English
Association of Live Music Promoters Norway is founded to promote the interests of venues, festivals and local promoters. Our vision is: Great gigs for everybody! We want to have the best promoters that can guarantee that their concert will be a great experience first for the audience, but also for bands, bookers, managers, band and local crew. It might seem obvious, but in this long stretched country made up of fjords and mountains, and populated with barely 4.5 million people, nothing really is.
Association of Live Music Promoters Norway is founded to promote the interests of venues, festivals and local promoters. Our vision is: Great gigs for everybody! We want to have the best promoters that can guarantee that their concert will be a great experience first for the audience, but also for bands, bookers, managers, band and local crew. It might seem obvious, but in this long stretched country made up of fjords and mountains, and populated with barely 4.5 million people, nothing really is.
Great gigs and concert experiences for the audience need good promoters and it is the Norwegian Rock Association’s mission to keep our members updated and inspired so they can give their audience even more and better concert experiences in a safe environment.
All concert promoters who meet the criteria set by the General Assembly may be granted a membership in the Association. As a member you can attend our seminars for free. Popular topics are:
- Health & security
- Budgeting, cost control, taxes
- Funding and sponsoring
- Organizational and professional development
- PR & marketing
- Booking & programming
- Identity – How to distinguish yourself from other venues and festivals
- Environment – Green gigs
The seminars also work as a great place for networking as do festivals and music business conferences like by:Larm. The members hold a lot of expertise and we believe the best way of learning is to learn from each other. ALMP Norway work politically to improve the members terms and conditions. Important subjects are:
- Safety requirements
- Police costs
- Black market ticket sales
- Taxes and regulations
- Governmental funding
There are many things to keep track of as a promoter, especially for festivals and venues. ALMP Norway helps the members to be updated on laws and regulations for tax, artist tax, VAT, safety at work and work hours, insurances, and a lot more.
The members
By 11.22.2010 ALMP Norway had 242 members. They are all listed on our website, and can be sorted alphabetically, in 19 counties or in four subgroups:Festivals, rock clubs/venues, college venues and blues clubs.
Festivals
Most of the festivals in Norway presenting pop/rock music are members of ALMP Norway. They range from small, local festivals with 500-1000 up to 10 000 – 15 000 visitors a day. Most festivals are presenting a mix of hip-hop and RnB, pop, rock and metal, up and coming
acts, and both Norwegian and international headliners. As the blues music scene is big in Norway, you will also find a large number of blues festivals from the south and all the way to the far north. Famous for giving birth to a long list of metal bands, the metal fans also have several festivals to choose from. A few festivals stand out for presenting smaller acts and genres outside of the mainstream. Over the past few years festivals have become even more popular, and Norway does not differ from the rest of Europe in that matter. However, due to Norway´s fjords and mountains, many Norwegian festivals can add a little something extra beside the artistic program. No valleys too deep, no mountains too high – it seems like the more challenges the festivals have due to the festival site or logistics, the better! And bringing in local food, history and traditions on top of this, and mixing it with the contemporary, gives the visitor an unforgettable festival experience.
Venues / Rock clubs
From small clubs/promoters run by volunteers, and from time to time presenting acts at different venues and bars, to 400-1800 capacity venues with something going on almost every day, this group of members differs the most from each other. You will find a mix of punk and hardcore, electronic, pop, singer/songwriters, rock and metal, some being true to their genre, others with a desire to create a place for all kinds of artistic and musical expression. With a few exceptions you will find the venues and clubs promoting international acts on a regular basis in the biggest cities (Oslo, Bergen,Trondheim, Tromsø, Stavanger and Kristiansand).
College venues
Due to regional politics Universities and colleges are found in all the 19 counties. Some of them even split in smaller local departments. Therefore you will find 30 college venues from the south to the north of which 10-12 organize shows on a regular basis, some of them up to two-three times a week in spring and fall semester. Run by students volunteering to give their fellow study friends a place to hang out, the college venues attract a young crowd eager to party.
Blues Clubs/societies
At the end of the 90´s a few blues clubs got together and formed the Norwegian Blues Union. After a while they decided to join ALMP Norway which again led tothe foundation of even more blues clubs. In 2010 they are counting approximately 60. Also in this group of members the differences are great, some being a place to meet other blues lovers, some having 2-3 shows every weekend. Outside Norway the blues clubs are well known for the way they are organized and their magazine Blues News, and representatives from the blues scene and ALMP Norway have been able to help out clubs in our neighbor countries, taking an active role in the newly founded European Blues Foundation and so on.
Publications
We now offer six books and smaller publications.
Environmental Handbook
-gives you practical advice on how to care for the environment during festivals and big outdoor events. Some of the topics are waste disposal, energy and HS&E work. The Environmental Handbook is made available in English online by The Øya Festival: www.environmental-handbook.com
Available in Norwegian only:
Great gigs
- How to organize successful concerts
The art of being yourself
– How to stand out from other festivals and venues?
There’s gonna be some rockin ‘
- Recruitment and motivation of volunteers
Security Handbook
-for venues and smaller promoters
Teenage kicks
- Youths need great gigs too!
Security Guide
As a festival organizer or bigger promoter you have a great responsibility to the artists, staff, and not least the audience. ALMP Norway takes security seriously and published the Security Handbook in 2006 with a second edition in 2008. In 2010 Norway will get it’s equivalent to to the UK’s «Purple Guide» – a complete guide in how to implement a safe festival or arena show.