It isn’t everyday that one releases an album so it seems perfectly reasonable to celebrate. But make no mistake, planning an album launch party is not a celebration for the sake of celebration. It is a celebration for the purpose of ingratiating yourself with an audience and exposing them to the excitement you have about your new album.
Shoot for epic, one for the ages, and in addition to It being the perfect way to bringing attention to your new music, it’s also a great way for you to show your following a little fan appreciation.
The Plan
So in order to do album launch party planning right you are going to have to think big and out of the box. So strap on your event coordinator hat and start dreaming up a party the likes of which have never been seen.
The first thing to do is come up with the overall theme of your party. Once you have come to a consensus on what that is, you can get right to sketching out some ideas and activities as well as a first draft of an Itinerary for the night.
Lets start with invitations… That may be cool, maybe there is some password at the door. when your guests arrive. Dial up the theatrics. An MC for the night could be a good idea, Decorate the venue to correspond with the theme. Have contests and prizes as well as giveaways interspersed throughout the night. An album Launch party should be so much more than an ordinary live show… heck you could auction off your bassist for charity.
If you are just starting out and releasing music before you’ve built a fanbase, that’s ok. Your next album will warrant a huge release party. In the meantime, we have a great resource to help you build the fanbase that you’ll need for your follow up album. Good Luck!
Make Sure You Have Product
So before you get to far ahead of yourself and before you secure dates be sure that you are certain to have physical units on hand to give away and sell at your event.. It would be counterintuitive for you to put on a launch party whilst you are without an album to release. To help you choose the best for your album release, We have published an informative article. Have a look!
So keep that in mind in your planning. That goes for any other merchandise you might be able to sell or give away at the event. Including any T-shirts or promotional items.
You may even think about producing a limited print T-shirt or promo item to signify the night. It could be a nice touch. And not to sound like a broken record, but just be sure that’s all in hand prior to your big night.
If you haven’t finished your album yet and you need help with deciding to release a full length or just release singles, here is an article to help. Check it out!
What’s The Budget
Your budget is going to determine the extent of your album launch party planning. Keep in mind that no matter the scale at which you are doing things, you should be ready to throw in a bit more for this one, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
You may be able to get some feature in your local press simply because it is out of the ordinary and if your local radio station or morning show is supportive of your local scene then they may invite you on to discuss it and while you out there mixing it up with the press don’t forget to invite them to your event.
Once you have determined what your budget is you can get on to making some other determinations, one of which is what other bands are going to be playing on the bill.
Choose a line up
It’s a good idea to try to piece together the lineup for the show by yourself. That way you can be sure that the collective fans of each of the bands may enjoy the entirety of the show. Additionally you should have some idea about the other bands ability to draw numbers. This will matter most when you finally have to ask a venue to let you promote your own night. That venue will be more agreeable if you have chosen three acts on the bill that have a reputation for being able to put people into the club.
Choosing a Venue
That brings us to choosing a venue. This may be one of those occasions where your good reputation will have to pay a dividend for you. You may need to ask a favor of one of the venue managers you know.
But before you get that far decide if there isn’t some other extra ordinary place you may want to have the event and determine the feasibility of doing so. For instance you may like to play an outdoor show somewhere.
Wherever it is you wind up having your event make sure you secure all of the necessary permissions to have your party legally.
You will also need to make your best guess as to a potential head count. That will help you determine the size of the place you’ll need. Keep in mind that an album release party is extra special and it is common for events like these to have a greater turn out than an ordinary live show. So plan for that.
Additionally you’ll have account for the potential numbers that may follow the other bands on the lineup
After you’ve finished all of your brainstorming about where is best and you have targeted in on one or two facilities go ahead and reach out to the Venue Manager.
Keep in mind that the further you plan this ahead the more likely it will be for you to get away with what you are wanting to do. So be early.
Recap
Put together a great party, Have a great time, Invite everyone including the press. Give away some copies of the new album as prizes throughout the event. Have merchandise and physical copies of albums available to purchase at the party. If you lean into the fan appreciation it will go over with out a hitch.
Online Following
If you still have time, you may want to think about your fans in other parts of the country or world who may follow you through social media. It may be wise to video stream a live feed of the event on YouTube so that your hardcore followers in other areas can feel apart of the big night.
Having a live feed of your event is especially great for you fans worldwide. I know, It’s so glamourous. If you want some tips for cultivating your fanbase abroad here is our guide. Read it!
Lastly
Hopefully one or two of these thoughts were of some use to you. Good luck with your album launch party planning and congratulations on finishing that album. If you are are struggling between whether to release an album or to release monthly singles, this guide is our parting gift. Have a read. There are many great takeaways!