Corporate Sponsors for Performance Artists.

Corporate sponsorship is big business and globally worth in excess of $63 Billion a year. Aside from sports sponsorship many organisations regularly sponsor music festivals but increasing in popularity is the sponsorship of performance artists. Why are corporations sponsoring artists and musicians and how is this market developing.

Corporate and brand sponsorship for artists can take many forms and is growing in popularity. It gives brands greater reach to their desired audience and helps support artists in the career progression. 

Audience Reach. 
In the same way that influencers can command lucrative sponsorship deals any performance artist that has a sizable following on social media will be attractive to brands who are looking for ways to increase their audience reach. If the artist has possession of their follower profiles it will greatly assist any potential sponsor in deciding to make a financial commitment. Equally the artist will quite likely need to be willing to fulfil an element of endorsement for that brand in return for sponsorship.

Best Fit. 
An artist will not accept sponsorship from any brand because they will have their own criteria for doing a deal with any potential sponsor. Whether it’s politics, environmental considerations or other social factors the artist may have specific standards they expect their sponsor to uphold. This is because any adverse publicity the corporate sponsor receives will also reflect on the artist’s reputation perceived by their followers and fans.

New Opportunities. 
As social media and the realm of the influencer grows in importance the sponsorship opportunities for artists will increase. Whether they’re a new up and coming musician who is struggling financially or an established artist there are numerous opportunities available. Taco Bell have been running a sponsorship programme (Feed the Beat) that supports almost 2,000 artists and bands. Their programme provides free Taco Bell food vouchers, tour fuel and other support to increase exposure. At the other end of the scale the biggest brands that provide some sponsorship for musicians and artists include Gucci, Uber, Verizon and Anheuser-Busch InBev. Whilst they focus on larger concerts and music festivals, they also sponsor individual big-name artists too.

The whole music sponsorship market is possibly one of the fastest growing sectors in the sponsorship business and it is likely that more brands will be looking to provide sponsorship to individual artists in the future. Sponsoring a music festival or large event can be great for brand awareness but driving audience engagement and sales is a much more interesting aspect that potential sponsors are interested in. This is where the role of the artist as an influencer comes in because their fan base provides an opportunity for a brand to reach that specific audience directly. 

For festival organisers planning their events using a software management platform like Festival Pro gives them all the functionality they need manage every aspect of their event logistics including sponsorship arrangements that artists may have. 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, venues/stages, vendors, volunteers, sponsors, guestlists, ticketing, cashless payments and contactless ordering.

Photo by Eva Klanduchova from Pexels

<< Back to articles