Bemoaning the lack of an audience

[bikeplate]

Life as a musician. Ive lived it for 35 years. My young nephew ranted to me about it years ago. I simply told him count on no one ahowing up to your gigs who care about you. Girlfriends, family, etc. its a dark attitude but its a realistic one. Get your “fans” one at a time and make sure the clubs stay on uour good side. Keep at it

 

[Plutonium244]

Also: your friends may support you but it's silly to think they are going to want to see your every gig. Hearing the same band, no matter how good a friend they may be, 10 times a month, 120 times a year, is not fun

 

[jmone]

Yeah man my band is taking a break because of this very thing. We do originals and only originals and we had maybe 60 at our first show and our by our 10th we’re down to about 30. We got in good with a few bands so we’ll play out if we’re invited but we don’t really go looking anymore. I’m not sure what the solution is. I’m thinking we need to build an online following FIRST, and then get out to gigging but that’s completely hit or miss even if it’s done well...

 

[swarfrat]

When I was a kid, "all age" shows were a common event. I was able to see all kinds of great bands (in bars) in my early teens. I haven't seen more than a hand full of this type of show in my area in probably 20 years. I think those shows are a direct factor in what keeps me interested to this very day. The only people that come out anymore are the veteran rockers who were there with or before me. Kids don't know what they're missing, and it isn't their fault. Venues want to make sales on booze and it squeezes out local performances directly. But that's "business". Terrible for the business of music all the same. I really feel it to be a major contributor to lacking audience numbers.

This - I think music has inextricably woven itself to not just alcohol sales but going out for the purpose of getting absolutely sloshed - for so long that they just don't know how to make money otherwise.

My son is 5. He loves my music. I know that will change in a few years, but man I wish there were low volume, family friendly events where you could see the performers up close, played music of all genres (not just 3 old guys trying to confuse each other into losing the one), and played early enough that he could enjoy it. (Now if he'd just eat burgers, we could go get a burger and make a father son outing of it.) He actually prefers 70's to 80's and later, loves twangless country and rockabilly.

 

[vin*tone]

Yeah it's tough. I've had this discussion with band leaders a lot bc I don't like playing to nobody. Here's the hard truth:

1 - Play music that people want to hear. People have come out to drink and party not listen your problems or marvel at how awesome you are. No-one cares that your song is in 13/16 or you play in drop W.
2 - Play it well. Nobody wants to watch a bad juggler.

Sounds simple but 90% of bands don't do it.

 

[cchorney]

There's a bunch of reasons I see for reduced attendance at shows.

1. Drinking age. In New Haven at least, lowering the drinking age to 18 from 21 KILLED live music for decades. It's back at a fraction of it's former glory.
2. Bands too loud. If the bartenders can't take orders, they can't make money. If the audience can't talk to each other, it stops being a shared experience in a way.
3. Same songs, over and over. If you want people to see you over and over, you better bring in a dozen or more new songs every year.
4. How about some personality? Performing a song well is just part of the equation. If you don't have some fun interaction with the audience, the audience won't have as much fun. People having fun come back.
5. Getting old sucks. Young people don't necessarily want to see people 30 years their senior rocking out, and the "age cohorts" of the band have to get up early for work or just don't have the steam to go out and stay up late to see a band like they used to when they were younger.

 

[GlennRH]

Yeears ago, I went to see a favourite band from overseas play at an oddly-chosen local nightclub on tour. Their performance contrasted starkly with that of the opening band. It was a textbook example of how handle a low-turnout gig versus how not to handle a small crowd.

This band had recently undergone a line-up change (key member from original line-up replaced) and recently released an album that was good but not great after a longer-than-usual delay between albums and between tours.

The opening band played pretty good material but was completely unknown among the headliner's audience.

The oddly-chosen local nightclub was simply not a destination for the headliners' audience or for the local scene for their genre. The room would have been nicely full at about 1,000 people and could have taken 1,500 before any fire-code concern.

About 125 people attended the show.

The opening band made a display of their displeasure with the size of the crowd. Responding, nobody made an effort to get into their set. Basically, the experience of their set sucked for everybody.

The headliners, however - much to their credit - smiled and rocked and put on a professional show. They performed as if the room was full of appreciative fans they love to play for. They made it great despite the small audience in an oddly-chosen nightclub. The fans who attended remained fans.

 

[blue4]

^This. When was live music in abundance with nightly built in crowds? Before the internet, before streaming music, before Netflix, before video games that look like reality, before 24 hour a day watch anything you want on TV, before, before before... People just have too many choices. Most of the music I enjoy is 30 years old at a minimum. Sure, there are a few decent bands out there, but in my opinion the quality of the music that has been put out since, I'll be generous, the mid-90s, is poor to unlistenable. Why would I want to see someone else's cover of songs that were beaten to death years ago...or some crap pop tune that I would turn off if it came on the radio? Oh, and one more thing...get off my lawn!!

I quite like most of the new music as much as I do the old. The difference I see in old vs new music in regards to the popularity of live music is the subject matter of the songs. AC/DC wrote 1000 songs about a giant party. Hair band music was about parties. Jessie's Girl and similar pop rock songs about getting the girl. After '89 and the fall of the party band the subject matter the rock acts played got more serious. Some like that and some don't but I think it does effect the live music scene at the local club or bar level where the majority of the people on TB reside. That's not meant to be disparaging comment about us or the merits of those songs, simply an observation. Honestly the biggest response my band has ever got is when we took a Lady Gaga song and made it into a rock song. Party atmosphere, and regular instruments.

