A Message to Club Owners

[metalstorm]

This may have been posted, and I don't feel like looking through 7 pages.

http://chrisledrew.wordpress.com/201...-to-musicians/

Interesting none the less.

[nortonrider]

very good find metalstorm!
I agree with every word. It would be tough not to!
I am however, pretty confident that someone here is going to try to argue against this bar owners views.




HERE'S THE COPY AND PASTED TEXT OF THE LINK:


Open Letter From a Bar Owner to Musicians
by Chris LeDrew

The letter I have copied below was posted on Tampa Craigslist by a bar owner, but it was flagged for removal before I could provide a link or credit the author. But I managed to copy the content. So here it is, and I agree with pretty much every word of his hard-edged reality. If more musicians clued into this perspective, the club scene would be much better:

A bar, that is, an establishment that earns its revenue primarily from selling alcoholic beverages, measures its success by the ounce and the accounting is done everyday because we mostly live on the edge. So we spend our time trying to figure out how to sell more ounces. It’s not just how many people are in the house or how great the atmosphere is (that’s certainly important), but how many drinks, preferably premium, we sell in a day. That’s it.

Live music is important to most of us (if we have that kind of venue). But it is a significant expense and is only worthwhile if it produces more than it consumes, just like advertising and anything else we spend money on in order to sell more ounces. But so many of the bands that come through here have no clue what their job is. Your job is to sell booze. You’re not here for any other reason.

There are some truly awful bands that actually chase customers away. But there are also some bands I would call mediocre who do a fantastic job of selling my product. There are also some really good bands who rock the house but not the cash drawer. While I appreciate good music and would never have an interest listening to that mediocre band’s lame CD, they’re coming back next week. Here’s why:

1. They play simple music people recognize. People don’t dance to brilliant guitar solos or heady changes, they dance to the hook lyrics of a simple chorus. (If you’ve ever wondered why pop is popular, that’s why). When the ladies want to dance, the guys show up and everybody drinks. Simple truth.

2. They don’t ask me for drinks, they ask my customers. This is a subtle art and if it’s done well, the band can more than pay for itself. Here’s a few obvious techniques: If someone offers to buy the band a round, you order shots of top-shelf. Even if you don’t drink it, ask for it anyway. If someone asks for a request, try to make a deal with them. If you buy (your date, your table, the band) a round, we’ll play your song. Some bands beg for tips, and that’s fine, but it’s not what I’m paying you for. (Try to play request anyway. At least you wont chase them off.) We had one front man hold up a mixed drink and make a wonderfully cheesy but impassioned pitch that you simply had to try this because it was, as he put it, “a glass of pure happiness”. It resulted in over a hundred bucks in the drawer in just a few minutes. Those guys are busy.

3. They may not be the best band in town but they look and act professional. I cringe when I see a supposedly professional band wearing frayed khaki shorts, flip flops, mildly offensive t-shirts and greasy baseball caps (the standard bro uniform). I don’t care if you’re bald, a baseball cap is unacceptable. Live music is a visual form of entertainment. If you dress well, even if it’s hipster, funky, weird or flamboyant, as long as you look like you care about your appearance, and show a little self respect, you’ll go over better with my customers. The good bands also respect their gig and the customers. They show up on time, they don’t make a racket while they setup (hint: keep your drummer quiet especially when the jukebox is on.), they choose their set list carefully, they pace their sets well and stay engaged with the audience (don’t stop playing if the dance floor is full), they don’t get hammered and and they don’t leave a mess. All this adds up to what we call retention. Customers don’t leave. You would be surprised how many customers leave because of the band. And it’s usually not because the band is awful, but because it’s too loud, it’s the wrong repertoire, it’s rude and dismissive, it’s not engaged and basically no fun for anyone else but themselves. And here’s a little tip: Your continued employment is directly dependent on my bartender’s opinion of you. That’s probably true for every single bar you play.

