gig on Facebook

By creating an event page, guests will be able to click ‘attending’, which will appear on all of their friend’s newsfeeds. Their friends will then be able to click on the event page and find any information they may need about the event.

Encourage the artist to post about the event as well as the venue

It is extremely important for artists to post about gigs; at the end of the day, it is them that the
guests are going to see. The artist is more likely to target their fans by posting on social
media than a venue is as. If both the artist and the venue post about the event, it is likely to
reach thousands of people, making it likely to be a sell out gig.

Include videos of the artist performing when sharing information about the gig on social media

People who may not have heard of the artist may watch the video and decide that they are now interested in attending the gig.

Avertise on radio stations that play similar genres to the artists at your gig
It is extremely important to reach your target audience, or you may not sell tickets for the gig.
If advertising on a radio station, you should consider what type of music they play, and therefore what kind of people listen to that particular radio station. For example, you would
not advertise a rock gig on a classical music station; this is a waste of money as it would not reach your preferred audience.

Create posters and flyers for the venue
You are likely to find your target audience at the event venue. Create eye-catching posters and put them up in the venue. If people are attending gigs, they may notice your poster and then also wish to book tickets for your gig.

Checklist for live gig nights

Top things to think about when running a gig night with young people:

It’s important that bands and any other young people involved complete a registration form above prior to the gig night.
Make sure to allow plenty of time for briefing staff/volunteer team for before, during and after event.
Plan ahead; bands may have to share amps, cymbols or other equipment. Always encourage sharing and supporting each other; this will help create a positive and supportive atmosphere that will enhance your event.
A good sound check is always crucial, so allow plenty of time and organise slots for each act to get a proper sound check. Also, watch out for bandmates changing levels on their amps, after these have been set by the technical team!
Mark on stage where amps, mics and other equipment are for each act, and have a stagehand available who can learn this and assist with changing setup between acts.
Double check that you have the correct spelling of the band name and song titles if using audiovisuals in the background.
Take plenty of photos of every act during their soundcheck and during performances. This could be a good role for a volunteer or member of the technical team.
Video record performance on a separate camera – it’s always good to have a backup!
Make sure to create realistic timings if there are a lot of performers. Allow enough time for acts changeover on stage, and finish on time.
Consider telling audience members that the gig starts a bit earlier than your plannedstart time. This will mean that your first act will still have a good audience, even if people in coming in slightly late.
Try to avoid band member jumping off stage or getting carried away with performing. We want to encourage passion and fun, but make sure you highlight health and safety concerns and consideration for other young people attending the gig.
Have security or health & safety supporters if ‘moshing’ or dancing gets too rough – have a plan in place for how you can best react to this.
Watch out for hidden alcohol!
Encourage audience to tweet event about your event in order to raise awareness and support for the performers and organisers. This about making a hashtag that can help with this.
Let audience members know about upcoming events, and how they can get involved if they want to perform or be part of the organising team in the future.

Running a project - Tips