Evidence and accuracy · 30%
Claims are sourced, assumptions are visible, calculations are reproducible and uncertainty is not hidden.
Academic-style open course · KECB-MUS310
Live Music Programming and Venue Management
Design a sustainable live-music portfolio, book and advance artists, operate show nights, develop audiences and evaluate program economics.
Measurable learning
Course outcomes
- Map a regional music ecosystem and position a venue within it.
- Compare live-music formats by purpose, cost, operational demand and audience promise.
- Prepare offers, agreements, advances, staffing and production systems.
- Design ethical audience-development, access and promotion plans.
- Analyze cover, sponsorship and program economics.
- Present a launch-ready recurring music-night proposal.
Assessment architecture
How learning is evaluated
| Assessment | Weight |
|---|---|
| Music ecosystem map | 10% |
| Format comparison brief | 10% |
| Booking and advance packet | 20% |
| Six-week promotion plan | 15% |
| Show-night simulation | 15% |
| Program economics memo | 10% |
| Final recurring-night proposal | 20% |
Academic integrity
Evidence rules
- Label facts, sourced claims, observations, assumptions and unresolved questions separately.
- Do not invent venue data, biographies, financial records, safety facts or legal conclusions.
- Use real organizations only with permission or rely on clearly labeled simulations.
- Disclose assistance, templates and generative tools according to the instructor’s policy.
- Protect private guest, worker, artist and student information.
Weekly sequence
Read, apply and submit
Each week connects the free book library to a concrete tool or operating exercise. Instructors may substitute current peer-reviewed readings and local requirements.
Week 1Why music nights and how portfolios workDefine the strategic job of each night rather than copying formats.
Read and review
Submit or demonstrate
Compare three possible nights and recommend one based on audience, room and operating capacity.
Week 2The Texas music ecosystemMap writers, developing acts, regional circuits, agents, venues and community organizations.
Read and review
Submit or demonstrate
Produce a regional ecosystem map with at least twelve attributable nodes and relationship notes.
Week 3Legal, licensing and rights foundationIdentify the questions that require current official guidance before programming.
Submit or demonstrate
Create a compliance question log and route each question to an appropriate official source or professional.
Week 4Songwriter, open-mic and intimate formatsEvaluate low-production formats without assuming they are low-management.
Apply
Submit or demonstrate
Design operating standards for one participatory or listening-room format.
Week 5Featured artists, residencies and house bandsCompare one-off, recurring and developmental artist relationships.
Read and review
Submit or demonstrate
Write a decision memo selecting the right relationship model for a given room.
Week 6Showcases, jams and specialty nightsMatch curation and participation rules to the promise of the night.
Submit or demonstrate
Create a format charter covering eligibility, timing, host authority and audience expectations.
Week 7Dance, regional and culturally specific programmingProgram with cultural context, appropriate partners and clear claims.
Read and review
Submit or demonstrate
Develop a consultation and sourcing plan before launching a culturally specific night.
Week 8Booking mechanics and talent-buying choicesCompare self-booking, agents, promoters and outside buyers.
Read and review
Submit or demonstrate
Evaluate three offers and document both financial and operational risk.
Week 9Artist development and relationship systemsBuild repeatable expectations that benefit artists and venues.
Read and review
Submit or demonstrate
Create a development ladder and communication standard for emerging acts.
Week 10Sound, stage and production flowTranslate the musical promise into safe, workable production.
Read and review
Submit or demonstrate
Prepare a stage-flow plan and identify production assumptions requiring confirmation.
Week 11The door, cancellation and first impressionDesign cover, entry, refund and cancellation communication as part of the show.
Read and review
Submit or demonstrate
Write a door standard covering guest information, late changes and escalation.
Week 12Promotion and audience developmentBuild a following through consistent promises, partnerships and post-show learning.
Submit or demonstrate
Produce a six-week campaign with artist, venue and community responsibilities.
Week 13Calendar, economics and sponsorshipBalance artistic identity with capacity, cash and portfolio risk.
Submit or demonstrate
Submit an economics memo with assumptions, break-even range and sponsor boundaries.
Week 14Measurement and program correctionDistinguish a weak launch, a poor fit and an operational failure.
Read and review
Submit or demonstrate
Review a simulated eight-week data set and recommend continue, revise or stop.
Week 15Capstone: launch-ready recurring nightIntegrate format, talent, operations, production, promotion, access and economics.
Read and review
Apply
Submit or demonstrate
Present a complete recurring-night proposal and answer questions from an artist, manager, guest and finance perspective.
Common capstone rubric
What strong work must demonstrate
Operational usefulness · 25%
The work assigns owners, deadlines, resources, decisions and realistic next actions.
Stakeholder and ethical judgment · 20%
The plan considers workers, guests, artists, students, neighbors and community consequences.
Integration and reasoning · 15%
Recommendations connect across departments and explain tradeoffs rather than listing disconnected tactics.
Communication and defense · 10%
The final presentation is clear, concise and responsive to questions and contrary evidence.
Core source library
Required reading base
The assigned Keep ’Em Coming Back chapters and tools form the applied source base. Institutional instructors should add peer-reviewed scholarship and current official requirements.
Teach or adapt this course responsibly
Use the instructor resources for lesson planning, assessment blueprints, accessible delivery, bibliography records and capstone review.