How concert promoters think: five approaches to concert promotion in Norway

Between artists and the audience, the concert promoter holds an important position within the music industry. This article, based on an empirical study of promoters in Norway, aims to analyse how concert promoters think, what their motivation and attitudes are like, their goals and their perceptions of a good concert and a good promoter. Drawing from both qualitative and quantitative data, we identify two dimensions in concert promotion: a paternalistic and a demand-driven approach. We also identify five typologies of concert promoters: the idealist, the curator, the rationalist, the entrepreneur and the instrumentalist.