Kevin McReynolds is the founder and CEO of Highlyfe Entertainment, which is, in our opinion, the best promoter for college parties and concerts in the United States. Kevin’s a friend of COED, so we thought that with the school year approaching, you all might like to know how you should go about hiring rappers or artists for your fraternity parties. Here’s his advice…
Whether you’re a social chair in college or just a concerned fraternity brother who wants to have fun, oftentimes you are always thinking of ways to make your events over-the-top and have that “it” factor. So let me give you some tips to help you be successful in your next big event:
What’s important to know when looking to book an artist:
1. Know your budget. Be realistic.
2. Have a first, second, and third option.
3. Consider talent that is not popular at that moment. A less popular at-the-moment artist may have a lot of hits that can give you a lot longer of a show and will also often hang out and take pictures. (Rather than someone who is new and who has one song, but will be more costly and less accessible for your partygoers)
4. Make sure that when you put in a formal offer you have the deposit money ready to go. (This can range anywhere from 50%-70% normally.)
5. Be prepared to get a rider of artist demands. (These are the things the artist need to perform or help them to be as comfortable as possible to give you the best show possible.
Make sure to work with someone you can trust and can show you references. If they cannot give you references they are probably scamming you. Als,o if it sounds too good to be true it most likely is. Just ask the guys from DTD at University of Southern California who lost $13,500 trying to book Tyga.
The difference between Highlyfe and any other booking agency is that we attend all of our events. We are the boots on the ground. Once many booking agencies receive payment, they won’t answer your phone call or help with any issues because they have gotten paid. Not with Highlyfe, as we make sure a representative flies in the day before or early morning of your event to make sure everything is taken care of. This means you, the social chair, have nothing to worry about and can enjoy your own successful event. Many of the people on the Highlyfe staff were or still are in Greek life so they understand how you feel, and that is why they are successful.
The reason why you would use a service like Highlyfe is because we have a proven track record.
Kevin C. McReynolds Jr.
CEO/Founder
Highlyfe Entertainment
Kevin@HighlyfeEntertainment.com
