No, you can't get a backstage pass! (and more)

Contact Bill Silva companies
8225 Santa Monica Blvd.
West Hollywood, CA 90046
Phone (310) 651- 3310
Fax (310) 651-3345

Where do I go to get a ticket refund when an event is canceled or postponed?
For any city Bill Silva Presents does concerts in, ticket refunds are always available at point-of-purchase. (i.e. Ticketmaster tickets are refunded at Ticketmaster outlets, Select-A-Seat tickets are refunded at Select-A-Seat outlets, et cetera).

Can ticket brokers get tickets before they go sale to the public?
No, this isn't true, at least for tickets sold by companies like Ticketmaster. Ticketmaster computers do not allow tickets to be printed for an event prior to the on-sale day and time.

Who's attention at Bill Silva Presents do I send my band's demo?
Bill Silva Presents does not accept unsolicited demos from bands nor are we responsible for any unsolicited materials that make it into our office. We simply do not have the resources to process and respond to every band. When we do solicit demos from bands we run ads in local periodicals requesting them and include a postoffice box address and the name of who's attention materials should be sent to. We also include a cut-off time for submissions.

How did Bill Silva begin his career in concerts?
Bill Silva attended the University of California, San Diego from 1976 to 1979 where he organized residence hall concerts (1977), was on the Campus Concert Committee (from 1977 on) and booked shows on campus with English punk rockers Eddie & The Hot Rods, Tho Only Ones, Dave Mason, Tower Of Power and Eddie Money (and more). Campus advisors helped teach Bill the basics of what it took to do a concert. Two other notable music industry types, Marc Geiger (American Recordings) and Larry Weintraub (A&M Records) were both concert chairman during their respective stays at UCSD (after Bill's days in the '70s). Bill left UCSD in late 1979 to produce concerts full-time. His first post-college show was Chick Corea at The Roxy Theater in San Diego. He began building young artists who would grow with him -- Devo, Pat Benetar, The Clash and later Metallica and others.

 

 

How do I get a "backstage pass" for a concert?
There are a number of ways to get a backstage pass for a concert. The best way to get one is by having a legitimate reason to be backstage -- such as working for the promoter or being a laborer. Being a friend of the band can land you one too but if that was the case you wouldn't be reading this, eh?

Unlike the stereotype, the backstage area isn't a big party, it is actually a place where people are working to make an event happen and fans hanging out can sometimes get in the way. It's typically no more a party than it is behind the counter (i.e. backstage) at McDonalds or Burger King. Imagine if you were standing around and hanging out behind the counter at a fast food restaurant during lunch -- you'd probably be in the way.

How are ticket prices determined? How do you figure out how much an artist gets paid? Who pays for the artist's expenses?
Ticket prices are set jointly y the promoter and artist. The price is based on our best guess of what the market will bear for a particular artist given: time of year; competition with similar shows; how long it's been since the artist has appeared, and; how hot the artist's new single/video/album is. The guarantee to the artist becomes a function of the anticipated gross receipts after deducting the estimated expenses ("the net"). The big headline artists make 85% - 90% of the net and their guarantee will be based on what that 85% - 90% would equate to if 80% - 85% of the house were sold. Promoters in America typically pay all the expenses associated with presentation of the show. Artists typicaly pay for their sound, lights, travel, hotels, tucks, buses, crew, manager, agent and musicians.

Can I put concert information from this website and post it on my website?
Yes and No. All Content of http://www.billsilvapresents.com Copyright © 1996-2006 Bill Silva Presents. Yes, you are free to list any of our events on your website. No, you are not free to copy the graphics, HTML pages or the way that any of the information is presented (i.e. the "look and feel" of this website). No part of this site may be reproduced, in whole or in part, without the expressed written consent of Bill Silva Presents.