Tips and tricks on throwing smaller dubstep shows/raves?

[paravrais]

CB4 RISE UP!

Seriously though, some good info here. Been thinking of starting up something local recently but didn't know where to start. What sort of thing should you put in your initial contact with a venue??

[legend4ry]

CB4 RISE UP!

Seriously though, some good info here. Been thinking of starting up something local recently but didn't know where to start. What sort of thing should you put in your initial contact with a venue??

I, personally would do a face-to-face meet with the manager asking how you can get hold of the owner, as you're interested in throwing a club night there.... You'll either get dropped or told what you need to know.

[DZA]

Get bare wobblez

[paravrais]

I, personally would do a face-to-face meet with the manager asking how you can get hold of the owner, as you're interested in throwing a club night there.... You'll either get dropped or told what you need to know.

Cheers, what about if it's a club that only opens when it has big nights on? How would I go about being meeting the manager? If I drop 'em a line on the contact number on their website would it normally be easy to arrange?

Is it generally poor form to try and put on a night in a venue that already hosts dubstep nights by the way? There really aren't very many venues in Cambs and all the decent ones already have a dubstep night that plays there. I wanna be playing quite different styles and quite a lot of 'post dubstep garage' too though so I figure there's definitely a gap to fill for Cambridge as a whole but would it still be a bad idea to try and get it on at the same venue as another night? Dunno if I've explained that very well heh...

[blinx]

Do you have a local VFW or some smaller "fraternity" bar that doesnt really have to much money coming besides the regular bar flys? I hooked up with my local VFW and through an event with EOTO in my small hick SD town. The event was off the chain! We sold the bar out almost completley and packed it with 300+ ppl which is almost unheard of for my town especially for the electronica scene.

My advice to you is as follows:

1. Have a main act that is HOT right now, to draw the crowd, like stated above. They dont have to be like Rusko or MRK1 (big league hitters) but the success of your event really rides on the main act being widely appealing.

2. Sell a limited number of presale tickets at a discounted price, then charge an elevated price at the door on the day of the show. This really gets the buzz going and creates a more aggresive demand for tickets. Also presale allows you to have money right away to get some rentals and acts taken care of before you even open your doors. Also helps give you a good solid reading on how many ppl are going to REALLY be attending your event. Make sure the pre-sale tickets have the NO REFUNDS clause just in case things get messed up befoe the event, you wont "have to give refunds" but its probably a good idea too (good karma) but none the less the NO REFUNDS clause covers your ass legally (unless there under the age of 18 then contract law can get kind of foggy).

3. Use a larger enough PA to easily fill the venue with sound plus give yourself some headroom to really get things bumping, noone wants to bump dubstep on a tiny 800 watt peavey PA that can barely be used in for a band practice let alone a "rave". Nothing can make or break an event like a bad/under powerd PA and unimpressive light display. I rent my PA's from a local guitar shop, Yorkville active stuff and OMG i love those canadians and there titanium woofers .

4. Again just to echo other members posts, Flyers Flyers and FLYERS everywhere and anywhere, you want ppl to see these flyers everywhere and go "man i need to be here this event must be huge theres flyers everywhere" doesnt hurt if you have good looking girls passing them out (sex sells).

5. Last piece of advice is play by the rules and dont break laws if you can help it. Dont help the 5-0 but dont give them an excuse to shut your shit down because you dont have a tax license or your not carding properly at the door. Keep it safe, keep it smart and dont use the word RAVE ever in promoting. Call it an Event instead lol Raves = xtc = undercover cops (like previously stated in this thread its just a good idea to stay away from that word). Trust me i have made these simple mistakes, i accidently used the wrong phrase on my events webpage i built, i used the words "psychedelic toys" as items ppl should bring to have a good time. I meant like green lasers and fun glow toys, the local cops read it (and they are on facebook and myspace dont get it twisted) and harrassed me and my festie goers the whole weekend because i used that single adjective to descirbe toys, like the police literally had the webpage in his hand and was pulling cars over and asking them about the festie and my stupid use of words. Lesson was learned and i will never EVER try to use unground/scene/Hip terminology in the my Ad campaigns/webpages again, also monitor any online feedback and comments. Ppl post stupid stuff on the internet sometimes.

[honey-d]

My friends ended up throwing and help threw a few raves out here in socal, and I was going to help throw one a smaller more local one however we never followed through since someone beat us to the punch and it totally flopped.

Anyways your going to need a good amount of money if you want your party to be somewhat decent,

My advice is track down almost all of the equipment that you need and rent it! theres tons and tons of people that have almost everything you need, I've found some myself on craigslist and the prices were pretty good.

Second is buzz buzz buzz, you gotta get the word out . . . so that means flyers and a whole lot of networking, Schools are a great place to start.

Your going to need to hire a bit of security too, you can post a listing on craigslist in the jobs section and your bound to get some willing people, remember you gotta get fools with there guard card - Security is a must!!!!

also when trying to find a venue, don't say your event is a rave, rather say "Electronic Music Concert/Show (/Festival if your going to have thousands... which I doubt for your first ) Most building owners are old, and usually older people think raves = drugs... crazy people... and alot of problems.... so don't use the word rave!!!!!!

Then you need your talent... local talent is good if your starting out small, but if you bring at least one kinda big name, not saying like anyone BIG but, a level up from local talent, you will probably have a little more success


Theres a whole lot more you need to learn up on before you throw one! anyways if you have any more questions lemme know

socal eh? where abouts?

Santa Clarita!
661!

