Information for Agents and Performers

IMT, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, has been presenting traditional music in Montgomery Country, Maryland, for over 30 years. We present events in a range of venues, from weekly concerts in rooms with 150 to 240 seats, to our Next to the House concerts suitable for emerging performers new to the DC area, to special events, icon concerts and benefits in halls seating 500 to 1,000. We work with artists and agents to find the right venue for each performance.

IMT's shows are usually presented in a listening-room or theater environment. Because we try to keep ticket prices low, income from ticket sales, refreshment sales at the intermission and IMT's percentage of merchandise sales all go to cover the cost of presenting the show, and cannot be separated.

IMT Concert Series and Venues
IMT Concert Support
Booking Submissions
Artist Advance Information

IMT CONCERT SERIES & VENUES

Weekly Concerts

IMT presents its Weekly Concert series beginning in late September and running through late May. On the second and fourth Wednesdays of each month, the Weekly Concerts are usually held in the 154-seat auditorium of the Comunnity Center in Takoma Park, Maryland. In other weeks, the Weekly Concerts are held on Mondays in the 240-seat Fellowship Hall of Saint Mark Presbyterian Church in Rockville, Maryland. Occasionally, we present the weekly concert in a larger hall or on a weekend night.

For the weekly shows, performers usually need to draw an audience of 100 or more people to have a succesful show. Advance ticket prices start at $18 and are usually not higher than $25.

Next to the House Concerts

For performers who may not be able to do a weekly concert, IMT started the "Next to the House" (NTTH) concert series in Takoma Park. The shows usually take place on weekends (Saturday or Sunday night) in a space that is provided to IMT without cost or at very low cost, and all or most of the ticket revenue is paid to the performers.

IMT usually selects performers for NTTH shows that we want to introduce to the DC area and that we hope to later book for shows in our larger venues. Bookings for NTTH shows are usually by invitation.

IMT usually does not present more than one NTTH concert in a month. The season for NTTH concerts is the same as for our weekly series: late September through late May.

While the NTTH shows are somewhat like house concerts, they have the same professional sound and receive the same publicity support as IMT's Weekly Concerts. They take place in public spaces, not private homes, and have advance and door tickets sales. But like a house concert, they are low-cost shows, so they can be a good venue for a performer that does not have a large following in the DC area.

Ticket prices are $12 to $18. Depending on the performer's expectations, an audience of 30 to 40 people can make a succesful show. A performer needs to have some following in the DC area for a successful Next to the House show.

IMT does not provide a guarantee or housing for these shows. (We can help find housing.) We will usually not book an NTTH show the weekend before a Monday night weekly show.

Special Events

IMT presents occasional special event concerts on weekend nights. The shows may take place in one of our regular venues, or we may use a larger venue of 300 to 500 seats.

Workshops

IMT occasionally presents workshops. Workshop instructors are performers of note who are generally considered masters of their style and instrument, and should be able to attract 10 to 15 students at ticket prices starting at $35 per person. Workshops are usually associated with an IMT show, but do not have to be. IMT workshops generally take place on a Saturday or Sunday.

IMT CONCERT SUPPORT

Sound

IMT's Weekly, Next to the House and Kids Concerts series include professionally produced sound by engineers experienced with acoustic music. Performers will need to submit a sound specification and stage plot at least two weeks before the show.

Marketing & Publicity

All of IMT's activities are supported by a professional publicist and are also promoted through IMT's website and mailing list. IMT will work with performers or their publicists to get coverage by local newspapers and magazines and to get radio airtime for the performer's music and, if possible, to arrange on-air radio interviews.

Performers are expected to provide IMT with promotional materials:

  • Band descriptions.
  • Performer biographies.
  • Digital copies of print-quality photographs. Photos should be color, at least 300 dpi resolution and approximately 1,800 by 2,400 pixels (for portrait orientation). Photos should be provided in both portrait and landscape orientation. To get the photos published in a newspaper,we also need the photo credit (the name of the person who took the photo, or who owns the copyright to the photo) and the names of the people in the photo, from left to right, if it isn't obvious who they are.
  • Performers should have a well-maintained and up-to-date website in addition to any social media sites they may use.

We generally need to book shows at least two months in advance to meet promotion deadlines, and prefer to book weekly shows well in advance so that they can be included in our season's advance promotion.

IMT performing artists, managers and agents: Please feel free to contact the IMT publicist directly for media lists and media questions. Email: publicity@imtfolk.org.

Video

IMT has an all-volunteer video crew that can shoot and edit three-camera, high-definition video of our shows, using the audio from our board mix, to produce high-quality clips that artists can use for promotion.

BOOKING SUBMISSIONS

IMT's weekly shows and special event concerts are usually booked 6 to 12 months in advance. Next to the House shows and workshops are usually booked in a shorter time frame, after the season's weekly shows and special events have been booked, so as not to conflict.

Please note: Next to the House shows, family concerts and workshops are usually by invitation.

If you are interested in discussing a booking, please send information to:

booking@imtfolk.org

Submissions should be for music that fits within the range that IMT's established audience expects in a IMT show.

Submissions should be for dates that fit into one of our regular concert series: Mondays and Wednesdays for Weekly shows, Saturdays and Sundays for Next to the House shows.

In addition to information about the performer, please include links to:

  1. The performer's website.
  2. A location where we can listen to their music.
  3. Video of live concert performances.

Submissions must include the following information:

  1. Tell us what kind of IMT event you are interested in and when the performer will be available for a show.
  2. Provide information about the location and attendance for recent past performances in concert settings (not festivals) when performing as the headliner, including:
  • venues,
  • attendance numbers, and
  • ticket prices.
For the weekly shows, performers usually need to draw an audience of 100 or more people with advance ticket prices no lower than $18.
Provide information for performanaces in the DC area, if available, but do not leave this information out if you haven't performed in the area yet.
If you are introducing us to an artist who is new to IMT or the DC area, it is critical that you provide this general performance history, including venues, attendance and ticket prices.Without all three elements of your performance history, we cannot make an informed decision about the kind of show that would be appropriate and successful for your performance, and will not be able to consider your submission.
  1. Tell us about the other venues where the performer will appear around the date of any proposed IMT show. Note that IMT usually requires that performers not book shows within sixty miles of the IMT venue for 60 days before or after an IMT show.

Booking submissions must address all six of these points to be considered.

Finally:

  • Review the sample IMT contract rider.
  • If your your music can't be described as folk or tradtional, you probably shouldn't take the time to ask us about booking.

If sending a physical press kit, post it to:

Institute of Musical Traditions
P.O.Box 5930 
Takoma Park, MD 20913

Submissions by email will generally be looked at sooner than mailed submissions.

IMT cannot guarantee that all submissions will be reviewed or responded to. Submissions that do not include the requested information will not be considered.

ARTIST ADVANCE INFORMATION

Rockville

Download the IMT advance information sheet for shows at Saint Mark Presbyterian Church in Rockville.

Takoma Park Community Center

Download the IMT advance information sheet for shows at the Takoma Park Community Center in Takoma Park.