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Cover charge dilemma

#41
I don't blink at paying $5 more, but some do. I will search a band online and see what I am getting before I commit to going out. Having good performances online will get me to check out bands I haven't seen before. If a band doesn't interest me, the cover doesn't matter.

My free time is far too valuable to go hear a mediocre band, no matter the cover. I value the musical experience more than the atmosphere of the venue which probably makes me an outlier.
 
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#45
While I don't like it, I understand while more places a charging covers. Go back a generation, and many patrons would drink a lot abmnd stay all evening. Now very few people are going out and getting toasted in bars every weekend, then driving home (not that this is a bad thing for society). If someone shows up, nurses a beer and a coke, then leaves, it's not profitable. The bars are there to make a profit, not enable our hobby.
 
#47
It’s funny that people flinch at the idea of a $10 cover but they will throw a $20 bill in a tip jar.

I've played for over 25 years at one local bar that really pushes the tip bucket (a bartender goes around the room once per set). It’s pretty easy to get anywhere from $200 to $400 in the bucket while the bar only pays $100.

I played for over 20 years at a restaurant that had music in their pub room. They found that charging a $10 cover for Friday and Saturday nights turned away customers. Waiters went table by table to inform diners that they had to pay $100 to stay and hear the band, so most diners promptly left at 9:00. On weeknights and Sundays there was no cover and the pub would be full to closing. When new management came in, they tried no cover on weekends for a while and found that the music didn't draw enough extra business to be worth paying the bands anything. So they dropped Fridays and Saturdays altogether. FWIW, Sunday was a blues jam and it drew so much business right up to last call that we were getting $300 for a trio.
 
#48
What I get from reading this thread is that there are a huge variety of situations, so OP, you're kind of on your own.

My first-cut take on it would be that if this is a "destination nighhtclub", charge the same going-rate $10. I get the idea it's people all dressed up who want to go dancing and have specifically targeted this club - in which case they've already planned to spend the $10 a head.

But again, I'm not in your shoes, and it seems like most posters on this thread are using their experiences to tell you what to do, even when those experiences don't align with your situation.
 
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#49
great bleudini said:
We have an opportunity for a monthly gig at a very nice establishment. We are at the stage where we are trying to move out of the bar band circuit and into better venues. The catch with this offer is that there is a minimum guarantee but they wish to charge a cover. The guarantee would cover about half of what we are used to seeing for a night. We are discussing what we would charge. The band before us charged $10 at the door. They are established and have no problem getting that. We on the other hand are working on our following. We discussed a $5 charge instead hoping that would attract more people. I'm not sure I agree with that. I believe in perceived value. If we charge $10 then people will think we are worth it. I don't want to present us as a bargain band. How have you all handled this? Will a lower price bring more people in or just make us look like a lower quality band?
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For me $10 is a no-brainer, meaning I don't hesitate paying that. Anything above $10 and I hesitate and would only pay for a band I know or am interested in. $5 has the feel of a HS band.
 
#51
To me the only acceptable solution is that the band has a rate, the band is paid that rate. If the venue wants to recover that rate via a cover charge that is up to them. But, a local band should never be playing for the door. If this is not acceptable to the venue, it is because they know having the band play for guaranteed 1/2 rate plus the door is going to be cheaper for the venue. There are many places to play, find one that is happy to have you and agreeable to your terms.

My band "fired" a venue this year, great place to play, crowds are great and the owners love us. But, the place is at least 2 hours away for all of us. We raised our rate this year and at first they were agreeable, but when it came time to put dates on the calendar, they all of a sudden didn't like the money. We held the dates they wanted for a couple of weeks thinking they might come back, but they didn't. Now those dates are filled by other venues for the same money and much closer to home.
 
