Wesleyan’s music scene has a long and storied history, but the booking process has changed significantly since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. This information is up to date as of the 2024-2025 school year, and it is pertinent to both current students and artist managers. If you are an artist or agent who has had experience booking shows at Wesleyan before the pandemic, please take the time to read through this page — it contains critical information regarding how we navigate booking a show on campus.
Last updated: August 30, 2024
All concert booking at Wesleyan is conducted through the Concert Committee, a branch of both the Wesleyan Student Assembly (WSA) and the administrative Office of Student Involvement (OSI). This committee is composed of students who are hired by the OSI via Handshake, and it’s managed by the two Directors of the OSI using annual funding by the WSA. For more info on the OSI and WSA, please refer to their websites (hyperlinked above) or check out our Important Contacts page. If you’re a student, you can also contact the Concert Committee via their page on WesNest, the portal for student groups at Wesleyan.
Funding is used both for individual shows and for the annual Spring Fling each May. Aural Wes is able to request funding for shows, as we are a group affiliated with music on campus; however, Concert Committee is the group responsible for approving the show and handling all paperwork. Generally, student groups like Aural Wes can host artists offering a quote of $5000 or less. If an artist requesting a larger quote is to perform at Wesleyan, Concert Committee itself would be managing the show. International artists will be immediately denied, due to the additional tax and visa paperwork it requires.
Concert Committee will send a liaison on the day of an approved show. They will set guidelines for capacity and safety, alongside assisting with stage and audience management when necessary.
For the 2024-2025 school year, Concert Committee anticipates approving 8 to 10 proposed shows by outside student groups. The funding request form will open at the beginning of the school year.
Last updated: August 30, 2024
Once we request a show, even if it follows the above guidelines, we cannot guarantee that it will be approved. As verbal contracts are legally binding in the state of Connecticut, we also cannot give anyone confirmation to start planning a show unless Concert Committee has officially approved the request; otherwise we would be legally required to pay you out of pocket should the proposal be denied.
Concert Committee will also not be responsible for the funding of any external sound equipment or instrument rentals. If any equipment cannot be covered by the Sound Co-Op, the show will likely be denied funding. For more information on the Sound Co-Op, check out their page below.
Last updated: July 19, 2024
The student-run Sound Co-Op can handle audio for Wesleyan shows at no expense to you or the artist. They are responsible for managing sound at every stage of an event; this includes setting up, sound-checking, managing, and breaking down equipment. In recent years, Sound Co-Op has handled audio for artists like billy woods, June McDoom, Bloomsday, and Winter.
