What does a Concert/Event Producer do?
Part event planner, part operations coordinator, and part technical director, a concert and event producer is charged with guiding live events from ideation to completion. They manage everything from booking artists and hiring staff to preparing the venue and equipment, working with a wide range of professionals to ensure successful events, concerts, or festivals.
At a Glance
Concert and event producers come from diverse backgrounds, including professional musicians, bandleaders, music directors, live experience designers, or video jockeys. Many work their way up through operations, starting as event staff and advancing to operations coordinators, production managers, and finally producers. Experience in the music industry, understanding how to work with talent buyers, promoters, artist managers, and venue managers, is essential.
Concert and event producers might get their start as an event or operations staff member, stagehand, lighting tech, sound tech, or carpenter, all of which are good ways to observe the many moving parts involved in the production process. However, nothing beats practical experience and ingenuity in this field, and particularly savvy aspirants can skip several rungs up the career ladder by independently producing successful events on a limited budget, often working with local bands and performers to do so.
- Personnel management (hiring, scheduling, oversight)
- Project and schedule management
- Developing and maintaining production budgets
- Written and verbal communication
- Contract negotiation
- Organization
- Problem solving
Collaborative, organized, detail-oriented, efficient, cool under pressure. They excel at breaking large tasks into smaller ones and coordinating diverse groups of professionals towards a common goal. Excellent multitasking, communication, and problem-solving skills are also essential.
The role generally means long hours, including nights, weekends, and holidays. Producers are often among the last to leave the venue to ensure staff, performers, and vendors are paid. Administrative duties begin months before a show. It is a demanding role that often requires travel or a focus on a single city's scene.
