Get Your Music Festival Artist Specs Organised.

With potentially hundreds of performance artists appearing over several days on multiple stages there is a huge challenge to get the artists organised for perfect performances. Key to ensuring smooth running and the seamless transition of act changes is having the correct specs for each and every act. 

Performance artist’s specs come in three of four types depending on the artist and the set up required. Typically, this will include a general, audio, light and stage layout spec, although there may be others. The spec sheets will always form a key element of the Artist Advance sheet. How can event organisers ensure that every artist completes thier spec requirements on time and that they are completed in such a way that they are useable?

It makes sense to have a common format for each spec sheet that the artists or their management team complete. This ensures that the producers, stage hands plus light and audio engineers are supplied with the correct information that makes each artist’s set up efficient and quick. Event organisers should record and calendarise which artists have completed their specs and who needs to be chased. Once completed the specs need to be retained in an easily accessible depository so that the appropriate individuals can access them as and when required.

Obviously, the specs are a key element in running a successful event but what are typical contents of each of these spec sheets? 

• Technical Spec - Records all the equipment requirements and the electrical outputs and power needed
• Audio Spec -This could be simple or very complex depending on the size and variety of instruments being used by the artist but would typically include confirmation and set up for reverbs and EQ settings for example.
• Light Spec -As with the audio spec the requirements will depend on the size of the band and number of band members but this spec will usually list the type and quantity of any lighting effects.
• Stage Layout Spec -The layout spec indicates to stage hands where each artist will be and where their instruments need to be placed and, in some case, may be similar to the Technical Spec sheet. 

As the spec sheets form part of the artist advance sheet it is essential that the event organiser has complete control of the advancing process. Of course, there are some festival organisers still using a combination of spreadsheets and word documents to manually control this process. There are however, some really great festival management software platforms available that can automate a substantial part of the advancing process and all the spec sheets that form part of the artist advance. 

Using an events software management platform like FestivalPro music festival event organisers get all the functionality they need to manage artist spec sheets and the artist advancing process. The guys who are responsible for this software have been in the front line of event management for many years and the features are built from that experience and are performance artists themselves. The FestivalPro platform is easy to use and has comprehensive features for managing every aspect of the performance artists including agreements, advances and spec sheets with a linked calendar, notification and email function. All documents can be stored in an easily accessible central system available to those that need to see them.  

Photo by Wendy Wei from Pexels

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