Seeking to upgrade from a B rig to an A rig

[Ernest Graham]

I started a small sound company called RVA Live Sound in 2012 and I am seeking to expand/elevate my ability to provide the services I am being asked to provide; which are: live sound reinforcement , lights and often, back line for shows with between 1,500 and over 20,000 attending in the audience. I like to be able to offer a wide degree of flexibility to my clients. Nothing is impossible. Anything from a televised political event, to live band performances, high profile corporate work and high end weddings. I do not have enough rig for the gig and have been going the beg, borrow (but not steal) route. I have QSC KW and EV ZLX and ZXA1 with X32 digital mixers out front and on stage. I have a small, woefully inadequate lighting rig that also needs to be upgraded. I am willing to invest in my own business to get to the next level. What are my options... I'm not asking for the impossible (ie a scalable rig that is also lightweight and powerful) just a good starting point.

Thanks,
Ernest

 

[Ivan Beaver]

Re: Seeking to upgrade from a B rig to an A rig

I started a small sound company called RVA Live Sound in 2012 and I am seeking to expand/elevate my ability to provide the services I am being asked to provide; which are: live sound reinforcement , lights and often, back line for shows with between 1,500 and over 20,000 attending in the audience. I like to be able to offer a wide degree of flexibility to my clients. Nothing is impossible. Anything from a televised political event, to live band performances, high profile corporate work and high end weddings. I do not have enough rig for the gig and have been going the beg, borrow (but not steal) route. I have QSC KW and EV ZLX and ZXA1 with X32 digital mixers out front and on stage. I have a small, woefully inadequate lighting rig that also needs to be upgraded. I am willing to invest in my own business to get to the next level. What are my options... I'm not asking for the impossible (ie a scalable rig that is also lightweight and powerful) just a good starting point.

Thanks,
Ernest

It depends on what you call an A rig.

Right now you have an "A" rig. It is your best rig-which is what everybodys A rig is. Their B rig is a smaller or less capable rig.

If you mean an A rig to be large concert rig-then you to spend A LOT more money. A LOT MORE.

If what you really mean is that that you want to raise the quality of your rig-then FIRST you have to provide a lot more information.

Things such as REALISTIC budget you have-type of performances-level of expectations and so forth.

It would be nothing to drop a couple of million dollars on a true A level pa and light rig. Is that what you are looking for?

 

[Ernest Graham]

Re: Seeking to upgrade from a B rig to an A rig

I'm not ready to commit to that level of investment at this moment (2 million). Who is? Thanks for being straight up about it though, it gave me a moment of clarity. I have a lot of research to do before making such a commitment and that's why I am here asking. This is the start of it anyway. My goal would be to be able to handle larger events without hitting the dreaded "not enough rig for the gig" phenomenon again.The wide variety of events has made keeping a suitable inventory pretty tricky (I will always do the small gigs, which can be so much fun, and now I do some real big ones too sometimes which is exciting!). The QSC KW 153 and 181 combo has run its course as my A rig because of the gigs I got hired for and ones in the future. The options I first looked at seem lacking DB Technologies T8 or T12, Peavey Versarray, JBL fixed array, QSC KLA, they might do a somewhat better job than what I have in stock (not in the case of KLA) but still leave me too far from what I would like outputwise. I plan on looking at the Yorkville Paraline on the advice of a local and Danley too because I haven't looked there yet. It would be nice to have a warehouse full of gear, but I would like to own this without needing to rent a warehouse (although that is certainly not out of the question, I have a large basement holding the gear now that I could use if the rig does not take up a massive amount of space).

Budget ($100,000), type of performances (Washington DC political type events, bands, festivals in the mid Atlantic region), expectation level (high level of professionalism with no mistakes expected, but not the highest level out there or anything). We will likely (I don't consider it a deal until it is a signed deal) be doing a festival or two with national acts in 2014. If that falls through I would still need the rig upgrade for the rest of the schedule.

