“We only book acts we’ve seen…”

It’s so annoying! And it’s not always TRUE, even though it’s not a lie*.

A LOT of hosts/venues insist on seeing an artist before they book them, and that makes complete sense. They’ve spent months/years building an audience, and earning their trust that the concerts are always great. And MAYBE, they once had an experience where they were impressed with an artist’s online channels, but were disappointed/embarrassed by the concert that took place.

That’s when they create the new RULE: Must see you play in person before booking.

So what is a touring artist to do? With the help of our REMINDER button, you switch to the long game. Here’s an example::

I’m booking a tour of Florida in September because I like mosquitos and hurricanes. One of the hosts I want to approach says they must see me before booking. OK. On their profile, I set a reminder that I want to reach out to them 4 weeks before my Florida shows, with a message like

“Hi Host, since you only book acts you’ve seen, I have booked 3 shows in your area in September, and I’d be delighted to put you on our guest list for any of the three shows… [list of dates, nearby cities.] It would be so great to meet you and to see if our live show connects with you like we think it will. Please let us know if you can make one!”

Ninja move: If no response, try again 10 days later.

Shaolin Master: If no response, try 2 days before the first show.

Buddha: Rest. Enjoy the tour as it was meant to be.

USE the reminder button. It can be super-effective.

*Not a lie? – I’ve seen more than one host break this rule when the right act with an undeniable video reaches out.

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New feature: Remind me to make booking inquiry.

For artists and agents.

Let’s say you find a venue or host that is a good fit for you, but you decide it would be best to wait to contact them. Between the booking request and the dismiss buttons, there is now a “Remind Me” button.

On a date you select, we’ll send you a reminder email with a link to the venue profile, and their updated booking info, like this:

The sample text is blah… but you could add notes about why you want to reach out to that host, or what to check for next time you visit the profile.

No more missed opportunities. No more rushed contacts. Good timing can make significant difference in your success.

I hope you find this new feature helpful.

Note: Only one reminder per venue. This allows you to revisit and adjust the date if you wish.

RSVP automation for LRN hosts and venues!

Have you ever lost an attendee or two, because

• you didn’t reply to their RSVP soon enough or at all?
• you forgot to send them a reminder email, and they forgot about their commitment to you?

Or maybe you get it done every time, but would enjoy a little automation?

We’ve made substantial improvements for hosts and venues in our network, to solve these problems for you.

Our new RSVP system now has the following:

1. Auto-confirmations – RSVPs can receive an automatic reply saying “confirmed!” with instructions, directions, etc.
2. Customized confirmation/reminder messages – use the prepared template, and/or add anything you wish.
3. Auto-reminders – 2 days before your show, confirmed RSVPs get a reminder message.
4. FULL – setting if you’d like to stop getting RSVPs for a particular event.

We have a lot more planned as well, including a “wait list” setting and guest list printout.

In the next few months we’ll also be promoting our new fan memberships, to help boost attendance at your shows.

So take a minute to list your upcoming shows, try out the new stuff, and maybe connect with some new people!

Notice the RSVPs (30) and the (auto) confirmation setting in the image below!

 

LRN 2018 – a recap of improvement for venues and hosts.

In 2018, we rebuilt our entire platform for you. Here are the improvements we are most happy to share:

• Fan memberships launched to attract a growing audience well-fit for our events.
• Twice-monthly fan newsletter to announce upcoming shows and trigger RSVPs to your events.
• Updated webflyers that are more attractive and mobile friendly.
• Improved concert calendars.
• … and the launch of our brand new RSVP system.

The RSVP system is very basic, and this is your opportunity to give us feedback as we build out more robust features. What would you like to see.. auto-reminders? Wait list options?

We also addressed issues of safety and privacy this year. Our network is now private, and memberships are required for people to see any details about your events. This is also a buffer to allow private concerts to be truly private, and to minimize the chances that PRO organizations will solicit our members for licensing fees. We also believe that the small $10 fee for fan memberships is a good filter to make sure we attract people who care.

What is truly exciting for us is that 90% of the work/investment we made in 2018 was invisible. It was infrastructure investment to create a solid platform for future development. In 2019, we expect a lot of our work to really shine and create noticeable value for you.

Thanks for being part of this.

Fran Snyder

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