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Thoughts on this venue's conditions for a gig?

#81
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#82
DoctorZee said:
I’m surprised by the number of comments here that imply the local government is running this. The OP seemed clear to me that this isn’t the case. It’s a public park and the town is a sponsor of the event. It isn’t an official town event. In fact, I’d bet the “sponsorship” is in just the form of waiving the park rental and permit fees and maybe supplying police/parks staff for the event. As others said, I’m sure the council and mayor don’t know—or care—the details of it. A local business applied to hold a community event, and they approved it. Everything else is between the promoter and the vendors/bands.
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You are essentially correct, as I learned after my original post. There are no tax dollars involved as far as the concert series goes. Still a hard pass, though.
 
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#83
We have a summer concert series in my area in central park in a large gazebo. A regional bank sponsors the concerts and books and pays the bands. We were offered a gig in July but we were already booked. It would have been a 2 hour show and we would have provided our own sound system. The concerts are free to the public.

Since we were booked, I booked a good band for them. We will get a gig there next summer.
 
#85
I won't mention the name of the place out of respect to the OP, but I grew up in PA and it wasn't difficult to figure out where it was. It looks like a good gig if you have a fanbase. Probably the ideal performer would be the singer songwriter type where you don't need a huge PA system and it's a bit more intimate. If you're a cover wielding bar band, maybe not so great. It looks like this is one of those rare times where originals are better. Now that I know where it is and can see what they've done in the past and knowing the payout formula, if I knew that my band would bring out 150 and we either had a PA or could get a sound company for a good price, I would definitely do the gig. Sine the venue is holding the first $400, they're just covering their overhead. The lineup looks better than our local rehash of the same blues / 70's rock cover groups with an occasional jazz group thrown in.
 
#88
Downunderwonder said:
How are they controlling entry to the concert?
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I have been to one of these type of "park festivals". They do not sell tickets for admission. It is open to the public for free. They make money buy selling food and drinks at the food trucks. The biggest national artist I saw advertised was Stephen Pearcy.

Here is a link to their "gazebo-ish" concert lineup. Not sure the size of the "gazebo" they wanting you to pay for.

Summer Concert Series | Greenwood, IN

You can see that they also have many local sponsors.
 
#89
The funniest part of all that is them telling you how the music business "has changed." Oh, thanks for telling me all about what I do all the time. I wouldn't have known anything about it, otherwise. Maybe next time you'll play my bass for me, too?
 
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#90
RichardW said:
A community near me has concerts at a gazebo in a local park. I inquired to the organizer about playing there and his response is below (lightly edited to remove irrelevant info and protect the innocent). I'm curious about reactions to this.

...you provide sound system, we provide lights, you provide sound for opening act, first $400 goes to [name of venue], you get 75% of the balance, and……….95% of our patrons are here for the performer - if it’s [name of performer] nite, 95% of the patrons are here to see [name of performer]. So, do you have a following? If you get 150 at $15 per person, that’s $2250 minus $400 x 75%.
If that looks good to you, I’m interested…..AND one last thing - almost all the local acts get me sponsors…….the sponsors keep the admission at a low $15 and kids free. If any guys in your band can find a sponsor, that helps. I hope this does not sound too harsh, but the music business has changed, and the business side has to work, or……..the venue is no longer in business.​

I should add that the venue in question is a Township-owned park, not a private enterprise, and the local Township is a sponsor and there are multiple other corporate sponsors already in place.

After discussing with my band mates, we decided to pass. It didn't feel right to us.

Thoughts?
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Sounds like a former booking agent who wasn't good at booking or math.
 
#91
RichardW said:
A community near me has concerts at a gazebo in a local park. I inquired to the organizer about playing there and his response is below (lightly edited to remove irrelevant info and protect the innocent). I'm curious about reactions to this.

...you provide sound system, we provide lights, you provide sound for opening act, first $400 goes to [name of venue], you get 75% of the balance, and……….95% of our patrons are here for the performer - if it’s [name of performer] nite, 95% of the patrons are here to see [name of performer]. So, do you have a following? If you get 150 at $15 per person, that’s $2250 minus $400 x 75%.
If that looks good to you, I’m interested…..AND one last thing - almost all the local acts get me sponsors…….the sponsors keep the admission at a low $15 and kids free. If any guys in your band can find a sponsor, that helps. I hope this does not sound too harsh, but the music business has changed, and the business side has to work, or……..the venue is no longer in business.​

I should add that the venue in question is a Township-owned park, not a private enterprise, and the local Township is a sponsor and there are multiple other corporate sponsors already in place.

