I Want To Open My Own Music Venue, Help!

[codycon96]

Hello there, my name is Cody and my life's goal is to open a music venue. As of right now, I'm currently in college studying business management to help fulfill this dream of mine. As a young man I find myself gravitating to the rock and roll scene, specifically hardcore, post-hardcore and alt rock. Groups like Thursday, Touche Amore, Glassjaw, Real Estate, Brand New, We Are Scientists etc.

Now that the pleasantries are out of the way, let me tell you about the plans I have for this venue.

1) I plan to utilize a church that's closed down. Ample parking, offices already established, bathrooms and also a soundboard/minimal PA setup.

2) I plan on turning one of the side rooms into the artist/green room and putting bed's and having a shower installed into one of the bathrooms to give bands a place to sleep comfortable and also clean themselves. Having been in a touring band, I can safely say that not many venues have these kind of comforts. To also make sure bands have a pleasant time I plan on installing a garage onto the side of the venue with a locking door. I know too many bands that have had their gear stolen because of inadequate parking.

3) I want to have the actual show in the sanctuary. I plan on doing this by removing most of the pews and creating a general standing room. I would like to keep four or five rows in the very back for people with disabilities and people who just want to listen to music but not get into a mosh pit, or have people stage dive onto them.

4) Going along with #3, I plan on also purchasing metal barricades because some artists are not comfortable with the crowd being able to freely join them on the stage. I plan on leaving that to the artist's preference as a barricade isn't hard to remove.

I'm posting on here because this is one of the best forums on the internet and I expect some great recommendations/concerns/suggestions.

Thank you!

 

[filmtex]

You're in college studying business management and have no actual experience? GOOD. LUCK. WITH. THAT.

 

[codycon96]

You're in college studying business management and have no actual experience? GOOD. LUCK. WITH. THAT.

THANK. YOU.

 

[Rabidhamster]

Cool man sounds good, I bet you can make it work if you put everything you've got into it, and have the capital to take care of 1 and 2. How quickly do you have to make the purchase?

 

[codycon96]

Cool man sounds good, I bet you can make it work if you put everything you've got into it, and have the capital to take care of 1 and 2. How quickly do you have to make the purchase?

I plan on doing this within the next two to three years. I'd like to get some real world experience working in a venue so that way I'm not going too feet first.
With all truthfulness, I'm going to need some kind of investors or equal business partners to go into this with.

 

[Rabidhamster]

Maybe don't create your business plan around the idea of finding a yet-to-be-identified failed church to convert. Speaking of church, the "Good Book" has some interesting words of wisdom on business partnerships.
If people are actually coming to your shows and handing over cash you might need to have at least a beer and wine license.
Get an extra job now and invest it all wisely.

 

[codycon96]

Maybe don't create your business plan around the idea of finding a yet-to-be-identified failed church to convert. Speaking of church, the "Good Book" has some interesting words of wisdom on business partnerships.
If people are actually coming to your shows and handing over cash you might need to have at least a beer and wine license.
Get an extra job now and invest it all wisely.

Great advice, thank you!
Down here in South Carolina, there are quite a few abandoned churches that have been on the market for a few years.
I'm always looking aswell, and the beer/wine license is a given.

Any more advice man?

 

[MJ5150]

Some people may be weirded out by the former church angle and not show up for that reason. Just a thought.

Perhaps start now building a network of radio stations connections, bands, industry people, merchandisers, etc so you know and have relationships with who you need to know when you're ready to get started.

-Mike

 

[Frank Tuesday]

The biggest thing is to understand your market. Who goes out to shows, what music do they pay to listen to, how much do they spend on drinks, etc. What is your competition? It's not just other live music venues. You're also competing against live sports, sports bars, trivia machines, karaoke, movies, EDM, etc. Any place that provides entertainment and/or booze is your competition.

It's all well and good to provide a venue for music you love, but unless you can afford to lose money, you gotta give the crowd what they want.

 

[Old Garage-Bander]

Hello there, my name is Cody and my life's goal is to open a music venue. As of right now, I'm currently in college studying business management to help fulfill this dream of mine. As a young man I find myself gravitating to the rock and roll scene, specifically hardcore, post-hardcore and alt rock. Groups like Thursday, Touche Amore, Glassjaw, Real Estate, Brand New, We Are Scientists etc.

Now that the pleasantries are out of the way, let me tell you about the plans I have for this venue.

1) I plan to utilize a church that's closed down. Ample parking, offices already established, bathrooms and also a soundboard/minimal PA setup.

2) I plan on turning one of the side rooms into the artist/green room and putting bed's and having a shower installed into one of the bathrooms to give bands a place to sleep comfortable and also clean themselves. Having been in a touring band, I can safely say that not many venues have these kind of comforts. To also make sure bands have a pleasant time I plan on installing a garage onto the side of the venue with a locking door. I know too many bands that have had their gear stolen because of inadequate parking.

