Gig Promotor (free early playtest of first 2 seasons)

What is Gig Promotor?

Gig Promotor is a simulation and strategy game about running a live music promotion business. The player starts small, searches for emerging talent, negotiates with ambitious musicians, and tries to put on shows that strengthen rather than damage a reputation. A good bill is only one part of the job: venues need filling, budgets need balancing, and artists need to stay happy. Every choice feeds into the next problem, whether it is a contract term, a calendar slot, or a spending decision.

The current release is an early playtest rather than a finished game. It is free, runs in a browser, and covers the first two seasons. The developer is testing the core gameplay, the economy balance, and the overall experience before expanding toward a 12-season vision. For a new player, that means the appeal is seeing the management loop in its prototype form: scout a band, strike a deal, book a room, manage the money, and watch the show result.

How to play

The loop begins with talent. Players scout upcoming bands at Battle of the Bands events, looking for an act that can become the next big draw. Contract talks come next: artists have ambitions, and a deal has to work for both sides rather than simply being cheap. Booking follows, with venue choice and calendar management shaping the next show.

Money management runs through all of it. Artist pay, ticket income, promotion spending, and merchandise all affect whether a gig ends up profitable, so a strong lineup can still be undermined by a weak budget. Relationships matter as well, because getting to know bands and building a reputation in the music industry is part of the longer game.

The payoff is the show itself. Players watch the planning come together and learn whether the night was a hit or a financial disaster. The first two seasons are available in this prototype, giving a clear view of that cycle.

Controls

Gig Promotor is played through the management decisions that define the business. The playable HTML5 frame is the entry point, and the first two seasons are the current scope. Within that scope, interaction means choosing which bands to scout at Battle of the Bands, how to negotiate contracts, which venues to book, where shows sit on the calendar, and how to split money across artist fees, ticket income, promotion costs, and merchandise.

Reputation and artist happiness add another layer to those choices. The show phase then serves as the result of the planning: the gig either lands as a hit or turns into a financial disaster. The four screenshots and 2D presentation support that management view. A useful way to read the control layer is as a chain of trade-offs, because each contract, booking, calendar slot, and budget line changes the next decision. The practical starting point is the playable frame, where the interface presents the first choices.

Tips for your first run

Treat the first two seasons as a test of the whole chain rather than a race. Scouting at Battle of the Bands is the front door to the business, so pay attention to acts that fit the shows being planned. Negotiations deserve care because artists have ambitions and a deal has to work for both sides. The budget is not just a single number: artist pay, ticket revenue, promotion costs, and merchandise all pull on the result. Use the calendar deliberately, since venue choice and show timing are part of the booking decision. Reputation is built through relationships as well as results, so keeping bands happy matters alongside filling the room. Finally, watch the show result closely; it is the clearest feedback on whether the planning held together.

• Scout at Battle of the Bands before committing to a bill.
• Read artist ambitions during contract talks instead of focusing only on cost.
• Balance artist pay, ticket revenue, promotion costs, and merchandise when judging a gig budget.
• Use the calendar and venue choice as one planning decision, not separate steps.
• Check reputation and artist relationships after each show result.

Content and replayability

The current build is deliberately limited. It is a free browser prototype of the first two seasons, not the finished 12-season game. That scope gives players a concentrated look at the core loop: discovering talent, negotiating, booking, budgeting, and seeing a show through to its result.

Replay value in this version comes from the decisions inside that loop. A different contract approach, venue choice, calendar plan, or spending split can change the pressure on the budget and the reputation outcome. The prototype is also positioned as a feedback build. The developer is testing core gameplay and economy balance before expanding the experience, so the early sessions are useful for learning how the systems interact.

The stated aim is a 12-season experience, but the playtest does not yet cover that larger arc. Players who want the full management campaign should treat the current release as an early slice.

Presentation and performance

Gig Promotor uses a 2D presentation for its music management business. Four screenshots accompany the build, and the playable version sits in an HTML5 frame. The visual scope matches the prototype status: the focus is on the management decisions, the bands, the venues, the calendar, and the money rather than on a large finished campaign.

The game is in development, with the first two seasons serving as the test area for core gameplay and economy balancing. That makes the presentation feel like a working slice of a larger idea rather than a final package. The music-industry setting comes through in the subject matter: scouting at Battle of the Bands, negotiating with artists, booking gigs, and watching a show result. The browser frame is the place to judge the build in action.

Who should play it

Gig Promotor should appeal to players who like management simulations with a business edge. The core pleasures are scouting at Battle of the Bands, negotiating with ambitious artists, choosing venues, managing a calendar, and balancing a budget across fees, ticket income, promotion, and merchandise. Players who enjoy tycoon-style planning and music-industry settings will find the loop familiar in shape but specific in subject.

The early playtest is also suited to players who are willing to try a prototype and think about how the economy behaves. It is less suited to anyone wanting the complete 12-season experience right away, because the current build covers the first two seasons only. The free browser format makes the trial low-commitment, and the feedback focus means the session is as much about testing the systems as finishing a campaign. A new player should come for the gig planning and stay for the show result.