After discussing with my band mates, we decided to pass. It didn't feel right to us.

Thoughts?
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That sounds completely backwards to me. The organiser should arrange sound, lights and sponsors and simply pay the band a flat rate. Is they have ANY confidence or ability, they MUST be able to turn a profit from that, if not, it's a dead duck.
 
#92
Different scenario here, but the ‘exposure’ comments and then wanting to tell an organizer to pound dirt made me think of this. My town just opened a great new MiLB ballpark. The parent team was throwing a party on opening day and sought out my band for the pregame show. They wanted us to provide PA and lights, play the pregame gig, then move to the right field open air bar for the aftergame show....for 400 dollars..and the ‘great exposure’ We aren’t the most popular band on earth but that was super insulting. The organizer seemed offended however when my BL told him ‘We are working 35-40 major festivals and after five/community concerts in 3 states, we’re exposed, but thanks for thinking of us!’
 
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#93
Toneguy66 said:
Different scenario here, but the ‘exposure’ comments and then wanting to tell an organizer to pound dirt made me think of this. My town just opened a great new MiLB ballpark. The parent team was throwing a party on opening day and sought out my band for the pregame show. They wanted us to provide PA and lights, play the pregame gig, then move to the right field open air bar for the aftergame show....for 400 dollars..and the ‘great exposure’ We aren’t the most popular band on earth but that was super insulting. The organizer seemed offended however when my BL told him ‘We are working 35-40 major festivals and after five/community concerts in 3 states, we’re exposed, but thanks for thinking of us!’
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I don't mean this as an attack, but it also goes to some other folks comments as well....

I get where your BL is being factually correct, but might it have been better to instead reply: "Thanks for thinking of us, we'd love to play for you, our rate for such a gig is _______"

Unless pressed on a particular point, I don't see much value in engaging in the non-essentials in this kind of communication/negotiation. "For the Exposure" is of course a play for paying the musicians less, but when a promoter/organizer like this talks about the value of "exposure" there's a good chance it is also intertwined in their pride around venue (source of their livelihood) and love for their team. No point in deflating any of that, especially if there's a chance to bypass that issue in favor of future gigs or negotiations.

This is in contrast to the OP's shady organizer who might well be a good candidate for telling to go pound sand.
 
#94
two fingers said:
Those national acts have not agreed to this. Period. National touring acts don't "play for the door". A notional act has a booking agent and a road manager (even if they are playing smaller venues). A booking agent would laugh at this.
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I've been a buyer for a smaller (250 seat) venue that booked national touring acts and this isn't all that unusual. Granted, there was always a guaranteed minimum.

For example: Act gets 50% of the door on a $20 ticket (advance sale price) with a $1000 guarantee. Buyer provides sound, two rooms at a mid-range hotel, meals etc. After the first 50 tickets the artist starts to make more. Gives them incentive to help promote by doing any print and/or radio we can scare up. I start to make money after the first 70 tickets or so, and a full house means everybody does really well. The details are all negotiable, of course.

I'd never agree to what OP was offered, nor would I offer it.
 
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#95
marmadaddy said:
I've been a buyer for a smaller (250 seat) venue that booked national touring acts and this isn't all that unusual. Granted, there was always a guaranteed minimum.

For example: Act gets 50% of the door on a $20 ticket (advance sale price) with a $1000 guarantee. Buyer provides sound, two rooms at a mid-range hotel, meals etc. After the first 50 tickets the artist starts to make more. Gives them incentive to help promote by doing any print and/or radio we can scare up. I start to make money after the first 70 tickets or so, and a full house means everybody does really well. The details are all negotiable, of course.

I'd never agree to what OP was offered, nor would I offer it.
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What I was saying is unusual is a TOWN booking a show like this. I have played TONS of concert series shows for towns.... likely a couple hundred. There has never been a cover. Ever.
 
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#96
Munjibunga said:
They charge admission for a concert in the park? Absurd. All those around here are free, and they provide stage, sound and lights. And they pay more than a hundred bucks a man. There's some shady stuff going on at the promoter level where you are.
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My city has this kind of bullsh*t going on....corporate use of public spaces. Our annual jazz fest takes place in a public park and costs over $100 admission for the weekend...
 
#98
In Miami, they do it on Key Biscayne with limited access to the bridge. If they could figure out how to charge the people who live on the island for hearing it, they would.

That’s why I don’t live in Miami-Dade. It’s THEIR tax dollars at work. Not mine.
 

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