Oof…my band just got fired!

[Aussie Player]

We just got an email from a local brewery we played at last weekend. It was our second time there, and both times went well in our opinion…in that we brought a sizable crowd and a bunch of new business to a venue that normally does not host live music. Apparently, we did too good of a job last weekend, as the brewery was understaffed and deep in the weeds most of the night. People were waiting in line 15+ minutes just to order a beer, and then 10+ minutes in another line waiting for it to be served. Orders were getting lost. Guests were scolded for ordering food at the bar and taking it outside to the patio where we were playing. According to the manager, some people got impatient, and some of the staff took that as "abuse". From what I witnessed myself between sets and knowing our crowd, nobody was drunk and belligerent (just thirsty, since they were standing around waiting forever for a drink).

Long story short, the manager emailed us saying she's decided to cancel our three remaining events on the calendar. It's too bad. We had a good rapport with the manager. They are in a unique position to be the only venue in the area offering live music outdoors in the summer. From the start, we have offered to work with her to make the events successful not just for us, but for other acts as well. Our goal was to help grow a little local music scene. Our singer managed high volume restaurants for years, and he had some simple ideas for streamlining their service on event nights to keep the staff happy and the beer flowing. They just aren't equipped to handle the increased business at this time, and have decided that live music brings in too many people. On a positive note, I see more golf in my future.

For your whole life, you will continue to meet people who prove the "Peter Principle" alive and well.
This woman was not a manager and kept the position from a failed candidate who could actually do the job.

Keep your chin up and keep booking, She likely has a competitor you could approach.

 

[jimmydean]

I think my band could go in there and bring a small audience........no problem .

 

[perfektspace6]

The real story is that you didn't play enough epic prog rock to satisfy the crowd. Next time open with Awaken by Yes and watch the money flow in.

 

[chadds]

Wow.

I read one page of responses. Just too cringe for me to go further.

1. A lot of opinions about a business no one has direct experience with outside of reading an email.
2. "Fired"? Bands are contract labor, and as such, are expendable. 2 gigs doesn't even qualify as a full proof-of-concept, much less something to be fired from.
3. Staffing in the service industry is a challenge these days. It becomes compounded when you risk higher turnover due to overworking existing staff.
4. Growing a business too fast results in a higher failure rate than slow growth.
5. Respect that at least they were transparent in the reason they were discontinuing live music. Most bars would just cut you without comment. Many would wait until the last minute to tell you.
6. Running a small business. Try it sometime.

I agree with 1-6. Some of these kind of threads are about learning to get along with others. Knowing what's your responsibility and what isn't. Being patient when others are poorly trained or new or in the case of owners and managers have many things on their plate that unless you know you don't know.
Functional responsible employees are a rare breed.
I tried running a small business… for forty years.

 

[Lobster11]

Like I said, we had a good rapport with the GM going into this. An idea we suggested: next time for our events, limit the patio sales to canned beer only. We could communicate that in advance and from the stage. Load up a big ice chest with a few of the best-sellers and set up a tap-to-pay POS. They could also do no food service outside unless people order online and pick up the order inside. Either that or offer a very limited menu. This would free up a lot of bandwidth for inexperienced staff who were working the whole patio trying to take orders, serve customers, clear tables, etc. The intent wasn't to change their entire business model, it was simply to streamline things for the once every six weeks they host a special, high-volume event.

After reading through this thread I can understand their problem -- but the solution surely is not to fire the band but rather think creatively about different ways to run these (occasional) events in a profitable way. Your ideas are good ones, and with a little effort I'm sure they could come up with others. I'm no business expert, but even I can see that canceling events to keep paying customers away can't possibly be a good business decision.

 

[DJ Bebop]

We just got an email from a local brewery we played at last weekend. It was our second time there, and both times went well in our opinion…in that we brought a sizable crowd and a bunch of new business to a venue that normally does not host live music. Apparently, we did too good of a job last weekend, as the brewery was understaffed and deep in the weeds most of the night. People were waiting in line 15+ minutes just to order a beer, and then 10+ minutes in another line waiting for it to be served. Orders were getting lost. Guests were scolded for ordering food at the bar and taking it outside to the patio where we were playing. According to the manager, some people got impatient, and some of the staff took that as "abuse". From what I witnessed myself between sets and knowing our crowd, nobody was drunk and belligerent (just thirsty, since they were standing around waiting forever for a drink).

Long story short, the manager emailed us saying she's decided to cancel our three remaining events on the calendar. It's too bad. We had a good rapport with the manager. They are in a unique position to be the only venue in the area offering live music outdoors in the summer. From the start, we have offered to work with her to make the events successful not just for us, but for other acts as well. Our goal was to help grow a little local music scene. Our singer managed high volume restaurants for years, and he had some simple ideas for streamlining their service on event nights to keep the staff happy and the beer flowing. They just aren't equipped to handle the increased business at this time, and have decided that live music brings in too many people. On a positive note, I see more golf in my future.

Sounds mad to me.
Venue needs to sort out those logistics and you'd think that would be a scenario most would kill for.

