2021 is Going to be a Crazy Year for Performance Artists.

As event organisers grapple with getting their events up and running at some point in 2021 there is of course a knock-on effect on booking performance artists. Organisers are running multiple scenarios and looking at all their contingency plans in light of the coronavirus pandemic that persists in disrupting normal life around the world. 

The majority of performance artists have not performed live for the bulk of 2021 leaving many facing a substantial loss in revenue. Trying to look forward on a positive note the live events industry is pushing forward with dates for later in 2021 despite the year starting under a lockdown set in many cases until March. What steps can performance artists take to maximise their live performance opportunities in 2021?

Book Multiple Events. 
Artists and their management team should reach out to venues and festival organisers to secure as many dates as possible even if they clash. Try and be up front with event organisers and get an understanding of their contingency plans in place for date and venue changes. Prioritise the events that the artists would benefit from most, either in audience size or potential fees to be earned. In the current climate most artist bookings are being made as tentative or provisional anyway.

Check Contracts and Advances. 
Event organiser contracts and advances are likely to contain new clauses regarding the payment of fess should an event get cancelled, rescheduled or the artist falls ill themselves. Negotiate these at an early stage so that the level of commitment is fully understood and the financial implications of cancellation for whatever reason.

Be Prepared. 
Check any insurance policies in force and fully understand what is covered and what is not, in many cases insurers are refusing to issue policies relating to live event cancellation but policies do exist albeit with high premiums. Artists should be prepared to shift their schedules at the last minute, a confirmed date and venue could be changed with just a few days or hours notice so they should build in their own contingency plans for logistics. This could involve the travel and movement of the artist and their team along with any associated equipment.

If and when the coronavirus pandemic is brought under control expect there to be a boom in live events. Artists and their management teams should be prepared for a crazy year in 2021, going form no live events to many along with flexible dates and schedules. If events do resume performance artists are likely to be some of the busiest and hardest working people in the live events industry, let's hope so.

For any event organisers planning their 2021 events using a software management platform like Festival Pro gives them all the functionality they need to plan every aspect of their event. 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 Festival Pro platform is easy to use and has comprehensive features with specific modules for managing artists, contractors, vendors, volunteers, sponsors guestlists and ticketing. The artists module enables dynamic booking, scheduling and advancing giving the organisers complete control over the artist booking and scheduling process. 

Image by Markus Spiske via Pexels

<< Back to articles