3) I want to have the actual show in the sanctuary. I plan on doing this by removing most of the pews and creating a general standing room. I would like to keep four or five rows in the very back for people with disabilities and people who just want to listen to music but not get into a mosh pit, or have people stage dive onto them.

4) Going along with #3, I plan on also purchasing metal barricades because some artists are not comfortable with the crowd being able to freely join them on the stage. I plan on leaving that to the artist's preference as a barricade isn't hard to remove.

I'm posting on here because this is one of the best forums on the internet and I expect some great recommendations/concerns/suggestions.

Thank you!

Showers? Sounds like a fancy truck stop.
Rock musicians? Just hook em up, if ya know what I mean, they'll be happy.

Have you got to the part in your business studies where you present a business plan for this venture?
You know where you have to show cost of operations vs income and convince investors to give you money.
Or the professor to give you an A.

You should spend 5-10 years working for someone else in this business first to see how things are done and to develope your network of contacts.

Check out the documentary of Death by Audio. They ran one of the most successful underground venues in NYC.
The key was that it was in NYC. If you can make it there, you can make it anywhere. Though most anywhere else might be a much tougher make.
The only showers anyone got there was when an overhead sewage pipe ruptured.

But if you have jam night, I'm in!

 

[codycon96]

Some people may be weirded out by the former church angle and not show up for that reason. Just a thought.

Perhaps start now building a network of radio stations connections, bands, industry people, merchandisers, etc so you know and have relationships with who you need to know when you're ready to get started.

-Mike

Thanks Mike! I've already started making my connections with those groups because I honestly enjoy networking, and the great thing about networking is that you can never get enough!

 

[codycon96]

Showers? Sounds like a fancy truck stop.
Rock musicians? Just hook em up, if ya know what I mean, they'll be happy.

Have you got to the part in your business studies where you present a business plan for this venture?
You know where you have to show cost of operations vs income and convince investors to give you money.
Or the professor to give you an A.

You should spend 5-10 years working for someone else in this business first to see how things are done and to develope your network of contacts.

Check out the documentary of Death by Audio. They ran one of the most successful underground venues in NYC.
The key was that it was in NYC. If you can make it there, you can make it anywhere. Though most anywhere else might be a much tougher make.
The only showers anyone got there was when an overhead sewage pipe ruptured.

But if you have jam night, I'm in!

Like I said above, having done the "tour in a van" life, I'd have LOVED if the venues be played had some kind of shower. Baby wipes get old man. Haha.

I've gone to quite a lot of shows both at real venues and locally organized shows in garages/basements and I ALWAYS make sure to atleast get an email or a phone number, anything to have that association.

I've already started both my market analytics and the cost of supplies compared to the cost of expenses required for maintaining operations.

The thing I like about churches is that most medium/large ones already include both the PA and audio board.

Also, death by audio is rad!

 

[codycon96]

The biggest thing is to understand your market. Who goes out to shows, what music do they pay to listen to, how much do they spend on drinks, etc. What is your competition? It's not just other live music venues. You're also competing against live sports, sports bars, trivia machines, karaoke, movies, EDM, etc. Any place that provides entertainment and/or booze is your competition.

It's all well and good to provide a venue for music you love, but unless you can afford to lose money, you gotta give the crowd what they want.

Totally agree. As much as I want to book the bands that I love all the time, I get that money is money. I love and support all types of music from the danciest ELECTRONICA to the most grindy metal.

 

[ShredderMaximus]

Good luck man, this has always been a dream of mine too. But as someone else said, you might want to be open to other types of music to ensure you can pay the bills. A country night (ugh) would probably kill out there

 

[codycon96]

Good luck man, this has always been a dream of mine too. But as someone else said, you might want to be open to other types of music to ensure you can pay the bills. A country night (ugh) would probably kill out there

Definitely! My main problem is that I believe that it's insane that I have to drive either 3 hours to Charlotte or 5 hours to Atlanta to see the bands I like. I KNOW there's a market because of that distance, that lull in bands playing this way.

 

[viribus]

i commend and envy your youthful enthusiasm. Just don't blind yourself to all the headaches and risks associated with what you're proposing.

 

[codycon96]

In the next five years Myrtle Beach, South Carolina is going to continue to grow in population. We are projected to have the same market capacity as Charlotte or Atlanta.

If I can beat the local House Of Blues with better bands and a better atmosphere, I already have an advantage.

Not to talk myself up, but I'm an honest guy and I take pride in not being shady. I love music with all of my heart and I hate how the HOB treats their guests.

 

[codycon96]

i commend and envy your youthful enthusiasm. Just don't blind yourself to all the headaches and risks associated with what you're proposing.

Life is too short to not try, but I've always known and acknowledged the headaches involved.

 

[codycon96]

Life is too short to not try, but I've always known and acknowledged thr headaches involved.

You'd have to be wishfully naive to think this business is only fun.

 

[viribus]

Would you be serving alcohol at your venue? I ask because managing that issue seems very problematic to me. But I have no personal experience with what you're proposing.