How to Write a Proposal for a Music Concert

Any fledgling band or musician needs to play concerts to develop a fan base and get the music heard. Many festivals and venues require music concert proposals from bands in order to consider hosting their concerts. The goal of these proposals is to inform the concert organizer about the band, its music and its promotion strategy so that the organizer can evaluate whether the concert is likely to be a success. A good proposal will be clear and descriptive, and relate to both the commercial and artistic attributes of the band or musician. Most important, it must be persuasive.

Obtain a concert proposal form from the music festival or venue you are applying to. Many have ready-made forms that detail exactly what information they're looking for.

Give the basic information such as the name of your act, the contact person and his or her contact information, and your website (if you have one). Note the dates you are available to perform.

Provide a short artist biography, including some of the band's or artist's musical achievements and previous concerts. This should be one or two paragraphs. You want to be descriptive, but relatively objective.

Describe your concert program. Include how many sets you want to play and how long the sets will be. For classical musicians, include which pieces you will be performing, who the composers are, and approximately how long the pieces will last.

Attach a sound file with a sample of the artist's music if the proposal will be submitted by email or online. If the proposal is submitted in hard copy, include a CD.

Describe your ideas for promotion, and mention how you currently promote yourself (Facebook, Twitter, etc.). If you already have promotional materials like posters or photos, you may include them.