I’ve come to understand that concerts aren’t for everyone! Although, if you’re a concert lover like me your ideal night out involves a live performance and being surrounded by friends singing along to your favorite songs. But concert tickets can be costly. They don’t come with payment plans (well, traditionally they don’t. Festivals like Governer’s Ball have offered the service for their tickets and we’re hoping it catches on!). Truly, nothing sounds more like heaven when the words “concert” and “free” get together. So we’ve figured out two ways that hopefully help satisfy your musical cravings on a college student’s budget.
Seat-Filling Opportunities – Have you ever looked at a televised performance and hoped to be one of the lucky ones in the audience? That group of people you we’re smitten with jealousy over are known as seat fillers. Major networks hire companies to select groups of people to provide passes with to some of the most major live performances.
- 1iota is a website that frequently casts for these events. Some of their past events include the NBA All Star Weekend, VH1 Divas, Christmas in Rockefeller Center, the MTV Movie Awards, and the iHeartRadio Music Festival. Aside from some of the biggest annual productions, they also cast for some of the most popular series like The Voice, The View, Jimmy Kimmel Live, and The Late Late Show.
- On Camera Audiences is another site that does casting for some of TV’s biggest shows. In our area they are currently casting for America’s Got Talent and So You Think You Can Dance.
- Morning Show Concert Series – Shows like Good Morning America and the Today Show run concert series during the summer in outdoor places in NYC. While these events usually occur during the wee hours of the morning, a super-early morning can pay off with an awesome concert experience.
- Late Night Performances – These performances don’t usually happen at late night, but if you can make it into the city during the show’s filming time, then this is a great opportunity for you to plan a trip with some friends. Tickets are typically released a month in advance. Additionally, some shows even go above and beyond for the fans of their musical acts by posting tickets just for the musical act.
Here’s the key thing for concert lovers, all of these shows have musical guests that, while they may not perform an entire concert, you will have seen them perform for free! Who can pass that up?!
Testing Your LuckThese opportunities are said to be the hardest to win, but I’m here to tell you that you miss all the chances that you don’t take! What can you lose? Go ahead and put in your name in the running.
- Radio & Television – Calling in to your radio station or television station can seem like a one in a million chance. You call and hear busy tones, but honestly you can get through with luck and persistence. Radio stations big and small give them away from Z100 to our very own Brave New Radio WP88.7 FM. As for television, sometimes they don’t even use a third party casting source; they just reach out to fans on their own. MTV and VH1 have tweeted out before about special performances for their own media and want fans to come be a part of the audience. Keep an eye out for when they do share info like that.
- Print – Music and pop culture magazines and newspapers love giving their readers opportunities to attend concerts and other events. Find one that caters to your musical tastes, though I would recommend that the smaller the publication the greater your chances of winning. Don’t shy away from entering bigger contests though; you might win!
- Digital – Keep an eye out for blogs, websites, and social media accounts that use their social sites as sources of info for concert content. They love to do giveaways and release info on free events. Here are two sites I recommend to keep you in the loop of free events.
o ILoveFreeConcerts – This website and social media brand’s whole purpose is to provide fans with free concert experiences. They keep an up to date calender of free events and any concerts that may not be free but that they are giving away tickets to. They’re a great source for all genres and events – from low-key and intimate up to avant-garde mega shows.
I took this shot of Lorde performing her hit “Royals” when I got to see her through ILoveFreeConcerts.
o MyFreeConcertNY – This account lets you in on free concerts going on specifically in NYC, links to giveaways, and for those 21 & over, they also spread the word on where to find free alcohol in the city.
I must disclaim that these things involve waiting. If you have patience, it can pay off. For those who prefer an easier experience, I would suggest just sticking to the normal ticket process. But a lot of patience and a bit of luck will take you a long way.
I share these techniques because I have personally used them! I’ve seen Jason Derulo, Lorde, Iggy Azalea, the Jonas Brothers, Demi Lovato, Katy Perry, Ne-Yo and others for free through these opportunities. I hope that they work for you, keep your eyes peeled, collegeiettes!
Image Source: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Paramore_Concert.jpg
Image Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manchester_Arena