 

[Shane Presley]

Re: Seeking to upgrade from a B rig to an A rig

Something i found out right away is, whatever you spend on audio (speakers and amps and monitors, consoles) be prepared to spend that much again for infrastructure (cables cable mats distro feeder snakes ). Then after you've done that, spend twice that on lighting, truss and lifts... Production is a vicious money pit and theres a new "widget" coming out every 6 months. Some have stuck strictly to sound provision and made a go of it, but around here you need to be turn key for the client, its just the way it is. I guess if i had advice id say don't do it, but if you're dead set on it, build slow (over several years) and buy smart. Keep an eye on what the big fish in your area is buying and maybe think about acquiring the same, so you can sub rent to do larger shows. The other thin to consider is do you have the labour pool to pull of an "a" event. Im having a hard time finding available, responsible, reliable labour as a small/medium sized sound co. Anyway sorry to pee on your cornflakes, i almost wished somebody shook me 17 years ago and said don't get any bigger, make that $500 bucks cash and rely on yourself and it'll be good. Good luck

 

[Ivan Beaver]

Re: Seeking to upgrade from a B rig to an A rig

I'm not ready to commit to that level of investment at this moment (2 million). Who is? Thanks for being straight up about it though, it gave me a moment of clarity. I have a lot of research to do before making such a commitment and that's why I am here asking. This is the start of it anyway. My goal would be to be able to handle larger events without hitting the dreaded "not enough rig for the gig" phenomenon again.The wide variety of events has made keeping a suitable inventory pretty tricky (I will always do the small gigs, which can be so much fun, and now I do some real big ones too sometimes which is exciting!). The QSC KW 153 and 181 combo has run its course as my A rig because of the gigs I got hired for and ones in the future. The options I first looked at seem lacking DB Technologies T8 or T12, Peavey Versarray, JBL fixed array, QSC KLA, they might do a somewhat better job than what I have in stock (not in the case of KLA) but still leave me too far from what I would like outputwise. I plan on looking at the Yorkville Paraline on the advice of a local and Danley too because I haven't looked there yet. It would be nice to have a warehouse full of gear, but I would like to own this without needing to rent a warehouse (although that is certainly not out of the question, I have a large basement holding the gear now that I could use if the rig does not take up a massive amount of space).

Budget ($100,000), type of performances (Washington DC political type events, bands, festivals in the mid Atlantic region), expectation level (high level of professionalism with no mistakes expected, but not the highest level out there or anything). We will likely (I don't consider it a deal until it is a signed deal) be doing a festival or two with national acts in 2014. If that falls through I would still need the rig upgrade for the rest of the schedule.

I said a couple of Million for an "A" list artist rig. But you can put together a really good rig for a lot less.

So now we have a budget of around 100K. What is that to include? Everything? including a truck? What do you have that would not be part of the purchase-such as power distro-snake-mic/stand package-wireless mics-monitor rig etc.

100K could get eaten up real quick if you need everything-or is this just for a speaker/amp system?

In order to get the best responses-you need to break down everything into a particular budget for each major section.

"national acts" can mean a lot of different things. Are these A, B or C level acts? The expectations are quite different. How important is the rider requirement part?

For what it is worth I cut my teeth in the DC area back in the 80s doing the same type thing. Some were large shows and others were much smaller and everything in between.

 

[Ernest Graham]

Re: Seeking to upgrade from a B rig to an A rig

Shane Presley: "Something i found out right away is, whatever you spend on audio (speakers and amps and monitors, consoles) be prepared to spend that much again for infrastructure (cables cable mats distro feeder snakes ). Then after you've done that, spend twice that on lighting, truss and lifts... Production is a vicious money pit and theres a new "widget" coming out every 6 months. Some have stuck strictly to sound provision and made a go of it, but around here you need to be turn key for the client, its just the way it is. I guess if i had advice id say don't do it, but if you're dead set on it, build slow (over several years) and buy smart. Keep an eye on what the big fish in your area is buying and maybe think about acquiring the same, so you can sub rent to do larger shows. The other thin to consider is do you have the labour pool to pull of an "a" event. Im having a hard time finding available, responsible, reliable labour as a small/medium sized sound co. Anyway sorry to pee on your cornflakes, i almost wished somebody shook me 17 years ago and said don't get any bigger, make that $500 bucks cash and rely on yourself and it'll be good. Good luck"

Thanks man. Until I got a taste of gigs outside of my usual scope I had planned on doing like what you said above. If you can stay small and still make dough why rock the boat? But, it seems that there is a market here in my area that is being under served and even being taken advantage of in some cases. Some customers are happy to see how I do things and that has been enticing me off my course into uncharted territory (into larger higher profile higher paying events). It isn't a want on my part, but more of an opportunity I see to make money and improve outcomes all around and it ain't that hard. I am in prime condition and reporting for duty, but yes if I don't do it myself then I will be fixing someone else's mistake (fortunately for me none of the temps have been able to break anything important yet or ruin any shows). The temps/freelancer who are good are booked so solid that I am considering giving up on calling them for gigs and the rest of the pool is untrained with no hands on. I plan to save up and bribe the guy I really want, just kidding. There are so many events in crowded cities on the east coast that a lot of crap slips through and honest expert opinion without conflict of interests are hard to find in a downturn.

