Venue Double Booked WWYD

[g-dude]

You should demand that they send a case of growlers to everyone responding to this thread.

I’ll take whatever lager they have that most closely resembles the malty goodness of a Munich Helles.

 

[yodedude2]

... The manager came out and we asked when they planned to load out. He said he had accidently double booked, but we would get our pay, rooms, meals, and drinks per the union contract.

an honorable business manager! wow, that's a rare beast. no unions in texas, so around these parts they're even rarer ....

 

[Wesley R]

Play the joint, deliver a solid performance, then a quick band meeting as to wether or not you want to play the the place again.
A simple yes/no vote. Done deal.

 

[mdogs]

You lost me at "low pay." This guy does not want to help you build your brand, he wants bands that are willing to play for "low pay."

 

[Gravedigger Dav]

an honorable business manager! wow, that's a rare beast. no unions in texas, so around these parts they're even rarer ....

Not necessarily honorable. In those days, the hotels depended on live music in their clubs. Had he tried to stiff us, the union would not allow him any more bands. That was the one great thing about being a union band. Things were very different then. That was 1976.

 

[portpc]

Situations change, Do the gig to the best of your ability and there's a good chance the Friday entertainer has a schedule issue down the line & you will be the 1st call.

Over the course of time you will be able to determine if it's worth it or not.

 

[portpc]

You lost me at "low pay." This guy does not want to help you build your brand, he wants bands that are willing to play for "low pay."

Breweries are the new wineries in my neck of the woods, They are less stuffy, more friendly and more folks bring their goofy dogs than at a cork-sniffer venue. They also seem to generally have a tighter budget.

I've embraced them in my own gig bookings despite the bottom line, While the pay is not great and I'm not much of a drinker the # of private functions booked is higher than other places, Brewery crowds are sociable /casual people many who like to entertain and are more likely to book you for a private event.

 

[mrjim123]

I think the double booking was no accident. The owner found someone he likes better (he prefers their music, they work cheaper, or ... ?) and he made a business decision, one I do not support, by the way.

 

[Carl Hillman]

I have a problem with the low pay and being generous with food and beer.

Yep.

 

[MultiScaleMale]

You lost me at "low pay." This guy does not want to help you build your brand, he wants bands that are willing to play for "low pay."

Venues are trying to put butts in seats that will buy beer, appetizers, etc. If the band has more of a following, they are worth more. If they play the bet music in the world and bring three friends and family, they are worth less than trivia night at the brewery. If they can help you build your band in the process, great. But it's really not their number one priority.

 

[Medicine Man]

I would play one and see how it goes. Sometimes clubs remember when you did them a solid by switching nights and you can get a reputation as good act to work with. Sometimes they just screw you to make moke money and you get a reputation as a push over. If you can build a a popular "dead night" you can leverage it into better shows. I dont know your situation, but its tough to launch them there jam bands.

 

[MultiScaleMale]

Breweries are the new wineries in my neck of the woods, They are less stuffy, more friendly and more folks bring their goofy dogs than at a cork-sniffer venue. They also seem to generally have a tighter budget.

I've embraced them in my own gig bookings despite the bottom line, While the pay is not great and I'm not much of a drinker the # of private functions booked is higher than other places, Brewery crowds are sociable /casual people many who like to entertain and are more likely to book you for a private event.

Yeah, we have a ton around here. Popping up like Starbucks or CrossFit affiliates. The indoor ones have terrible acoustics and the outdoor ones seem to all have law suits from neighbors about the noise levels. Acoustic type acts seem to work best for the brew pubs.

 

[dkelley]

You have the opportunity for a gig? like, ANY gig at all? take it! even if it's 6 months off!

 

[yodedude2]

Not necessarily honorable. In those days, the hotels depended on live music in their clubs. Had he tried to stiff us, the union would not allow him any more bands. That was the one great thing about being a union band. Things were very different then. That was 1976.

understood. things were different then indeed. still a dearth of honoring one's commitments, it seems...same as it ever was, i reckon.

 

[SethD]

Thanks for the responses and different perspectives everyone. It's impossible to know for certain, but I also suspect that we were bumped for this singer songwriter based on his now weekly gig and what we know about him. He has clout in the scene; not sure about his draw. We do tend to draw well, and there are a lot of heads in this area.

Breweries are interesting. With a few exceptions breweries tend to play low here, but they are fun, casual gigs, often with built-in crowds. It's hard to know how viable they are business-wise. Clearly they're making money on beer, but the overhead seems high.

 

[57pbass]

I would proceed with caution and see how things work out.

I was in a project and after a very long time of refusing to work at the local beer garden for free they reluctantly agreed to pay us $100. per man (trio) with dinner and one free beer ticket.
The place had a built in crowd and it was always crowded.

 

[LBS-bass]

It simply depends on the goals of your band. This seems like a very "causal arrangement". Schedule changes simply due to preference, low pay, food for pay, etc.

Ask your band.


But, make no mistake, they didn't make a simple innocent error in booking. They simply chose to go with that other guy every Friday night and bumped you.

Yes, I agree, but that's also inexperience on their part. They keep doing this sort of thing they'll find no one wants to play there. There was a brewery here that was doing the exact same thing; booked one of our bands then just arbitrarily decided to change dates around. They were too daft to realize they don't get to dictate when bands are available. We worked with them once, on the assumption they were still figuring out how it works in the real world. The second time they tried to move it we told them thanks but no thanks and we never played there. I don't know of any bands with any sort of draw that do play there.

 

[LBS-bass]

I think the double booking was no accident. The owner found someone he likes better (he prefers their music, they work cheaper, or ... ?) and he made a business decision, one I do not support, by the way.

Again, not an accident, but very likely inexperience. They don't realize that they can't do that if they want better bands to play at their venue. When they do that often enough that bands refuse to book, they learn.

 

[watspan]

realistically, what leverage do you have in this situation ( or any bar-type gig)? it's pretty much take it or leave it nowadays

 

[jdh3000]

It happens a lot, especially in places where more than one person is doing the booking.

Sounds like their trying to work with you rather that just saying "tough s%*#" which I've been told.

If you're satisfied with the pay, go for it. I'd try ask around with other bands to see if that is indeed the going rate there.