11 Final Tips for a Smashing Album Release Party

It is your big day, the release of your album. Here are some final tips in a four part series on how to make your album release party a success!

Invite a big crowd! I cannot say enough about how much more exciting an event is when it is packed with excited people. Obviously you will use the social media such as Face Book and Twitter but don't forget that a personal invitation to a friend or special attendee sometimes means more if it is in writing. Special invitations can be obtained at little cost and sent to people in the music industry who have a lot of clout such as the local DJs, A&R, bloggers, radio stations, other radio personalities, reporters for the music sections of the local press,. Music store employees, are key. Of course existing fans and anyone of the type who will enjoy your style and genre! And ask your fans to invite friends! Limit your music events prior to and after the party so people come to THIS event!

Posters! Posters! Posters! Call in some favors of a graphic design friend and have him or her create a colorful or dramatic poster. Plaster them everywhere with the date, time location and special instructions for your show. Most coffee shops, and sandwich shops allow these types of posters. Don't forget the local colleges and gyms. Clubs, music stores, Anyplace your genre congregates needs a poster!

No cover charge! Nothing brings out a crowd than free! That way they will have more money for their drinks and they can invite their impoverished friends! Also, you are likely to make it up on the album sales and this will make the venue more likely to accept the bar tab as their pay in full!

Free gifts during the event! Ask some of the local music scene businesses to pony up some free gifts, perhaps gift cards, an iPod Shuffle, etc. You can exchange free advertising on your poster, think of a sponsorship logo, to pay them back. Free CDs, drawings, free to the first 25 people, a few from the stage during the performance, sell at a discount incentive for bringing additional guests. Also, have a "business card" list of your future performances... perhaps offer a discount on the card! Or you could have a free signature drink at the bar.

Photos and Videos! Take plenty of photos and video if you can coerce a local videographer to come. It does not have to be professional quality, but a good amateur should be able to create a clip good enough for U Tube and FaceBook. My Space

After Event Buzz! Remember that a successful party will last much longer than the night! You need to plan for it to last as continued Face Book entries, blog entries, music clips on your website and You Tube, photos etc. Your photos of people having a good time will help spread the BUZZ and make it last weeks!

Lighting! Each venue has different lighting. The worst is the "Walmart" like overhead florescent lights. Don't event think of using them! Pick up some "up-lights" and gels, or rent the LED type and set them up. Lighting can turn any place into a spectacular venue!

Opening Act! Invite an opening act that has a following. It should be a similar style and genre and keep it short. Many established bands will help out their younger cousins in the trade.

Your Music! Play your key release several times. And try to play each song twice during the evening. Include songs from previous albums if you have them to reward old fans.

Food! Have a little available. But remember the event is about music. Finger food, easy prep and minimal cleanup are important considerations. No venue wants you to hand out ice cream cones on a hot night as it requires too much cleanup. Keep it simple!

Finally, some advice from a popular Birmingham album release venue, remember to mingle and talk to your supporters and fans!

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Eight Factors to Consider When Choosing a Venue For An Album Release Party

The completion of an album, whether your first or tenth, is an amazing accomplishment. You have put an enormous amount of time and effort into making the music just perfect. You have practiced over and over and recorded it numerous times. The producer and background artists have played their magic and it is done. It deserves a great launch!

An album release party is a special time to tell your story. The story about the band, the inspiration, the ideas, how you came up with the theme, who helped you plan and produce it, what it means to you... you get it. The party is meant to establish a personal and emotional connection with the audience and to do that they need to know you and your group and the meaning the album holds for all of you. One key element of an album release party is the venue. You have to pick just the right place.

Venues vary in a number of ways. Some have the feeling of a Walmart; you know, overhead florescent lights, plain colors, no texture. Others have small rooms or rooms broken up by lots of pillars that interfere with seeing the stage. Still others have a much more vibrant feel.

