Venues that won't advertise for live music

[hdracer]

Originally Posted by lowfreq33

What frustrates me is when we go to the trouble and expense of making posters and shipping them to the venue weeks in advance and they can't be bothered to even put them up around the bar. Then the next time we play there they complain that we didn't send them posters this time.

If it is a in town show the best thing to do is send one or two people (male & female) over to the venue and put them up for them. Put a couple by the pool tables, on the inside and out side of the rest room doors, all around the bar area and inside the entrance, don't forget the parking lot too. Everywhere they will let you.
Then after the show and you are done loading out, have someone take them down.
Yeah it's a PITA but if that is what it takes you have to do it.

As far as them not saying anything on their FB, Do it yourself. Post on the wall how much you are looking forward to playing there. Not just once, have everyone in the band post something. Have some of your friends and fans post something about being excited about seeing your show.

If the venue will not pick up the ball you have to pick it up and run with it.

[guy n. cognito]

Originally Posted by hdracer

As far as them not saying anything on their FB, Do it yourself. Post on the wall how much you are looking forward to playing there. Not just once, have everyone in the band post something. Have some of your friends and fans post something about being excited about seeing your show.

That's not how FB works. If I make a post on a bar's FB page, people will only see it if they intentionally visit the page and then they will only see it in "Comments Left by Others" (or something like that), but it will not be broadcast to their "followers."

[hdracer]

I am sort of new to FB but I seem to get notifications for every post from my groups and friends FB.

[jmattbassplaya]

Originally Posted by guy n. cognito

That's not how FB works. If I make a post on a bar's FB page, people will only see it if they intentionally visit the page and then they will only see it in "Comments Left by Others" (or something like that), but it will not be broadcast to their "followers."

Still better than nothing. Better yet, if you see that they haven't posted anything about the gig why don't you message them and politely remind them to do their part.

[Phil Smith]

Originally Posted by guy n. cognito

Has anyone else seen this trend increasing, and what suggestions do you have to try to correct the behavior?

Is this a situation where you sit down and have a discussion with the establishment owner prior to the gig or do you just assume they are going to do the "right" thing?

[guy n. cognito]

Originally Posted by Phil Smith

Is this a situation where you sit down and have a discussion with the establishment owner prior to the gig or do you just assume they are going to do the "right" thing?

It is a situation where the establishment has a history of doing the "right" thing and, as I explained above, I had a conversation with them after the fact when it became an issue.

[derrico1]

Originally Posted by guy n. cognito

Maybe, butI find it hard to believe that any business owner would decide that NO advertisement is better than doing something, even if it's a mention on Facebook.

The power of belief is that it doesn't require contemplation in each instance. A venue manager believes promo doesn't work, so she stops making new decisions about promo.

Yeah, it's weak. But you can understand the mindset. When venue management gets to the point that they believe their promo efforts don't matter, they stop making the effort.

[lowfreq33]

Originally Posted by hdracer

If it is a in town show the best thing to do is send one or two people (male & female) over to the venue and put them up for them. Put a couple by the pool tables, on the inside and out side of the rest room doors, all around the bar area and inside the entrance, don't forget the parking lot too. Everywhere they will let you.
Then after the show and you are done loading out, have someone take them down.
Yeah it's a PITA but if that is what it takes you have to do it.

As far as them not saying anything on their FB, Do it yourself. Post on the wall how much you are looking forward to playing there. Not just once, have everyone in the band post something. Have some of your friends and fans post something about being excited about seeing your show.

If the venue will not pick up the ball you have to pick it up and run with it.

That's kind of the point, if it's an out of town show (which is 90% of what I do) there's nothing I can do past sending the posters. Often we don't hit town until the night before, sometimes the day of. Little too late at that point. We do try to promote via Facebook, but if it's a new town we don't know anyone there to promote it to. We do try to scope out active users in the bar's fb page and friend request them.

[SBassman]

In my corner of the world, I don't think most venue owners would want me to tell them to do their part. I don't think that would go over well.

In the past, if a venue demonstrated they put up posters for other bands, we'd give them posters for our band/gig. If they didn't, we didn't say anything. If they are smart enough to use online sources - FB, local websites - then that is great, but, I don't think you Tell them to do so if they are not. In my region, I think that would be a pretty quick way to fall out of grace with the venue owner.

They don't want to be told how to do their job, even if very often, we all know they do it poorly.

[Phil Smith]

Originally Posted by guy n. cognito

It is a situation where the establishment has a history of doing the "right" thing and, as I explained above, I had a conversation with them after the fact when it became an issue.

The question I'm raising is why not have that conversation with the establishment prior to the gig regardless of past behavior?

