Job Description

Sofar Sounds Ambassador: Artist Liaison

Even though Sofar Sounds is present in many countries all around the world, only a few know what it is. I love telling people about it, and I am happy to say that I am an ambassador for it.

Sofar Sounds is a volunteer-based music events startup that allows guest and artist to experience music in an intimate setting. Each month all ambassadors can sign up to work one or two shows. As an ambassador, there are different roles that a person can choose from when deciding to volunteer at Sofar Sounds. These roles depend on everybody’s specific interests and strengths. One can choose between being a photographer, videographer, sound engineer, master of ceremonies, guest liaison or artist liaison. I decided to be an Artist Liaison.  

An Artist Liaison at Sofar Sounds is a person who is the point of contact for the artists that are performing at a specific show. The Artist Liaison relays information about their artists’ performance and assists with their different needs before and during the show.

There are three stages for the duties of an Artist Liaison:

·      Before the show

·      During the Show

·      After the show

I’ll describe these using examples of what I have to do when I sign up to work a show.

Before the Show

My duties before the show are the following:

·      Send artists email with information about the show

·      Ask for an equipment list and guest names

·      Answer any possible questions.

Once I sign up to work a show, I receive information about the show and the artists that are going to be performing.  Then, I proceed to email the artist telling them all the details of the show. For example, I start my email by greeting the artists and introducing myself. Then, I let them know about the time of the show, their set time, the location, and their sound check time. In the same email, I ask the artists to send me information about what kind of equipment they are going to bring. I also ask them to give me the names of their guest for the show. When I receive this information, I proceed to post it to a Google Docs for the other ambassadors to see. Until the day of the show, the artist can email me with any questions they have and I have to respond as soon as I can.

Day of the Show

My duties as an Artist Liaison during the show are the following:

·      Setting equipment

·      Greet artists and help them with their gear

·      Introduce artist to the team

·      Make sure each artist's set runs well

On the day of the show, everybody who volunteered to work that day meets one hour and a half before to organize everything. Before the artists arrive, I usually talk to the audio engineer to see if he or she needs any help with the setup of the audio equipment. Once the artists arrive for the sound check, I greet them and identify myself as the Artist Liaison so that they know I am the person they were emailing with. Then, I introduce them to the team that is working that day and take them to the audio engineer so they can meet and discuss their audio preferences. This is very important to assure that everything is clear and the show runs well. When the artists are sound checking, I go around the place to ensure that the audio sounds good in different parts of the show’s location. Once the show starts my job is only to make sure that each artist is ready to perform when their turn comes. For example, when the first artist is performing their last song, I have to go to the second artist and tell them that they are next and should stand near the stage. The same happens with the third act. When the show finishes, I usually help the artist pack their gear and transport it to the location to where they parked their cars.

After the show

My duties after the show are the following:

·      Fill out a show recap form

·      Send thank you email to artists

Immediately after the show is over, I need to fill out an online form including information about the show and my opinions on what went good or wrong.  About a week after the show, I send thank you emails to the three artists that performed and share the information of the Sofar Sounds Director in case they have further questions about their performance or payment method.