Seeing large queues for services drive people away, imv.

Sounds like a great business decision. Reminds me of one steady gig I lost because the staff didn't feel like moving tables around anymore.

A lot of places see more clientele as more business, more money. They forget the more work on their end to make it happen. Maybe more staff, more stock, more moving the tables around

So they stay in their comfort zone of less work, less business.

 

[gln1955]

I think my band could go in there and bring a small audience........no problem .

If that works, ask for more money next time.

 

[Knavery]

I have a friend who owns a small brewery near here and decided to try the waters in tthe Seattle market. Everything he sent up there sold out in couple of days, so he bailed on the idea, saying he couldn't afford to stiff his regular customers and/or compromise quality and he had no interest at all in expanding. I really admire that, actually. Many other local brewpubs have come and gone and he's still in the same building he started in, and his beer is still great.

Yeah, you definitely don't want to end up shooting yourself in the foot. Your friend may have also been limited on the amount he could produce at one time, which would be one big bottle neck if everything sells out in a couple of days. I'm glad he's still doing well. As long as he's happy with what he's bringing in, that's all that matters.

 

[Jay Corwin]

Fired for bringing in too much business. Let me read that again.

 

[brstma]

Someone needs to get this place on the Bar Rescue reality show

 

[DJ Bebop]

Someone needs to get this place on the Bar Rescue reality show

 

[Kubicki Fan]

Is there an "owner" in all of this? They can't keep up with the increased client volume...and revenue assumedly...so they fire the band?

Use this on your behalf when marketing the act to other venues..."we draw a crowd".

Riis

Brilliant, haha!

We bring business, are you game? ... or just playing?

 

[MtManiac]

-band plays gig
-too many people show up
-staff can't handle the volume
-band loses gig

that is a very interesting sequence

We had a very similar thing happen to our band. I think the quiet quitting angle someone else mentioned is likely bang on.

 

[MtManiac]

Wow.

I read one page of responses. Just too cringe for me to go further.

1. A lot of opinions about a business no one has direct experience with outside of reading an email.
2. "Fired"? Bands are contract labor, and as such, are expendable. 2 gigs doesn't even qualify as a full proof-of-concept, much less something to be fired from.
3. Staffing in the service industry is a challenge these days. It becomes compounded when you risk higher turnover due to overworking existing staff.
4. Growing a business too fast results in a higher failure rate than slow growth.
5. Respect that at least they were transparent in the reason they were discontinuing live music. Most bars would just cut you without comment. Many would wait until the last minute to tell you.
6. Running a small business. Try it sometime.

You're not wrong, but it still boils down to the venue being unable to staff for the business volume. Reasons aren't excuses, and excuses aren't reasons.

 

[DrummerwStrings]

Sounds mad to me.
Venue needs to sort out those logistics and you'd think that would be a scenario most would kill for.

Seeing large queues for services drive people away, imv.

+1 Sounds like the venue can be more productive. Post-COVID staffing problems are real - I wouldn't be surprised if they just don't have enough ppl to handle the business, even if operations were streamlined. Upshot is they now know the additional business is there if they can make the changes to handle it, & they will have little competition.

Consider this an opportunity, not a firing - if anything, the band did too good of a job. Keep it up: send the venue owner a debrief note of what your band noticed & the suggestions you have for making things run smoother. Also mention your years of industry experience, & offer your help: can you tap your network & fans to help the venue find more (experienced) staff for the Summer until they can find additional permanent employees?

 

[DrummerwStrings]

Never heard of a scenario where a company tries to reduce their business. Weird.

It happens more than you think. There's been a trend for several years now, including in amusement parks, casinos, & sports, to raise $s to reduce the crowds. Short-term revenue for many of them went up, too (though for pro sports I can't see this as sustainable - where will their future fans come from?). Expect more services to do the same for a while.

 

[DaveParker39]

Oddly, a venue my band played a minimum of once a month stopped having live music entirely, recently, which has caused some serious discord with the bartenders due to not making the same kind of money as they did when there was live music. The servers didn't mind, as they didn't make a ton of money on band nights.

I predict we will be back by the end of the summer.

 

[Medbo_BassBoy]

I am picturing a rap-metal band or Korn cover band?

 

[40Hz]

The official reason for a termination isn't always the real reason. Something to think about and investigate further.

It isn't always just about money. There's often times when a partnership starts moving a business away from what it wants to be. Many businesses aren't into the growth model of business and prefer just enough of the right kind of business rather than as much traffic as they can pull in. These are usually referred to as "lifestyle ventures" which are designed to basically have a business the owner loves that also makes enough to support his or her chosen lifestyle.

Growth isn't a universal goal for every business. "Small can be beautiful," as the saying goes. And "small, fat, and happy" is a good place to be in if it's your own business. That's what: boutique, craft <fill in the blank>, galleries, and studio businesses are mostly about.

 

[selowitch]

It seems ridiculous to me to fire a band for attracting too many paying customers to the venue.
Usually the problem is the band attracting too few paying customers.