Do Smoking Bans impact music scene?

**grygrx** · #1 10-10-2006, 03:33 PM

My town passed a smoking ban in all bars and resturants yesterday. I've seen some heated arguements about how it is going to crush bars and leave clubs empty. What do you all think?

Baryonyx · #2 10-10-2006, 03:38 PM

I think it's a good thing, I don't need carcinogenic gas in my air space when I'm trying to enjoy a band's music.

excane · #3 10-10-2006, 03:46 PM

They already passed this a few years ago in NYC. At first it was met with extreme opposition but then people slowly started accepting it.
They did what any typical New Yorker would do...........

.....they continued smoking anyway.

msquared · #4 10-10-2006, 03:50 PM

A local college town passed this last year (I think). I hear it was a big deal at first but eventually people got used to it.

I am a fairly rabid anti smoking nut, but something about a law being passed to enforce behavior in a privately owned establishment rubs me the wrong way, especially since they then have to build an outside smoking porch or similar to keep up.

Both sides of the argument make sense to me, it's just too bad it came to this. It's obviously pretty polarizing. That said, I can now exclusively play in clubs which don't allow smoking and I love it.

driver800 · #5 10-10-2006, 04:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by excane

They already passed this a few years ago in NYC. At first it was met with extreme opposition but then people slowly started accepting it.
They did what any typical New Yorker would do...........

.....they continued smoking anyway.

the same thing happened here about a year ago. after 3 months they modified the law exempting certain types of establishments (which ended up allowing all bars to have smoking). so in the end, it had no impact.

#6 10-10-2006, 04:06 PM

I voted Yes...Makes it Better! I've been singing and playing in smokey environments for many years and I can assure you that I am very happy that most restaurants, clubs and bars are going no-smoking. My entire respiratory system is extremely grateful.

George

markjazzbassist · #7 10-10-2006, 04:09 PM

it's good. check out NYC. They're still doing great and it's been banned there. The only drawback i can see is that instead of bars smelling like smoke, now they reek of body odor.

excane · #8 10-10-2006, 04:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by markjazzbassist

it's good. check out NYC. They're still doing great and it's been banned there. The only drawback i can see is that instead of bars smelling like smoke, now they reek of body odor.

+1
I haven't been a smoker for years but considering THAT alternative.......

I'll take the stench of smoke.

fraublugher · #9 10-10-2006, 04:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by markjazzbassist

The only drawback i can see is that instead of bars smelling like smoke, now they reek of body odor.

For some dives , the electricity in the air is almost as powerful as the other smells

you can include urine under the body odor category i think.

jady · #10 10-10-2006, 04:28 PM

Smokiing was banned in bars almost 10 years ago in Modesto, I saw many small privately owned mom and pop bars go under. If you dont want to be in smoke, dont go into the establishment. If the patrons want smoking they will come, if not, they will go to a non-smoking bar, but it should be up to the bar owner. It can really impact thier business.......personally, I dont care if there is smoking, Cars pollute the air a lot more than smokers yet no one treats drivers like social pariahs. Is it bad for you?of course, is it bad for those around you? sure but what isnt? if you can ban this, whats up with the guy or goes outside with a cold or wears too much cologne, or has BO, ???? Personal freedom has resposabilities too.If you dont want to be around it, dont be , go somewhere else.

NJL · #11 10-10-2006, 04:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jady

Smokiing was banned in bars almost 10 years ago in Modesto, I saw many small privately owned mom and pop bars go under.

That goes to show that smokers don't support mom and pop bars.

iplaybassguitar · #12 10-10-2006, 05:02 PM

i dont smoke, and would rather be in a place that doesnt have smoke in it for sure, but of course it will affect the scene because less people will go to a show if they know they cant smoke there...there will still be a lot that will go, and it might not impact the scene much, but of course it will at least a little.

Chunk-O-Funk · #13 10-10-2006, 05:36 PM

It's been banded here in RI for a while now. I really don't think there has been that much of an impact. I went to see a buddy of mine play, and the club was packed. Anyone wanting a smoke went outside. Mater of fact, in-between his sets there were quite a few people outside and it was winter at the time.

One good thing about the ban. I don't go home smelling like an ashtray.

cb56 · #14 10-10-2006, 05:42 PM

The city my band is based out of (Springfield Illinois) Just put their smoking ban into affect a few weeks ago.
Two weeks ago, we played a bar just outside the city limits. They had been advertising on the radio that you could smoke in their bar while across the street in any bar in the city limits You couldn't smoke. Needless to say the place was packed the whole night.
Last week we played a bar inside the city where the smoking ban is in affect and we played to less than 20 people the whole night.
What I'd like to know is, where are all these non smoking people who wanted to be in a non-smoking bar? How come they aren't coming out to the smoke free bars supporting live music and fresh air?
And before you suggest it was the band not bringing in a crowd. The owner told us that we were the first band since the smoking ban took affect that actually finished the whole 9-1 gig at his place. The previous bands he had, he sent home at 11pm on a 9-1 gig I assume for less money.

Jumbotron · #15 10-10-2006, 05:46 PM

Smoking was banned in Columbus a few years back. At first, some musicians I know were bitching about it, but now most of them are quite happy not to go home stinking of anything but their own bodily odors (without the smoke, the Newport, a rock venue that fits a couple thousand, turns out to smell like bleach, urine, and beer. Yay!). I've noticed no effect on attendance whatsoever, and, in fact, know people who are much happier to go to bars now that they (the bars, not the people) aren't so nasty. Smoking bans are going to happen everywhere eventually, so you might as well get used to them.

fdeck · #16 10-10-2006, 06:04 PM

It was handled very badly in Madison last year. The taverns fought it tooth and nail, first trying to get it overturned by the state legislature, then by a failed local referendum. The Tavern League may have misled their members into thinking that the ban was only going to be temporary. They could have spent the same amount of time and effort getting non smokers into bars, but they did nothing of the sort. A few bars went under, but that happens every year for various reasons. One big effect was that bartenders lost a great deal of tip income. A few musicians lost their gigs, and others had their pay cut. The student dive bars were unaffected, but they don't hire bands.

It has gradually come back, but not as quickly as any pro-ban people expected. People who said they didn't go to bars because of the smoke, didn't start going to bars after the ban. But why would they?

To survive a smoking ban, a bar has to change its marketing strategy. But the first rule of running a bar is "never change anything." So it is hard to conceive of the bars working together to make the smoking ban work for them.

RockFace · #17 10-10-2006, 06:10 PM

i can't stand cigarettes, and i am glad that the no-smoking-indoors thing is spreading rapidly. it makes my life a lot more easy and comfortable personally.

however, i haven't seen any impact as far as the number of people that come out for shows, local or big. i also haven't heard or seen any decrease in morale, except the occasional whiney chain-smoker that has to go outside every 4 seconds. people can smoke any time they want, therefore they don't pay/travel just to go and smoke. 99.9% of the time they're there for the music.

if they banned alcohol, however, there would be a huge problem.

rock.

cb56 · #18 10-10-2006, 06:55 PM

Also, no offense to anyone, but maybe only people who are actually gigging and observing their local club scene should chime in here as opposed to people who just want to express a pro or con smoking opinion.

Steve · #19 10-10-2006, 06:59 PM

In Florida for the last couple of years, any bar that has greater than 10% of it's revenue derived from food sales has been required to either stop selling food or stop smoking.

It has been my experience that the non smoking bars are with very few exceptions, empty.

Petary791 · #20 10-10-2006, 07:01 PM

All I know is that if I become a relatively successful musician, no smoking at all my venues.