One last thing. It’s hard to find work. You might be surprised at how much competition you have. I get emails, voicemails, regular mail, fed-ex packages left for me, all with earnestly concocted press kits and demos and I ignore almost all of it. I get walk-ins who, if I’m there, I’ll give a few minutes to. Again, you’d be surprised how many show up in their bro-clothes, tell me how awesome they are, and hand me a business card with a URL to their reverb nation page or YouTube channel. They probably go home and wonder why they don’t get a call, but I’m not going to visit your website or listen to your demo. You’ve got maybe 60 seconds to make your “elevator pitch” and just a few more minutes to make it stick. There is a sales technique I’m seeing that’s impressive, stands out and really works, but out of respect for the bands that figured it out, call it a trade secret.

Bottom line: A bar is a business. My bar is my business, my life, my success or failure. What I do in my business is entirely up to me because the risk is entirely mine. If I have a jam night, an open mic, solos, duos, bands, karaoke, or just a jukebox, that’s up to me and no one else. Whatever helps make the most revenue. I have great respect for working musicians and would rather not hire them at all than to short-change them.

The open mic and jams that seem to get so much criticism here are not about me getting free entertainment, they are about bringing in paying customers and keeping them here. People who play and sing, but not in a professional band, like to get out, get a little stage time, have some fun, bring their friends and I offer them the place to do it. And yes, these nights are pretty good for the bottom line. If having bands was better, I’d have bands every night. It’s just reality, man.

[jazzgalore]

Maybe it’s always a supply and demand thing. I imagine in some cities there’re musicians in great supply. In others – just enough. That has to explain part of the problem too. My plan is always to cultivate a few good local venues – and to fill them up. Beer and food sales are good and everyone is happy. I start off cheap and then increase our price over time. If I can make it a Friday-Saturday thing, then, that’s even better. I get twice the pay and less work lugging equipment. Living in a big city helps, of course. One with no other musicians is even better. : )

[ChrisB2]

Great! I agree with almost all of it too. Lots of good ideas on how to make our cover band better for our venues!

Nortonrider, thanks for pasting the text. I rarely click on links in here and providing the text like you did allowed me to see it.

The only thing I disagree with is the ending where he tries to justify taking advantage of musicians who will play for free. He even admits that he profits from it; therefore he should share it with the band who brought in those extra profits, even if it's only a few bucks. He is definitely taking advantage of those people he describes who just "like to get out, get a little stage time, have some fun, bring their friends." That's where I disagree.

=====

Oh, and thanks Metalstorm for the original link...

[MarkMgibson]

Bar owners have to be creative too. There's a big club near where I live that offers patrons a bus service to get home. People find there own way there, but if they live within a 20km radius, they get a free ride home at the end of the night. The manager was telling me what this simple service cost him compared to the amount of extra business it brings in, and it's been a huge success. It's time for bar owners to use their brains.

[MatticusMania]

Originally Posted by ChrisB2

The only thing I disagree with is the ending where he tries to justify taking advantage of musicians who will play for free. He even admits that he profits from it; therefore he should share it with the band who brought in those extra profits, even if it's only a few bucks. He is definitely taking advantage of those people he describes who just "like to get out, get a little stage time, have some fun, bring their friends." That's where I disagree.

But he's not talking about bands, he's talking about "open mic" or "jam nights". Who should get paid in that scenario? There is no band.

[ChrisB2]

Originally Posted by MatticusMania

But he's not talking about bands, he's talking about "open mic" or "jam nights". Who should get paid in that scenario? There is no band.

Good point, that aspect escaped me. I stand corrected.

Overall, I thought it was a good and helpful article.

[MatticusMania]

Originally Posted by ChrisB2

Good point, that aspect escaped me. I stand corrected.

Overall, I thought it was a good and helpful article.

Same here. The key is to find the balance, and exploit the hell out of that.
If you expect a bar owner to pay your band $400-$500, you best be generating an additional $1000 on top of what theyre paying you in order to justify that expense.
$1000 is equivalent to about 200 pints at $5.