 

[Ernest Graham]

Re: Seeking to upgrade from a B rig to an A rig

Ivan beaver: I said a couple of Million for an "A" list artist rig. But you can put together a really good rig for a lot less.

So now we have a budget of around 100K. What is that to include? Everything? including a truck? What do you have that would not be part of the purchase-such as power distro-snake-mic/stand package-wireless mics-monitor rig etc.

100K could get eaten up real quick if you need everything-or is this just for a speaker/amp system?

In order to get the best responses-you need to break down everything into a particular budget for each major section.

"national acts" can mean a lot of different things. Are these A, B or C level acts? The expectations are quite different. How important is the rider requirement part?

For what it is worth I cut my teeth in the DC area back in the 80s doing the same type thing. Some were large shows and others were much smaller and everything in between.



Right on DC back in the 80s was fun and not much has changed, but the superficial stuff. I don't need to buy a truck as that is covered. I plan on keeping the X32s as long as I can and don't plan on buying any mixers at all (until they evolve another generation or two). I will continue to get by on the mics I have now (57, 58, e835, AKG drum mics) and the cables, stands etc. Although, I will need to reup my wireless mics as I lost my Audio Technica ones this weekend (first time for everything. I will never go back to passive, I'd quit first and I do not own a rack distro for power. No riders thus far and none anticipated (too much headache). The bands are popular, but none of them are A list in the USA or even want to be, some are from out of the USA, but so far none of them have had any first world problems (they just want a consistent sound venue to venue and a reliable, competent operator). I want to buy tops and subs for use as mains, I do not plan on buying an entire new monitor rig at the same time. I want powered mains and rigging, but do not have the experience with the available systems to know which ones are a good fit to look deeper into. I try to keep in mind that nothing will be perfect, but an incremental improvement is a must. The QSC KW 153s have proven to be more capable than I thought when I first got them from zzounds, but some shows have been perfect examples of "not enough rig for the gig." They make two power alleys if they are spread too far apart, making center coverage necessary and they won't cover the people to the outsides of the stacks if I put them closer together and lose the fill.

Thanks for putting in the time and effort to help me make a good decision.

 

[Ivan Beaver]

Re: Seeking to upgrade from a B rig to an A rig

One thing you really need to consider is how you are going to "deploy" the speakers.

As you get to louder boxes-they are going to be larger-heavier etc. You will either need lifts or plan on ground stacking. When ground stacking it can be hard to lift heavy boxes up high.

So it is a good idea to put some thought into how loud the system REALLY needs to be-what you have available to "deploy" the boxes and such.

With audio-it is always better to go with as few boxes as possible. When you start simply adding boxes together to get louder-the sound quality is going downhill.

Maybe you need a couple of louder small boxes for some shows (that could be used for sidefills on larger shows) and a stronger main system for larger shows.

 

[Eric Cagle]

Re: Seeking to upgrade from a B rig to an A rig

There is a HUGE difference between 1500-5000 folks and 20,000 and over. That difference is not only in the amount and type of equipment but also, as Ivan mentions, in how it is deployed. Flying and rigging is a whole other animal from stacking as well as the power requirements. No dream is too big but getting there is where the learning curve and financial input goes up exponentially. Having started from nothing and built up to the point of being able to do two up to two 5000 people shows at a time without borrowing anything I can give you some decent advice on some things to expect.

First off if you want to be in the big leagues today then make friends with a company that can handle those types of shows right now. Your marketing ability and connections have a value right now. It can still be your company and face on the business card but have the already established production company ready to handle the logistics. These logistics include among other things PRICING and INSURANCE. I do several shows a year that are way out of my league as far as equipment goes but I have 3 production companies at my disposal that are ready and able to handle them. We all win. I usually make 10% of the ticket and have 0% of the headache. They do another big ticket gig and essentially paid a percentage for marketing that resulted in revenue. I used to go and work as crew or as an engineer for most of these shows but at some point I figured out that I never wanted to own the equipment needed for shows of that size so I only engineer if needed now or I might go to the show if it is someone I really want to see. Anyway that is just me.