 

[trailer]

Don't beat yourself up and don't feel like you've got to try harder because I used to do that and it's pointless. Friends will let you down every time until they perceive that there is something that they're missing. Hopefully that'll happen for you...after almost 20 years of hacking away it's just beginning to happen a little for me and it's a bittersweet kind of thing. Now I'm getting the "hey bro, I hear your playing "place"! Hey can you get us in?" Blah blah blah whatever. It's hard, so very hard to get separation from all the other bands out there and get a ahead but I believe most bands can do it. It takes a little luck just to "make it" to the next level and it kinda sucks. But you've got to keep diggin, always be your best even on poopy nights and smile, laugh and always be available.

 

[LT131]

The goal is to play for people you don't know. How long can friends and family be expected to be your audience?

If all of my friends and fam showed they could easily fill a room. A very small room. Matter of fact, they could probably share a pitcher and catch a respectable buzz. If they tried to dance someone would break a hip.

Seriously, I'm playing to some of the same people that I played for 40 years ago. They came out when live music was a big deal and partied. They got married, had kids, kids grew up, some stayed together, some got divorced and now they are back out repeating the cycle. The younger crew seems to prefer the DJ, able to play any request replete with fog, lyrics and lights.

 

[LT131]

The goal is to play for people you don't know. How long can friends and family be expected to be your audience?

If all of my friends and fam showed they could easily fill a room. A very small room. Matter of fact, they could probably share a pitcher and catch a respectable buzz. If they tried to dance someone would break a hip.

Seriously, I'm playing to some of the same people that I played for 40 years ago. They came out when live music was a big deal and partied. They got married, had kids, kids grew up, some stayed together, some got divorced and now they are back out repeating the cycle. The younger crew seems to prefer the DJ, able to play any request replete with fog, lyrics and lights.

 

[gumtown]

Call your band "Free Beer and Pizza"

 

[SLO Surfer]

I only read the first and last pages here, but didn’t see anyone recommend to get opening slots with more well known bands. That gets you in front of way more potential fans.

 

[juancaminos]

We live in Laveen which is a small town at the Southern outskirts of Phoenix. There is no live music here so we have to drive a few miles if we want to see bands. We have a few friends who own or run bars but when go, most times, the live music is not so good. There is one local Laveen place that had good karaoke. Everyone who knows me knows how much I dislike Karaoke. But this guy was a great singer so we went every Saturday night to get my Club sandwich, have a few beers and hear this guy sing (along with a bar full of people). Fast forward a year and the karaoke guy is gone, now it's poopy Karaoke and an empty bar. So we hardly go out at all.

 

[swarfrat]

They need to get some non-local Karaoke singers who aren't from Arizona or New Mexico. Now that we all know those states are incapable of producing west coast grade talent due to the gene pool,you might as well put up a CL ad for singers.

 

[mikewalker]

...Scotland was terrible in my experience. People would only turn up if it was free. No way would they pay at the door . :-/

Well, Scotland is Scotland! ( disclaimer: I have Scottish genes, and value them highly)

 

[mikewalker]

....

Crucial post, actually. The local clubs are having decent success with 5-8pm and almost as much with 7-10pm. Anything later than that and people won't even go see the opener. And the bars doing this are closing up at 11, even though CA allows operation until 2AM, nobody is staying that late anymore.

Thats for sure... the town I am in rolls up the streets at EIGHT O CLOCK... :-(

 

[mikewalker]

Five shows, and you've been inviting the same people to those shows and expecting them to show up. The person above who said 10% is the general rule was right, but the other part of that is that you can only realistically expect friends and family to show up maybe once every three to six months. They're actually not coming out to hear your band, they're coming to do you a favor and put a butt in a seat for you; most of my friends really could care less about the music I play, but they want to be supportive.

The thing is, unless you are really putting on a spectacular show, you won't get those people back time and time again. They did their favor, and you're asking them to do the same favor over and over again. It just doesn't work and you can't expect it to.

That's the sad reality of working rooms that expect you to bring your own crowd. It doesn't really work unless you happen to be in a band that has a big following and the only way to get a big following is to play rooms where people you don't know will be able to see you. Being selective about venue, working the crowd on breaks and making sure you collect contact information from people who like your band are important components to this. Bottom line is that it takes time and most bands will never achieve it. I like the person who suggested doing shows with a "twist." Create your own event and make it something interesting. Do it in conjunction with a local business, raise money for a cause, get involved in your community using your music as an edge. That's how you build a following, not by inviting your friends and family to an empty bar.

100% agree... I would only add: "ALWAYS, ALWAYS PUT ON A SHOW" Be memorable - or be forgotten!

 

[gumtown]

100% agree... I would only add: "ALWAYS, ALWAYS PUT ON A SHOW" Be memorable - or be forgotten!

 

[QORC]

a successful band doesn't depend on their friends and family to fill a venue -- if they show up, hey, great it's a bonus. but they should not be what you're counting on to consider a night a success. A successful local band is a success because they are good, field a marketable product, and they build a following, knowing that at best, 30% of your following will show up to any particular gig. but if you have enough of them, they will follow you. but to vent that because you post stuff on FB, and send out emails, that your friends and family don't show up to fill some new venue? I think that's kinda unreasonable. I get "invites" to shows DAILY. dozens of them a month. I don't have the time or interest to go to but a few. but if someone defined my "friendship" with them as whether I showed up to see their band, I wouldn't be their friend for long. even with friends' bands, the MOST I see anyone would be like 3x a year. TOPS. I don't have the time, or the interest, to do more than that for anyone.

if you get 10% of your friends to show up to a show, BE GRATEFUL. but you can't rely on them to pretend you are a "success." I put out the gig flyers on my FB page. I don't expect anyone in particular to come. I'm simply glad when they do and tell them so. but I don't at all expect it.

practice. become good. have a marketable product. get a following. otherwise, don't b*tch