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If you look in the “contact” section of your favorite artist’s facebook, website, soundcloud, etc. you should find an e-mail address under "Booking" or “North American Booking.” E-mail this person introducing yourself and saying that you are a student booker at Wesleyan University in Middletown, CT. Sometimes the artist is so lowkey that they only have their personal e-mail listed, so in that case just e-mail them. Make sure to specify "Wesleyan University in Connecticut," because “Wesleyan” could be any of the other Wesleyans — Ohio Wesleyan, Wesleyan College, etc. The location also can help the agent know if the band needs transportation and what kind. Explain that you want to bring the artist to Wesleyan, and ask about their availability for whatever time period you are looking at. Explain that you can’t send an official offer to them without approval from the Concert Committee and ask for an estimate of the offer they’d need to make the show happen. They’ll probably email you with an astronomical figure, but don’t worry! Those numbers usually go down. The main thing you should come out of this step with is a date for the show and an initial price figure from the agent/artist.
DO NOT ALLUDE TO BEING ABLE TO GIVE A BAND ANY CONCRETE OR OFFICIAL NUMBER UNTIL CONCERT COMMITTEE HAS EXPLICITLY GIVEN YOU THAT FIGURE TO PASS ALONG. VERBAL CONTRACTS ARE LEGALLY BINDING IN THE STATE OF CONNECTICUT.
Note: It is good to have steps 2 & 3 done before going to concert committee but you don’t have to have the space reserved to go to CC. just have an idea of the date and what venue you want for the show. steps 2,3, & 4 all have to be done at some point.
Students wishing to host campus events must complete host training through WesNest. Go to the forms section and select Host Training 2022-2023. Depending on who is involved in booking the concert, this may or may not be necessary. When registering an event (next step) you will need to select one host-trained person who can commit to staying at the event for its duration.
Only Primary Contacts and Event Coordinators of registered clubs and House Managers of program houses can physically secure venues through WesNest. If you are not one of these people, fret not, you just need to find a program house or club willing to “sponsor” your event (ie. just find someone to secure the venue for you). For Primary Contacts, Event Coordinators, and House Managers, refer to the Booking a Space in WesNest presentation for instructions on how to book spaces. If you would like to book a show through a program house, reach out to the House Manager of said house. (Some house managers may prefer to be listed as host of program house events, so just make sure to communicate with all parties involved)
Some notes on booking venues: Even if you are booking a show without a contract (i.e., a show with only student acts) PLEASE still register your event. If you don't, there is a significant chance that Public Safety will come thru and shut it down (they might still anyways, but at least this way you won’t get in trouble). Also, to ensure that your show does not end prematurely, register your event to the latest hour possible just in case you run later than you thought you would (it happens a lot). Sunday-Thursday = 11pm, and Friday-Saturday = 2am. If it ends earlier than the time it is registered to, that's okay.
Wesleyan does not permit amplified events to be held on wood frame properties. Below are program houses and other venues that do allow concerts:
Once your event and venue are secured, you will be notified. Yay you have the venue secured! You will need the reservation number they give you in order to submit a contract request (step 5).
Come to a CC meeting on Thursdays, in Usdan 104D (right outside of the WSA office) any time from 5-7 pm. Knock on the door or wait in line. Concert Committee will hear your request (tell them the artist, the date you’re looking at, how much the artist is asking for, and the space that you’ve booked) and email you later that day with an offer to propose to the artist. Then you’ll be an intermediary for a back-and-forth of competing offers, which hopefully doesn’t take too long. Once a number is agreed upon by both Concert Committee and your artist's booking agent, you'll move forward with creating a contract through the contract request form in OrgSync. We recommend submitting a contract request form only after you have secured funding for your event, confirmed your room reservation, and gathered the proper tax documentation from the artist or agency (W-9 usually). All three of these things are necessary to fill out the contract request form but trust us, it feels so good when you have all that stuff and you can just breeze through the form.
n.b. — you CAN go to Concert Committee before you secure a space but if so, you will need to tell them what space you’re thinking of doing the show at. And just know that you’ll have a more convincing case for Concert Committee if you have a space secured before you meet with them.
From Concert Committee: You should come to a Concert Committee meeting or email a member as early in the process as possible, that way we can help you with your negotiations and the other steps of planning a show! This should go without saying, but apparently enough people have already complained to the WSA to have us specify this further: Our budget is finite. Like all money. If you want to have some of this money for a concert that you want to organize, it would stand to reason that you should come to us as early as possible to secure funds before we run out. You can even try to book a show for the next semester if you really want to.
Once you have registered the event, and secured funding and a venue, you need to fill out the contract request. You must complete the Contract Request Form for any non-Wesleyan artist — even if they are performing for free. This should be done no less than 6 full weeks before the supposed show date.
To request a Wesleyan University Contract go to WesNest and under the forms section, select Contract Request Form - Academic Year 2022-2023.
There are two ways contracts are created for shows: either the performer will send you a contract that you will then upload it to the contract request form or the WSA office will have to draw up the contract. You should make sure your performer completes a Wesleyan W-9 (at the bottom of the linked webpage) and sends you any tech/hospitality riders, as this information is needed to draft a contract. The WSA office can help you answer any questions you have about the process and will let you know if they need any additional paperwork. This part of the process takes some time, so make sure to get on the paperwork as early as possible.
Note: Artists who are receiving more than $1500 for their performance will need to submit or acquire a certificate of insurance (COI). Also, the WSA does not accept outside contracts (i.e., a contract that the band’s agency drafts up and sends to you) for artists making less than $5000.
You can also apply for funding from SALD if your artist has requested food or other things on their rider. Incredibly, they will not fund all of that alcohol or bagged ice that your artist labelled as "absolutely necessary" on their rider. SALD frequently gives $100 to each show, and allocates funds on Monday mornings. Make sure you request the funds at least five business days before the event. If you still need additional funding, the SBC may able to throw some your way. You'll have to submit an SBC budget request through the student group that's hosting your show and attend one of their meetings at 6pm on Mondays. This is a great option if your artist is leading a discussion or teaching a masterclass.
For most shows, all you need to do is fill out a request (at least 7 days prior to the show) for Sound Co-Op to staff and set up your event. It’s better to request sound co-op equipment earlier because they can get booked on some weekend nights quickly. The agent or band will send you what is called a "tech rider" or "backline rider" that will list all of the equipment they need. You should check that list against the available equipment that Sound Co-Op has, and be sure to inform the agent of whatever equipment is unavailable. Feel free to contact Jace Arouet (jarouet@wes) with questions.
If Sound Co-Op isn’t available because of broken equipment or if all the equipment is being taken for other shows, use IMS. For bigger budget shows, or at the artists' request, you may have to get nicer equipment from an outside company in the area like Ace Audio or Harvest Wood Audio, or even IMS.
Make a Facebook event. Put up fliers. Tell your friends. Tell your listservs. Get your show on Aural Wes. Submit it to Wesleying. Use some chalk. Whatever. You’ll probably want people there.
Even if you’ve done everything right, your event day will be at least a bit stressful, but there won’t be anything you can’t handle — just keep your emergency contact list handy and don’t be afraid to ask a friend to help you set things up. It’s so much easier and more enjoyable to do it with a friend. When you schedule times, be sure to give yourself ample wiggle room for sound check, and set changes; OVER PLAN. Always be aware of the possibilities. The best feeling is when the night is over, your artist just did an unforgettable set, and everyone is happy. Give yourself a pat on the back.