Continue building you company by completing target goals that you can reach with the budgets you have. What is important is that you be COMPLETE at each target level. Lets say you want to be able to cover 1500 folks outside, complete the rig for that size show and then put it in operation and make money with it. If you are wanting to handle 5000 or so then add racks and stacks that will handle that size show. You now have an A rig and a B rig. If you start having both booked the same day then fill out the things that are needed to make both complete such as mics, stands, cabling, a second set of consoles, a second monitor system, etc. At this point you effectively have 3 rigs: A, B, and the big boy rig that you hire from the company you made friends with. As you gain more experience you will decide how big you want to get.

Above all else if you really love what you are doing you will be a success. If you don't love it quit now while you are still sane. Good luck with it and keep us posted!
-Eric

 

[Shane Presley]

Re: Seeking to upgrade from a B rig to an A rig

It can still be your company and face on the business card but have the already established production company ready to handle the logistics. These logistics include among other things PRICING and INSURANCE. I do several shows a year that are way out of my league as far as equipment goes but I have 3 production companies at my disposal that are ready and able to handle them. We all win. I usually make 10% of the ticket and have 0% of the headache.
-Eric

No offense Eric, but it's this kind of model that pisses me off.... There's a shop around here that does the same thing, gets a good discount from the big house in town then flogs the production off as "it's own". They own party furniture and pipe and drape and rent their asses off (sound and lighting) making "10%" on the gig. Who does this hurt?... ME who has spent countless hours soldering my own cables, patch bays and late nights to build my business to own something. You're either in the business and you buy in (money and time served, blood sweat and tears), or you're a used car salesman....

 

[Dick Rees]

Re: Seeking to upgrade from a B rig to an A rig

No offense Eric, but it's this kind of model that pisses me off.... There's a shop around here that does the same thing, gets a good discount from the big house in town then flogs the production off as "it's own". They own party furniture and pipe and drape and rent their asses off (sound and lighting) making "10%" on the gig. Who does this hurt?... ME who has spent countless hours soldering my own cables, patch bays and late nights to build my business to own something. You're either in the business and you buy in (money and time served, blood sweat and tears), or you're a used car salesman....

Shane...

Don't be so quick to jump on this one. What Eric is talking about is how things work in the serious world of 7 figure gear/warehouse/trucking/crew investment in business. When you're paying crew living wages, providing your permanent staff with health/dental and likely also contributing to workmans comp, it really is a whole different ballgame. As I advance in age, I'm turning away from the headaches and backaches of providing for the "medium-small" gigs of 4000 attendees...at least as I have been doing them by using all my own gear and hiring back-line as needed.

From here on out it's racks/stacks rented delivered and set up AT A MINIMUM and more likely just subbing out the whole production while collecting a percentage for handling the production. I'd say try to detach yourself from the business model that causes you such frustration and focus on the "business of business" for a while. The big boys are not doing business like you do and it wouldn't make sense for them to. But there are a lot of things you can learn from them.

This is not to say that there aren't some really slimey folks out there at every level, but the business model is sound, solid and necessary. Don't fault the business plan because of some abrasive/abusive personalities in your area.

And it's not "used car salesman". It's "production services".

 

[Eric Cagle]

Re: Seeking to upgrade from a B rig to an A rig

No offense Eric, but it's this kind of model that pisses me off.... There's a shop around here that does the same thing, gets a good discount from the big house in town then flogs the production off as "it's own". They own party furniture and pipe and drape and rent their asses off (sound and lighting) making "10%" on the gig. Who does this hurt?... ME who has spent countless hours soldering my own cables, patch bays and late nights to build my business to own something. You're either in the business and you buy in (money and time served, blood sweat and tears), or you're a used car salesman....

No offense taken. The other side of that coin is why don't you make friends with that shop and get some or all of that business. I have several companies that send me all or most of their work and they don't own a microphone. Who does that benefit? Both of us. I will gladly pay 10% as a marketing or finders fee for a gig as long the price is right. I actually do very little advertising and sometimes have 4 to 5 shows a week during the peak season. I don't do pipe and drape but I will gladly be their sound provider and they can market my rigs as their own. I have a staging company and two booking agents who keep me busy enough that I don't have to have another job during the peak of the season. I did however have to add a second rig and crew.