#52
Back in the 90s, we did a lot of playing for the door, and TBH I preferred it to being paid by the bar once we got our own door minion and stopped losing a ton of cash to a bar employee doing door duty.
As for what you are charging? We were a pretty good draw and got $5.00 a head, when the going rate was 2~3 bucks a head, but that was 30 some years ago, so I'd think $10.00 would be a reasonable cover these days especially if the house is taking a bite. The trick to doing well playing for the door is to play out a lot and establish your band in the community. Do some form of promotion, the more the better, but most importantly give the people what they want with a level of quality that's a cut above what they are used to. If you slay it, they will come. :D
 
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#54
great bleudini said:
We have an opportunity for a monthly gig at a very nice establishment. We are at the stage where we are trying to move out of the bar band circuit and into better venues. The catch with this offer is that there is a minimum guarantee but they wish to charge a cover. The guarantee would cover about half of what we are used to seeing for a night. We are discussing what we would charge. The band before us charged $10 at the door. They are established and have no problem getting that. We on the other hand are working on our following. We discussed a $5 charge instead hoping that would attract more people. I'm not sure I agree with that. I believe in perceived value. If we charge $10 then people will think we are worth it. I don't want to present us as a bargain band. How have you all handled this? Will a lower price bring more people in or just make us look like a lower quality band?
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When you lower the price point, it’s hard to get it back up. I’d run with the $10 charge, but I’d have a conversation with the establishment on what their expectation is draw wise. If you see that isn’t being met, then I would consider lowering the charge.
 
#55
I don't think it would make a great difference for me.

But what is the gist of the venue, do people come in specifically for the concert offered or is it rather a place where people visit anyway for drinks and company and "let's see who plays tonight"?. In the latter case, I would expect the venue to have a fixed price, and then the band would be rather the icing on the cake, somethings great some other times not, but people would go to the venue already with the idea of paying the usual ticket (though I would also understand a venue that charges a ticket only when it does have live music).

If the concert itself is the reason for visiting the venue, then different ticket prices per band is understandable, but I would never judge a band by the ticket price before seeing the concert. Lower ticket to me could be simply because the band is starting out. If anything, should you play sub-par I'd probably not regret paying a low ticket, but if you charge a lot and then play sub-par I'd never want to hear your band again. But again, 10$ isn't an amount that would make me feel bad even if you play sub-par. Now if you started to ask 20-30$ then I am simply not going to come into the concert unless I already know your band or someone close to me recommends it.
 
#56
great bleudini said:
The good thing about this venue is that they have their own built-in draw instead of the band having to be responsible for the whole thing. It's popular with Latin dancing. We are trying to replace another once a month night we have with another club. It's the sort of place you would see on Bar Rescue. The new venue has people who dress up to go out and elevated (pricey) food and drink. Ewwaren88 is correct in that we need to decide what to charge and stick to it. After reading your thoughts I feel better about charging $5.
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If that is the case, I'd charge the $10. If it was a venue with a lot of through traffic, I would try to avoid a cover as that might dissuade people from stopping in. But if it's a destination bar where people get dressed up to go out, stay the evening and they know there's going to be a cover, then an extra $5 is probably not going to be a big deal.
 
#57
Low End Scum said:
You know, I never considered "bargain band" a thing. Like, I've never gone to a place and been like "Oh, no cover charge? These musicians must suck". I've always just associated it with whatever the bar owner was asking, and hoped that the band/s get a not-insignificant cut of that. I've also never gone to a place and thought "Dang, a 10 dollar cover? Phew, must be awesome in there". More often than not the only thought I had of a 10 dollar cover was "I bet if I order a burger here, I'm gonna have to pay separate for fries and all the beers are at least 3 to 5 dollars"
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I wish beers were only $3-$5. In my area, it's $7.50 for a Coors Light, and goes up from there.
 
#58
HolmeBass said:
Honestly, charge $10. The number of people who won’t pay $10 but will pay $5 is actually really small. Most people won’t want to pay a cover unless there is some extenuating circumstance, like they know the band or want the cachet of the club, and the $5 difference won’t matter to them.
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Agree. People don't "go out" to save money. They want a good time and know they're gonna buy a
lot of drinks, spend more than they planned, and hopefully have a great time with some friends. $5 vs $10 is meaningless. Those people go to the no-cover dive bars and sit there looking around all night, waiting for others to show-up so they don't feel so stupid about hanging around a lonely place. Go for the $10. As others have said, if you're good enough to play there, you're good enough to be paid there.
 
#60
I go out often and I honestly wouldn’t pay a $10 cover unless I was sure it’s a band that’s worth it. I see many great local bands around here for no cover charge. Touring acts are usually $20-30 tickets at small local venues

But some venues charge a cover anyway so people that go there are ok with that
 

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