What teh fuuck?! 661 here too! Canyon Country staaaand uuuuuup

[FSTZ]

grew up in the 760 oceancrime area!!!!
______

about throwing shows...

I reccomend finding a venue first, and then finding that "favorite" artist of yours you can book

in the LA area you have tons of dubstep stars (breakage, 12th Planet, Emu, XXXL, etc...)

get in touch with their booking agent and see if you can find an artist that can take a train or drive from LA..

have your crew open and be willing to take one for the team (not get paid) if the party doesnt fair well financially

plan to spend about $800-$1200 total

get your crew involved and if everyone chips in, it makes things easier

have professional flyers designed and printed and work the colleges, and other shows (believe it or not techno and house people LOOVE dubstep too and will be excited to know that you are starting a dubstep scene in your town)

promote on facebook, etc...

but remember, it is a party.. you don't have to make a profit, just have fun

keep that at the core and I bet you'll have fun and grow something where there was nothing.

I did all of this in kansas city and 4 years later there is a healthy and growing dubstep scene

hope you find this helpful!

JJ

EDIT: RENT SOUND FROM PURE FILTH!!!

[honey-d]

EDIT: RENT SOUND FROM PURE FILTH!!!

Listen to this man. Pure Filth is the best sound system you're gonna get in Cali. I have no idea how much it costs but 100% that's the system you need

[FSTZ]

EDIT: RENT SOUND FROM PURE FILTH!!!

Listen to this man. Pure Filth is the best sound system you're gonna get in Cali. I have no idea how much it costs but 100% that's the system you need

I mean, there is always that Funktion 1 system they used to have at the vanguard and at the bigger festivals..

but the diesel fuel cost for the semi truck would put your party into the red haha

[KALALASMOKESALOT]

Awesome info in here, I think Pure Filth's system would be WAY overpowered for this first one.. Once I get some skrill together I might be able to use that system at this local place I found out I can rent for shows as big as I want! Stoked, just a little research and I find there is are MANY places I can throw events like this.

Thank you very much to all who contributed, you may very well have saved my town the gruesome monotony of never seeing a fatty dubstep event.

[shaneynclan]

was it the one on July 23rd by any chance? I was up there visiting a friend that week and we went

yes it was. wish i had known you were going.
i went by myself, but i made a post on these forums about it.

[jaydot]

I'd like to be a promoter one day, setting up a major night with major DJs-Producers, but until that happens I'll take my head out of the clouds and look at things on a core level; I was thinking of maybe setting a night up at my local youth-centre when I can DJ properly. But even If I just promote things it'd be good just to see it come to fruition. Would people appreciate what I was doing is the thing....

[FSTZ]

if there is already a scene, just be a part of it

hand out flyers, put up posters, etc...

even showing up to events is being part a scene

[NRHc]

Seriously,people these days don't know how to think for themselves,or are just plain lazy..?Fuck that guy is like where can I find lights to rent,etc. GOOGLE,show lights to rent in x area..look in your local phone book,call clubs whatever man.I was fucking 14 years old and booking hardcore(metal) shows in my area..Renting the room,sound system everything..So I don't know how you could not do it yourself..
Good luck!

[mrbeatnick]

one helpful tip - when booking the venue - say this is for a "private event". after all it will be "private" - make sure you make a potential guest rsvp by email - this will give you a good ideas of numbers, very important - and be quite tight about who can get in. this will make your event have a bit more cache and might help to make it better. you don't want 12 year olds on ketamine staggering around, this will make you highly liable for some bullshit if the cops show up.

if the cops show up, tell them it's art, you weren't making any money (your probably in violation of some sort of licensing laws if you're selling booze and providing entertainment in an unlicensed warehouse), that its a - PRIVATE EVENT - yes this is important - and the owner is down with what you are doing. offer to turn the sound off and hopefully they'll fuck off, if they don't then shut down and run for the hills, giving a false address to any cops that ask for one.

enjoy your rave!

[legend4ry]

one helpful tip - when booking the venue - say this is for a "private event". after all it will be "private" - make sure you make a potential guest rsvp by email - this will give you a good ideas of numbers, very important - and be quite tight about who can get in. this will make your event have a bit more cache and might help to make it better. you don't want 12 year olds on ketamine staggering around, this will make you highly liable for some bullshit if the cops show up.

if the cops show up, tell them it's art, you weren't making any money (your probably in violation of some sort of licensing laws if you're selling booze and providing entertainment in an unlicensed warehouse), that its a - PRIVATE EVENT - yes this is important - and the owner is down with what you are doing. offer to turn the sound off and hopefully they'll fuck off, if they don't then shut down and run for the hills, giving a false address to any cops that ask for one.

enjoy your rave!

Or just do a night at a club were you're allowed to sell alcohol, play loud music and only 18/21+ (depending where you at in the world) can get into the event?

[mrbeatnick]

fuck a club, it's all about the warehouse. clubs are shit and expensive and the owners, lets not even get started.

[legend4ry]

Warehouse raves are ALWAYS aggy, kids will always get in, plus its more expensive... You gotta pay for door men, a system, DJs, alcohol and make sure your mates are the ones sellin' the drugs AND rent the space.. Unless you're pulling in enough people to fill out the warehouse, I doubt you'd even break even, unless you sold tickets at 20 quid each.

[step correct]

I throw parties in Santa Barbara.. let me know if you want any help/advice.

[FSTZ]

I throw parties in Santa Barbara.. let me know if you want any help/advice.

this man knows!

yo StepCorrect have you met my homie Chadillac yet???