Like it or not MARKETING is the secret of success of failure in this business and actually all businesses. The more people you have out there trying to get business for you the more business you will have. It doesn't matter who or where your advertising dollars are paid, it matters how effective they are. 10% is not a "good discount" however it is a "great" advertising rate if that is all you are spending. If I remember correctly from my college days (my final major was management and marketing) Coca Cola spends between 30% and 50% of its revenue on advertising.

I like to push faders and turn knobs much more than I like advertising so I gladly recruit all the marketing I can get. The more effective others market my services the more faders and knobs I get to play with. Don't get me wrong, I still go out and beat the bushes but 70% or more of my work comes from a referral of some kind.

 

[Ernest Graham]

Re: Seeking to upgrade from a B rig to an A rig

The change of direction derailed my train of thought and took the conversation up a notch above my pay grade. Interesting stuff. I hope the conversation continues. Don't mind me, I don't have enough energy to move away from the screen anyway!

 

[Eric Cagle]

Re: Seeking to upgrade from a B rig to an A rig

The change of direction derailed my train of thought and took the conversation up a notch above my pay grade. Interesting stuff. I hope the conversation continues. Don't mind me, I don't have enough energy to move away from the screen anyway!

It is really all the same direction. Your marketing ability has value beyond the size of you company now and at the same time you would benefit from others marketing what you do have currently. Part of your marketing should include marketing to those who will market your services for you.

 

[Shane Presley]

Re: Seeking to upgrade from a B rig to an A rig

And it's not "used car salesman". It's "production services".

Ha ok, I'll agree to disagree, you can paint that with whatever you want... At least you've paid your dues in the trenches owning a good sized rig, and i get the getting old thing. Best of luck to everyone, I'm glad you're not here playing in my pool too.

 

[Ernest Graham]

Re: Seeking to upgrade from a B rig to an A rig

There is a HUGE difference between 1500-5000 folks and 20,000 and over. That difference is not only in the amount and type of equipment but also, as Ivan mentions, in how it is deployed. Flying and rigging is a whole other animal from stacking as well as the power requirements. No dream is too big but getting there is where the learning curve and financial input goes up exponentially. Having started from nothing and built up to the point of being able to do two up to two 5000 people shows at a time without borrowing anything I can give you some decent advice on some things to expect.

First off if you want to be in the big leagues today then make friends with a company that can handle those types of shows right now. Your marketing ability and connections have a value right now. It can still be your company and face on the business card but have the already established production company ready to handle the logistics. These logistics include among other things PRICING and INSURANCE. I do several shows a year that are way out of my league as far as equipment goes but I have 3 production companies at my disposal that are ready and able to handle them. We all win. I usually make 10% of the ticket and have 0% of the headache. They do another big ticket gig and essentially paid a percentage for marketing that resulted in revenue. I used to go and work as crew or as an engineer for most of these shows but at some point I figured out that I never wanted to own the equipment needed for shows of that size so I only engineer if needed now or I might go to the show if it is someone I really want to see. Anyway that is just me.

Continue building you company by completing target goals that you can reach with the budgets you have. What is important is that you be COMPLETE at each target level. Lets say you want to be able to cover 1500 folks outside, complete the rig for that size show and then put it in operation and make money with it. If you are wanting to handle 5000 or so then add racks and stacks that will handle that size show. You now have an A rig and a B rig. If you start having both booked the same day then fill out the things that are needed to make both complete such as mics, stands, cabling, a second set of consoles, a second monitor system, etc. At this point you effectively have 3 rigs: A, B, and the big boy rig that you hire from the company you made friends with. As you gain more experience you will decide how big you want to get.

Above all else if you really love what you are doing you will be a success. If you don't love it quit now while you are still sane. Good luck with it and keep us posted!
-Eric

Yes the differences are dramatic (between audience sizes 1,000 - 20,000) and it is something you have to have happen to you before you can truly appreciate it. Whether I go all in or slow and steady, I will continue to be involved with music like I have been since high school.

I know one regional guy who just piles up mismatched cabinets any old kind of way (with a truck strap to secure it) and he does big shows sometimes. He has been around for years. He charges a lot of money (way more than me) and has sent me angry, threatening emails, trying to tell me how to run my business and mixer, he even showed up at one of my gigs... out of state, and proceeded to harass me, my tech and the musicians I was working for. He had the nerve to call me cut throat. His shit is dangerous and he isn't even flying anything at all. Its idiots like him that make me get out of bed every morning trying to be a better man and make sure that people around here hire me instead of him.