[chubfarm2001]

This is a great thread. So much truth floating around, too. I am in 2 different cover bands with 2 different styles. 1 is a dance/party band, the other is country. I have been in the local scene for quite a while now, and it is similar to whats being described here. We play for the crowd, please the owners, and I make really good money and stay busy doing it. I make at least $200 every time I get on stage, sometimes much more (especially in the summer).You have to play what the crowd wants to hear if you want to make money, and the club owners really don't care what you're playing as long as the beer is flowing like wine. The better you are as a band, not just musically but putting on a good show as well, the more you will make. If a club treats the band like crap and blames you for lack of a crowd, either the band has some work to do, or the owner is a prick, and don't go back. Owners that operate like that tend to be owners for a short time.

[longfinger]

regarding the below listed article by Chris Delew...

I don't drink alcohol much, but when a patron offers to buy me a drink, I always say yes. I'll take a sip, do a cheers, and then discreetly put the drink away. Patrons buying the band drinks increases our profitability for venue. ;-) Or preferably, if the venue sells non-alcoholic drinks that I like, I'll order that and actually drink it. Venues have to offer the beverages and foods that people in the area actually want to buy. They have to be adaptable too.

I find the more successful live music venues around here, do more than just sell booze. They sell food. People will spend money on food and stick around for a few hours. The shows start and end earlier. Just 'booze bars' seem less viable to me. But crowds differ I guess...

[MarkMgibson]

Originally Posted by chubfarm2001

This is a great thread. So much truth floating around, too. I am in 2 different cover bands with 2 different styles. 1 is a dance/party band, the other is country. I have been in the local scene for quite a while now, and it is similar to whats being described here. We play for the crowd, please the owners, and I make really good money and stay busy doing it. I make at least $200 every time I get on stage, sometimes much more (especially in the summer).You have to play what the crowd wants to hear if you want to make money, and the club owners really don't care what you're playing as long as the beer is flowing like wine. The better you are as a band, not just musically but putting on a good show as well, the more you will make. If a club treats the band like crap and blames you for lack of a crowd, either the band has some work to do, or the owner is a prick, and don't go back. Owners that operate like that tend to be owners for a short time.

Yep, the owners that bitch are usually the ones that don't actually make any effort to promote live music. Live music is the one thing that patrons can't get at home, so if the clubs hire quality bands and promote them, everybody wins.

[jobo4]

Am I missing something here? It seems to me that market forces will dictate wages. With the advent of many new forms of entertainment over the past 30 years, people will split their dollars between more options, thus reducing demand for some formerly popular services/products.

May also be an argument to be made for an increase in supply of live music due to easier access to instruction and cheaper equipment.
Just my $. 02

[fivestringgecko]

I'm sure the economy does have quite a bit to do with it. I just hope that when the economy finally does bounce back, venue owner dollars come back with it.

5sg.

[denhou1974]

I've been hearing of these idiot club owners for 20 years. The "how many people do you bring" thing is a sign of inexperience. Every single club that asks me this has terrible bands with a different 'type' crowd every night depending on which band is playing. They are either out of business or has a new name/owner/manager within a year.

[LiquidMidnight]

Originally Posted by nortonrider

very good find metalstorm!
I agree with every word. It would be tough not to!
I am however, pretty confident that someone here is going to try to argue against this bar owners views.

Actually, I agree with it. But you honestly don't need an MBA to understand that a band is there to make the venue money. I think many people aren't up in arms about that. They're up in arms over all of the whiney crap that bar owners do - like the band packs the venue and they get some sob story at the end of the night that the house didn't do good at the register. I actually played a venue and filled the place to capacity. At the end of the night, the owner wanted us to cut him a break because he had taken a bath on the previous bands he booked. Sorry, we did our job; book better bands next time on the nights we're not playing your venue. It's the club owners that bump a band that draws because they can get one $50 cheaper, thinking they're going to come out further ahead at the end of the night and then wonder why their rooms are only half-way filled. It's the club owners who mysteriously disappear at the end of the night who hand the helpless bar tender $150 less than the agreed upon amount to let him or her be the sacrificial lamb when you ask why you're being short-changed.

