Live Music Industry Software – An Anti-Stress Solution?

Everyone knows that life as a working, but not super-famous live music performer can be stressful. You’ve got to worry when you’ll get the next gig, deal with the business side of things, get better at your craft, and deliver a kick-ass performance every time you get the chance. It’s no-doubt exhausting. But performers aren’t the only folks in the business who suffer from high rates of stress – not by a long shot.

The Survey Says: Promoters, and Venue Organizers Suffer Too

Last year, a survey published by a ticketing service in the UK called Skiddle, found “astronomical” levels of stress among promoters, venue owners and event organizers in the live music industry. Incredibly, of the 520 respondents:

• 82% complained of stress
• 67% said they have anxiety
• 40% said that they had experienced depression – far higher than the UK national average. 
• 10% said that they have OCD as a direct result of their work in the music industry.

“The results of this survey do not make for an easy read, and it’s troubling to see that so many promoters are struggling with their mental health and wellbeing,” says Skiddle’s Ben Sebborn said. “Skiddle has been working alongside independent and large-scale promoters for nearly two decades and fully appreciate how difficult the job can be.”

There’s no reason to believe that the levels of stress and anxiety reported in the UK are any different in the US. In fact, barriers to physical and mental healthcare may make the problem worse here. 

What does this have to do with live music industry software? We’ll get there, but first..

So What?

It is easy, especially for relatively young and healthy people, to shrug off the idea of suffering from stress. Stress is part of life, right? Music promoters, venue owners, and event planners aren’t the sort of folks who are looking for a typical, predictably boring 9-5, so if you look at this data and say, “Big whoop,” we aren’t shocked, but we urge you give it another thought. 

According to the American Institute of Stress, stress impacts your body in the following ways and more:

• Headaches – Stress can trigger tension headaches.
• Depression – Chronic stress wears on you emotionally and can lead to clinical depression.
• Heartburn – Stress increases the production of stomach acid, and that can cause or worsen heartburn.
• Insomnia – Stress makes it harder to fall asleep and stay asleep. (This is an even bigger concern for people who tend to work at night.)
• Weakened immune system – You become more vulnerable to infections. 
• Risk of a heart attack – High blood pressure and other stress-related factors make you more likely to suffer a heart attack.
• Erectile dysfunction and low sex drive – Who needs that?

You definitely want to avoid all of these problems, but how?

There is no one solution. Healthy habits will help, but so will eliminating some of the stressors associated with your work. That’s where live music industry software comes in.

In with Technology, Out with Stress (Seriously)

We get it. Technology may be something that you think causes more stress than it helps. Often that’s true. Crappy software or cobbled together solutions can make your life much harder and make you want to throw your laptop off of the building and your phone out of the car. A lot of the software targeted toward live music industry professionals does suck. Fortunately, you can find the perfect solution for streamlining your tasks and reducing your tension. Here’s what it must do for you.

Integrated Processes for a Smooth Workflow

If you are using email, spreadsheets, IM, and a Google calendar to manage your life, it’s no wonder you want to tear your hair out. Disconnected apps and software lead to errors, syncing issues, and missed communications. All of this can directly take money out of your pocket and years off your life. (Well maybe that’s dramatic but see the list of problems caused by stress above.)  Forget all of that. Search until you find live music industry software that is one solution for all of your primary needs. (Hint: look here.)

Calendar Management

Calendar management is one of the most stressful aspects of the music industry. You can find a tool that is designed specifically to manage holds for all rooms, markets, and shows in one place. You can easily add multiple dates or holds to a show with just a click. You’ll get hold reports that help reduce the amount of time you have to spend communicating with agents and promoters. And most importantly, you can work from anywhere on any device you want.  

Offer Generation

Offer generation is a risky business. If done haphazardly you appear unprofessional. If done incorrectly, you risk losing money on the event. Live music industry software lets you create a professional, branded document in no time at all. You can build any size offer with break-even calculations at hand. You can toggle between deal types to see which works best and control which information is visible in your offer. You’ll have accurate revenue, profit, and break-even estimates, taking the pressure off of your back.

Revenue and Expense Tracking

For many owners and promoters, there is a disconnect between the things they love about the job and the things that are necessary to make it profitable. Tracking expenses and creating detailed budgets isn’t everyone’s cup of brew, but it is essential to earning a living. With the right technology, you can automate that stress out of existence with complete tracking of costs and sales in one place. Your ticketing platform automatically updates your sales numbers, while you track expenses as they occur. ROI becomes apparent, letting you make smart decisions about every event. 

Settlement

The Skiddle study didn’t report on the specific things that make venue owners and promoters so stressed, but we bet if they did settlement would be toward the top of the list. There’s a better way. Live music industry software lets you track and report adjustments, payout methods, and additional costs and revenue in one click. You get a customized, branded settlement sheet and an instant summary of payments and what is still owed. Love calculating tax payments? We didn’t think so. The software will do it for you along with other variable expenses so that you always pay your artist accurately. 

Music Industry Software Done Right

Life in the music biz is never going to be stress-free, but why not eliminate it wherever you can? Software designed to make your life a little easier is a good place to start.