 

[Ivan Beaver]

Re: Seeking to upgrade from a B rig to an A rig

No offense Eric, but it's this kind of model that pisses me off.... There's a shop around here that does the same thing, gets a good discount from the big house in town then flogs the production off as "it's own". They own party furniture and pipe and drape and rent their asses off (sound and lighting) making "10%" on the gig. Who does this hurt?... ME who has spent countless hours soldering my own cables, patch bays and late nights to build my business to own something. You're either in the business and you buy in (money and time served, blood sweat and tears), or you're a used car salesman....

I used to do that a decent amount. I had my own rigs-decent sized. But from time to time I would get a gig that was a bit more than my gear could handle. I would hire a larger company-and my guys would work with the other company guys to pull it off.

On the other hand I would get work from the larger company-covering gigs that they didn't want to (to small) or some smaller gigs when they were overloaded.

It worked well. Everybody made money and nobody was undercutting anybody or taking work away from legit people.

 

[Eric Cagle]

Re: Seeking to upgrade from a B rig to an A rig

It is all a matter of attitude and how you perceive things. Some people cannot stand anyone "making money off of them". The company I worked for before I had my own pulled the plug on a $6000 plus gig because the owner found out that the one who hired us had marked up the price to his client 10%. We did not do the gig and I did not get paid anything that weekend. I had my own company within 8 months of that date and the person who had hired us for the pulled gig became my client. The 1099 for the first year from his company to me was $21,000 and some change. I paid out 10% off the top of each show to him. I bought a lot of equipment that year including an enclosed trailer from him (which I still have).

My attitude is those people all work for me. They are my sales force and I pay them a commission of 10% for every job we actually get and complete. I don't put any money out for advertising in advance but I pay all commissions the day I receive payment for a completed job. A few of my clients like the booking agents actually get the check and then pay me my part. It is important to remember the booking agent is MY client and I work very hard and get paid well for him. The Country Club or Municipality we actually do the show at is his client and I represent him and his agency. The booking agents work hard for me as well for the 10% that I pay them. The 1099 I get from them each year reminds me of what a good job they did for me that year.

 

[Ernest Graham]

Re: Seeking to upgrade from a B rig to an A rig

@Shane Presley
I hear the warnings and I realize I am going in deeper than I had planned, but I feel like it will work out as long as I don't change the way I make purchases (which is slow and deliberate, making course corrections along the way for weather). I realize that I cannot do this alone anymore and hired someone to help me on the road. From now on other people will have a big say in this.

@Ian beaver
The main reason I do not want to augment the QSC KW 153s with anything (like a second KW 153 per side) is because the last time I tried that I did not like the trade off. The comb filtering was too much for the added coverage it did bring.

No doubt you are right, how to deploy them is a critical question, the truss, stands, or whatever solution I go with, are something I need to factor in, along with actual speakers that will be on them.

@Shane Presley
The young fella I hired is familiar with rigging and the business side of things. He has recent experience working at a local venue that does the big boys week in, week out like a factory. I can work with this guy. OTOH I have been desperately seeking help for a year and all else I have had is sporadic help at best. The first choice I wanted to snatch up is already committed to several other bands and projects. The guy I got is in high demand too, but willing to give me priority in exchange for a higher than average wage.

We laughed a lot on the gigs this weekend, especially about the unsafe rigging practices we've seen out there. This reminded me of the grave responsibility we have to the throngs who come to dance and how we are gonna need to hire more good, experienced people if we want to do this safely. If someone gets hurt or something gets broken you can't blame the new guy.

Mainly I want to concentrate on the types of tops and sub combos I can rely on for a year or two to help my not enough rig for the gig problem.



Paraline, Versarray, KLA, VRX and DB (T8, T12). More facts of life are cases and storage space for the rigging hardware and speakers. Am I underestimating the storage space needed for the rigs in question? I plan on keeping them in my house.

 

[Ernest Graham]

Re: Seeking to upgrade from a B rig to an A rig

It is really all the same direction. Your marketing ability has value beyond the size of you company now and at the same time you would benefit from others marketing what you do have currently. Part of your marketing should include marketing to those who will market your services for you.

I always figured people should work together and play off each others relative strengths and weaknesses. Symbiotic relationships have been starting to happen organically, but in a more informal way so far. I could benefit from those kinds of deals while helping someone else get there's too, I would be down with that.