Actually, I do disagree with one thing he said. I also loathe the "bro uniform" he also hates, but I don't understand he hang-up about baseball caps, unless he's running some snooty night club that requires its guest to wear slacks and loafers. I can understand a VFW or Legion that asks people take their hats off when they leave the stage area, but you can easily rock a baseball cap and still look like a professional musician depending on the genre of music.

But don't get me wrong; I'm not a club owner hater. I've been doing this for a while, and 95% of the bar owners, managers, officers, commanders, and staff I've dealt with have been nothing but awesome. But I wouldn't cross the street to piss in the mouths of that other 5% if their teeth were on fire.

[pgolliher]

It's simple economics. If your band is good enough and has a devoted following, people will pay to see you. Stop blaming the venues. If you aren't getting what you think you are worth... there are a few issues that are probably the problem. 1.) You aren't negotiating properly 2.) Your band isn't worth what you think it is.

I know this sounds harsh, but seriously- getting upset that a local bar isn't shelling out money for a cover band when they could put on a juke box without losing any business is ridiculous. If your band is good enough to pack a venue with people that are willing to pay to see you, then find a venue and charge a cover. You will soon learn what you are worth.
You might have gone to school for music, you might consider yourself a professional musician, but that doesn't matter. What matters is what the market will bear. There are people making money playing music- if that is your goal, then figure out what you are doing wrong, stop making excuses.

[pgolliher]

Originally Posted by jobo4

Am I missing something here? It seems to me that market forces will dictate wages. With the advent of many new forms of entertainment over the past 30 years, people will split their dollars between more options, thus reducing demand for some formerly popular services/products.

May also be an argument to be made for an increase in supply of live music due to easier access to instruction and cheaper equipment.
Just my $. 02

Sorry for such a long rant, you said it much better and with fewer words.

[jobo4]

Originally Posted by pgolliher

Sorry for such a long rant, you said it much better and with fewer words.

I like what you had to say as well.

This whole thread has me thinking about how the music business has changed. Big labels no longer have a stranglehold on new talent. Bands like Pomplamoose can make a living via YouTube, and the advent of crowdfunding has created opportunities for entrepreneurial musicians who would not have been granted access to capital in the old system.

I find it to be an exciting time, with lots of possibilities that even 15 years ago I would never have dreamed would be available to musicians.

It's the new wild west. It's time to innovate.

[bluewine]

Originally Posted by nortonrider

I think that a lot of people just enjoy sharing what they love to do with others, Money is not the prime motivator for them to get up and perform.

Choosing to make a business out of doing what so many others are willing to do for free isn't really the best laid plan and therefore shouldn't be complained about when it doesn't work out as hoped.

There is nothing wrong with playing for free.

However, my opinion, and just my opinion, no offense.

There are those that have figured out how to get paid and those that haven't.

I have never bought into any of these types of statements.

I say this with respect, it's just my opinion.

" I have a job, I don't need the money. I play for the sheer love of playing music. "

" If it becomes a business or work, I'll stop playing."

Both to me are code for;

"It's to hard to figure out the money side of this.

Regards & Respect

Blue

[MarkMgibson]

Originally Posted by bluewine

There is nothing wrong with playing for free.

However, my opinion, and just my opinion, no offense.

There are those that have figured out how to get paid and those that haven't.

I have never bought into any of these types of statements.

I say this with respect, it's just my opinion.

" I have a job, I don't need the money. I play for the sheer love of playing music. "

" If it becomes a business or work, I'll stop playing."

Both to me are code for;

"It's to hard to figure out the money side of this.

Regards & Respect

Blue

But you're helping the bar/club make money, so why the hell shouldn't you get paid? It's just my opinion, but bands who play for free are just being used, it's that simple, and I see far too many bands (good bands) play for nothing because they don't think they have any value. They're wrong, and there's no such thing as playing for free. Transport costs, the time you spend preparing off-stage: you're not playing for free, you're paying to play.

Unless you're doing a favour for a friend, you may as well just drop your pants and bend over. We all love playing, that doesn't mean you shouldn't be paid for your time like anybody else. The bar staff are being paid, and the kitchen staff, and the cleaners, etc.