[guy n. cognito]

Originally Posted by Phil Smith

The question I'm raising is why not have that conversation with the establishment prior to the gig regardless of past behavior?

Originally Posted by SBassman

In my corner of the world, I don't think most venue owners would want me to tell them to do their part. I don't think that would go over well.

In the past, if a venue demonstrated they put up posters for other bands, we'd give them posters for our band/gig. If they didn't, we didn't say anything. If they are smart enough to use online sources - FB, local websites - then that is great, but, I don't think you Tell them to do so if they are not. In my region, I think that would be a pretty quick way to fall out of grace with the venue owner.

They don't want to be told how to do their job, even if very often, we all know they do it poorly.

SBassman is right. Booking a gig, then telling a venue owner how to promote it might sound great in theory, but it's rarely going to go over well. That said, we do take certain steps that are a bit more passive:

1. Create posters and send them to the venue owner, both physically and in eletronic form.
2. Send our band logo and other "press kit" type materials to the venue in digital format, so they can use them in their online advertisements.
3. Create social media advertisements, and tag the venue.

In the cases above, I did all that, yet the venues still did nothing to promote the gig.

[Phil Smith]

Having a conversation is not the same as telling people what to do. In the scenario that you posted it's apparent the owner had one idea of what was going to happen and the reality turned out to be something else. Having a discussion about the upcoming event with the owner could give rise to less "surprises".

[MNAirHead]

My contract says exactly what I'll do.... Requests a contact list---- then offers hourly marketing consulting

[bluewine]

Originally Posted by mellowinman

I told her that just between her and I, I would play for next to nothing, just to be playing to a big crowd. I know that's an unpopular sentiment in this business, but honestly, I do NOT give a crap about money, and never have. What I want is to ENTERTAIN PEOPLE, and do it well.

I don't know how long you have been in this business, but what your saying also says " My band is worth next to nothing which also happens to be our fee"

Your not the only person in this business that claims "I don't care about money" While I think the intent here is to express how noble that approach is. I am not sure it's so noble, I think there are other things going on.


blue

[guy n. cognito]

Originally Posted by MNAirHead

My contract says exactly what I'll do.... Requests a contact list---- then offers hourly marketing consulting

As much as I'd love to have formal contracts for bar gigs, it just doesn't happen in Nashville. Requesting a contract=no gig around here. Offering "hourly marketing consulting" might get a chuckle or two......

[mellowinman]

Originally Posted by bluewine

I don't know how long you have been in this business, but what your saying also says " My band is worth next to nothing which also happens to be our fee"

Your not the only person in this business that claims "I don't care about money" While I think the intent here is to express how noble that approach is. I am not sure it's so noble, I think there are other things going on.


blue

I don't think it's noble at all. And I wouldn't be that surprised to hear anyone categorize it as "stupid."

I'm saying it because it's true.

I have never, and will never cared one crap about money. I'm just not an ambitious, or materialistic person. I love to play music, and I love to share it with as many people as I can.

I am not in charge of this band's bookings or deals. I am saying, quite literally, I would rather play for FREE to a big, enthusiastic crowd, than get paid the lousy crap they pay bands around here to play to a near empty house.

If I continue to make mediocre wages playing to nobody, I will quit.

If I play to a packed room, I will be happy.

I don't see what's so hard to understand about this. I have a day job, and I don't consider myself a big enough deal to deserve to be paid big money to play music.

The market's oversaturated. Everybody and their brother has a band. Everybody and their brother are in MORE THAN ONE BAND.

[jonas_24112]

Didn't waste time to read the whole thread. We consistently post flyers and comments directly on our venues pages for upcoming gigs. You can't do it from your band page, but can from your personal page. If the venue doesn't do it for us, we do it for them. Haven't had one complain about it yet.

[guy n. cognito]

Originally Posted by jonas_24112

Didn't waste time to read the whole thread. We consistently post flyers and comments directly on our venues pages for upcoming gigs. You can't do it from your band page, but can from your personal page. If the venue doesn't do it for us, we do it for them. Haven't had one complain about it yet.

Yes, but it doesn't show up in the news feed of that venues "fans." It will only show up on their "posts by others" section and will have a limited reach to those that actively visit their site. It's not the same as the venue doing it themselves......

[jonas_24112]

True, true.....sometimes they repost it....sometimes.....

[bassbully]

My band has seen this happen a few times in the last year. Facebook is free as are a couple local newspapers who post bars and bands playing and they don't even bother to send them an email to be listed in them. One place we used to play would put bands on their sign outside for awhile but then got lazy just posted it's happy hour and is now closed.

We have dropped off posters that were never put up. For the most part most clubs do a pretty good job, with so much free media its not asking much but its part of being in a band and its suks sometimes.