Having been in a band for over 15 years I have plenty of experience when it comes playing live shows in bars and clubs. I have played to packed rooms, empty rooms
and in between with nothing but what seemed to be fate to determine which it would
be. My own frustration’s with the way
the scene was handled by those who book bands were brought back to the surface
recently when a friend of mine in a local band shared with me the following.
His band was playing a club in St. Paul and was told the
starting times for each band would be determined by which band pre-sold the
most tickets. Meaning that if you have 4
bands, the band who sold the most tickets gets to pick it’s time slot first. Then the band that sold the second most picks
and so on. This may seem fair on the
surface but in reality it’s a flawed business model that benefits neither the
bands nor the clubs interests. Where are
the bands supposed to sell these tickets?
Who are they supposed to sell them to?
Treating these events like a Cub Scout expo where the more tickets they
sell the more rewards you get is demeaning and doesn’t get more people into the
club. It reminded me of my own
experiences and thing I would like to see changed. So in a “for what it’s worth” effort here is
what I think would foster a better music scene while making it more profitable
for the clubs and the bands.
1) Establish a weeknight where you
showcase local music. Sunday – Wednesday
are typically nights where attendance is iffy on a good night. For the record I think only showcasing local
live music Thurs-Sat makes the most sense If you insist on 7 days a week make
it worth it both the bands and the venues time.
The current model depends on the members of the bands to hang around
buying drinks when they aren’t playing.
Considering the club probably isn’t paying them much more than one free
drink to play that night, it may seem like a good safety net on the
surface. But it’s really just done
because that’s what’s been done and it’s easier than making your club a
destination for people who enjoy live music.
Make the music as important as the atmosphere, flow, drink specials etc.
and people will come because they know THIS
bar really looks for good bands.
2) Have some sort of drink specials and have a representative
of the establishment announce them on stage between every band. Make it known that every week you will have
similar specials and push it. If people
know you offer the best of up and coming local music as well as drink specials
they will come back. Again knowing THIS
bar has something to offer. Too often
drink specials are treated like a secret they hope you don’t find out
about. You should have specials you want
people to take part of.
3) Have a clear criteria for any band who wants to play that
night. Whether it be someone from the
club goes out to see them or as simple as a waiting list where the band just
waits their turn as if waiting for a table at a restaurant. The current model is basically getting to
know someone who knows someone who knows the sound guy. That’s just lazy. This shows the club doesn’t care to hold
whoever books the bands to be accountable.
It does nothing for quality control.
In this scenario you are guaranteeing that bad bands will get
opportunities and good ones won’t.
Because having a connection and having talent do not go hand in
hand.
4) No cover. The whole
ticket pre-sale is built around the idea that bands have plenty of friends who
want to go see their friends bands on weeknights. That’s just not realistic. Friends, while supportive, rarely want to go
to see their buddies band every time he plays a local club on anymore than they
want to see their buddy bartend every night he works. Do you hire a waiter or waitress with the
idea that his or her friends will be a significant part of your sales? Of course not. Friends of the bands shouldn’t be who you are
trying to get in your club. They won’t
stay for all the bands meaning they won’t be buying drinks all night. You want to make your club a destination for
people who want to see new local music.
And they’re out there. Make the
night more about them and less about the bands actually benefits both the club
and the bands. Once again who are trying
to make your money off of? The members
of the bands who you are paying nothing to perform? Or people who enjoy your club because of what
you offer? And bands, who would rather
have in the audience? People who have
never seen you before? Or a combination
of the handful of friends you successfully baited into coming out that night
and members of the other bands who are playing with you that night?
5) Quality control.
Bands will have bad nights. And
some bands are just bad. Stop the
practice of hiring one band and having them fill the night. Why booking agents for clubs are allowed to
get away with this is beyond me. The
people booking the bands should know who they are booking. It should be a job requirement. Just because one band is good doesn’t make
their buddies band any good. You squeeze
out good bands because this is easier. I
assume someone is paying you with the idea you in turn will generate money for
them. Bar owners: Do you know what your booking agent is
doing? And once you have bands you know
perform well, have them back. Put them with
other bands that are good. You will
increase your venues reputation and grow the audiences. Book hard rock bands with other hard rock
bands and alt rock bands with alt rock bands etc. My band is a hard rock band bordering on
metal. We were once booked on a bill
with a country alt band, a black metal act and a comedian. None of us looked good that night.
6) Generally speaking, the bands playing these nights are not
getting paid anything worth their effort.
The least you can do is treat them with respect. Drop the holier than thou routine when a new
band wants to know what they need to do to get a slot on one of these
nights. Just tell them. There is no downside to treating people with
respect. Here’s an exercise to try. Pick a bar at random and see how easy it is
to find out who books the bar. Then see
how easy it is to contact them. Do they
get back to you? I know bands trying to get
a gig can be pesky. Guess what? That’s part of the job. Understand this. If people need to kiss your ass to get you to
give them a couple of minutes, they know it.
Start running a karaoke night at Chi Chi’s if you are desperate for that
kind of acknowledgement.
7) Don’t call it “New Band Night”. All that says is “Don’t come because the
bands suck”. If you know who you are
booking you should know what to expect.
Again make it about the night and the venue. Call it Live Music Happy Hour or something
that gives people a reason to come. If
you are going to feature the best of un-established bands, making it about the
band is going to fail. Remember, just
like established bands, un-established bands don’t have enough friends to make
it worth opening the doors.
The bottom line is this.
The current system makes for a bad scene and from what I’ve experienced
can’t be making the clubs any real money.
Cover charge’s should be for bands that are guaranteed a payday. If you are not paying a band enough to cover
gas and their time, then you have no excuse to charge people to see them. Make your money off the drinks. Bands, be honest. Are you good enough? If not don’t waste anyone’s time until you
are. You can only damage your reputation
if you are unprepared or untalented.
It’s time for bands and the clubs to realize they are partners and spend
more time working together. And from my
experience that means most clubs are going to have to do more.
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