Match the Music! The venue also should match the type of music or at least not clash. A heavy metal album is poorly served by having the party in the community room of a church! Of course, some venues can be made to match virtually any genre, but that may cost lots in term of decorating and lighting costs. So, if the venue is a plain Jane type place, plan for appropriate decorations, but do not over do it!

Parking: The venue needs to have plenty of free parking, easy to get to and did I say free parking? Nothing is a bigger turn off to potential attendees than having to drive around a block numerous times. Make sure the parking is close by, free and in abundant supply... and did I say free?

Lighting is a key element to any party and an album release party is no different. Dis the overhead lights for up-lights, pin spots and floods. Use color! Consider using lights that beat with the music. Have someone really plan out the layout of the lights. If lights are available at the venue, you can save a bunch of money on rental fees!

Food: You should have at least finger food at an album release party. Some venues require you to use their caterer. This may be OK, but it may not be affordable. Look at the requirements prior to booking any venue.

Day of week/Time of day: Most venues charge more for Friday and Saturday nights as compared to weekdays. If it is not within your budget, look at other days! Also, some venues have a discounted rate for a very late night on Saturday, especially if they can book an afternoon wedding and have the late evening free. Inquire about this and see what you can work out!

Alcohol: Alcohol is almost a mandate for an album release party. But, an open bar at your expense is not something you are going to be satisfied with! It will be very expensive and some people will abuse it! Consider a token system if you are wishing to offer free alcohol. Hand out the tokens and after that the people can purchase drinks on their own. Another alternative is to just offer beer or wine. These two choices are considerably less expensive than a full bar and can add just the touch! As a side note: Most venues have alcohol licenses. In most states, that license comes along with a requirement that all alcohol be purchased from the venue; NO BYOB is allowed. This may not be the wish of the venue, but it is the law so please do not ask for the venue to knowingly break the law, they may loose their license!

Size: The whole idea of an album release party is to invite tons of people. You want several hundred if you can. And obviously you need a venue to hold that many. Most local bands will find a venue that can hold 200-350 a perfect space. But, many venues are not capable of handling 300 plus people. Make sure you do your homework and ask around about how many people will turn out. Talk to your agent, talk to other bands and plan accordingly.

Cost: Of course, venues would love to charge you for the use of the space. And of course, you would love to get it for free. Well, maybe you two can come together and make a deal! If you expect 200 people, on a weekday, the venue can probably make enough on the alcohol sales to make it worthwhile if it is not booked. But, remember that the venue has some significant costs associated with setting up and cleaning up. They may also have the costs of security and an attendant. I would suggest you offer a minimum bar tab with you making up the difference to ensure they are not left in a negative zone. The event may also want to make sure you pay a clean up fee... some concerts tend to get a bit wild!

As a co-owner of an event venue in Birmingham AL that hosts album release parties, I must suggest one thing...Negotiate! But be flexible. The venue will typically know what they can offer and still be profitable and you are sure to get the best venue you can possibly have for your album release!

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Plan for a Successful Album Release Party: Developing a Time Line

An Album Release Party is a big event for most bands. It is almost like planning for a wedding. It takes time and good planning. There are numerous duties that need to be done and numerous deadlines that must be kept and monitored. To have a great album release party, put together a time line or a project plan.

Include the following items in your plan:

Date of the album release and availability: Most groups have their new album available at the time of the release party. Although this is not an absolute requirement, if you choose to have it available, make sure you have a solid commitment from your supplier. Plan to give them some extra time just in case!

Venue availability: Many venues are booked long in advance for Friday and Saturday nights. Plan accordingly. Search for a venue early on place this item near the top!

Promotional material: It takes time to develop promotional material. You need a graphic artist, a photographer, a layout, the proper text, a biography for each of the band members, you get the picture. This material takes time to develop and the less time you have the more expensive it gets. So, plan ahead and pull in some friends but budget time in you time line!

Food Planning: Even though it is simple, you need to put it on the time line. You need to actually choose the menu, contract or arrange for a caterer, etc. If it is a simple affair, this will not take a lot of time, but none-the-less, put it on the project list and allocate some time to it!

