Is There a Way to Decide What Artists to Show?

For any given venue or festival, deciding what artists to show is a very important question in relation to the overall process of running that particular venue or fesitval.  Of course the greatest concern for the company would be the cost for each artist but there are other variables involved in the decision that should be taken into consideration.

For instance, location is an important factor to consider when deciding what artists you would like to have perform.  Not only where the concert is held is important but also the people attending.  The willingness of the audience  to travel long distances will ultimately be determined by what artists are performing.  What I’m trying to get at is how there is almost like a triangle between location, audience, and artists.  The location and artists should help you identify and attract the kind of audience you want.  Where your venue is held will determine the immediate demographic which may be readily available. For example, The Knitting Factory’s immediate demographic is University students and ultimately the Reno/Sparks area. However, what artists they decide to showcase will allow them to attract other people from different areas such as Truckee or even farther away, thus allowing them to expand their audience.

So which is more important the audience or the location? I’m not entirely sure but I have been trying to figure this out for quite sometime.  Please feel free to leave a comment about which one you believe is more important.