Web development: This one is highly variable. And, it is likely to be contracted out. But a good web page can take a few weeks of time for the web designer. You will have some initial communication and then a back and forth communication with the developer as you edit and redo portions of it.

Written Invitations: These can be ordered, custom designed, hand-made, ready made or printed at home, the solutions are endless. Budget some time early on for this so they can be done in plenty of time to send them out.

Electronic Invitations: Other than the images that you include, this is a rather quick form of communication. Electronic announcements should be sent out about a month prior to the event date, again each week and then the day prior and day of the event. This ensures the highest attendance.

Guest list: Creating a guest list is usually not difficult as it includes your fan base to start with but then adds in the media people, local bloggers, local DJs, radio station personalities, music reviewers, celebrities, critics, A&R people, reporters for the music sections of the local press, and others who can help spread the word about your new release. Some of these people may need a personal visit and especially a personal hand written invitation! Place this on the project list and assign it a time!

Posters: Lots of posters!!! Give these several weeks. Most of the design work will be already done as they will have the same type look and feel as the other written material but remember that posters can cost a lot. If your printer has more lead time, he will tend to be less expensive. Rush jobs cost a lot! So budget some time and save some money! Posters should be plastered all over the place!

Detailed plan for the day and evening of the event: Make sure you plan out every minute leading up to the event. It takes time to set up the venue, decorate, prepare food, set up the PA and arrange the tables for the CD sales. A detailed work plan of who, when, where and how is needed. Don't forget extra extension cords, tape to tape down wires to avoid tripping, cash box, small denomination bills for change, business card sized list of your future concerts, etc. And make sure you have a few extra people lined up in case someone becomes ill or has an emergency and cannot attend.

Time to celebrate:

Remember beyond all of the sales and glitz and marketing, an album release party is a time to enjoy the fruits of your labor. Plan time to actually enjoy the people you invite. Take time to mingle, talk to old friends and celebrate!

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Setting a Budget for Your Album Release Party

An album release is a big deal. It is the culmination of a lot of work. It deserves a great celebration. And, the better the party, the better the overall sales! But to throw a great Album Release Party, there will be costs and you need to be able to meet them.

Items that will need to be paid for include:

Swag: t shirts, (figure $5 each in small quantities and single color) stickers, free CDs,

Sometimes you can obtain some free gifts in exchange for advertising on you posters, website etc. Talk to local music scene businesses about gift cards, iPod Shuffle, CDs etc

Posters and other print material like business cards, post cards, etc. Post them everywhere you can think. Coffee and sandwich shops, Whole Foods and other similar companies have a place for posters. Don't forget about local colleges, gyms, clubs, music stores, any place your genre congregates needs a poster. Part of this budget item includes the graphic design person who creates the images.

Press packages with music samples, photos, bio's, etc

Photographs. These should be done by a professional. Don't skimp on this one! Make sure your photographs include individual photos to include in your "bio" page as well as the photo of the complete band. Try different sites and outfits, time of day, lighting. There are plenty of photographers out there that are hungry, talk to them. Many will give another fellow artist a great deal, especially if you give them free tickets to your party and other concerts you are holding!

On-line costs such as a web site setup or update to an existing site

Venue costs, stay tuned on how to limit these!

Food: keep it simple, but have something.

Decorations: again, keep them simple. This night should focus on the music, not the table settings andcenterpieces!

Sales assistants: They can be borrowed relatives or paid sales clerks, just make sure you have enough of them to really sell your new album!

DJ for entertaining guests while you mingle

PA rental fees if you or the venue does not have one

PA technician: pay for a good person to control your sound!

As a co-owner of an Event Venue In Birmingham AL that hosts album release parties, I must suggest one thing...

Planning for the costs of an album release party can reduce the overall stress and allows you time to think about how to limit the cost. Create your budget early on and avoid costly surprises!

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