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FDP Forum / Miscellaneous and Non-Fender Topics / Spoke with a club owner yesterday.
(This message was last edited by shunka at 01:00 PM, May 24th, 2012)
FDP Forum / Miscellaneous and Non-Fender Topics / Spoke with a club owner yesterday.
shunka
Contributing Member
*****
Willoughby, OH , USA
I'm arrogant and a moronMay 24th, 2012 11:23 AM Edit Profile Print Topic Search
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oops! Posted in the wrong fourm. Should be in Peformer's Corner. Can one of you mods move it, please?
About 20 -30 min east of where I live there are 6 -10 wineries that feature music on the weekends. Most of them are pretty much in or near the vinyard structures, somewhat intimate indoors and a few have out door stages. There is a newer place that is geographically a little out of the area. It's in a light industrial area, occupying one end of a warehouse. Big overhead cargo doors steel beams exposed overhead etc. But the furnishings seem nice enough otherwise. Food is prepared on a couple of gas grills outside the doors, mostly typical bar food with some specials (steak, salmon, pasta) on the weekends. It's trying to be part of the winery circuit but location just isn't cutting it. Most of the same bands rotate through the other wineries and this guy hires a mojority of them as well. So I thought that he might be open to my acoustic band or at tleast the duo. We have played some of those other places but not a regular basis.
So, of course I got the usual noise about what our following is like, and how do we promote ourselves yada yada. I was smiling and bitng my tongue, attemptint to be diplomatic.
Was on verge of telling him that I drove past the place three times before I foud it because it's in the back of an industrial park and nearly told him that we promote a heck of a lot more than the $35 postage stamp ad he takes out once a month. I did, tactfully, point out that if we put 50 people in his room this week, those 50 followers would be down the street at the place we're playing next Saturday and perhaps so would some of his regular clientele.
We left it at "If someone cancels - maybe I'll give you a call."
I'm sure that all of these kind of guys think that they're God's gift to the industry even if they're running a total dump.
How the heck do you work around this Following BS? Lie?
Deacon Blues
Contributing Member
Stay interesting my
friends.-The world's thirstiest man.May 24th, 2012 12:31 PM Edit Profile Print Topic Search
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Play someplace else(that doesn't promote the above BS)until you have a following.
Even a 1/2 azzed raggedy band will eventually develop a following. I'm not saying that your band is 1/2 azzed or raggedy, by any means. It's just that I'm often amazed at what bands people choose to follow. There's no accounting for tastes, as they say.
Bottom line: Don't let this clueless venue owner get you down, man.
shunka
Contributing Member
*****
Willoughby, OH , USA
I'm arrogant and a moronMay 24th, 2012 01:00 PM Edit Profile Print Topic Search
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Most of them are clueless. Part of the reason that so many venues go under. There's a place near where I've lived for 8 years that seems to change owners at least once a year.
Deacon Blues
Contributing Member
Stay interesting my
friends.-The world's thirstiest man.May 24th, 2012 01:47 PM Edit Profile Print Topic Search
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Yeah, It never ceases to amaze me how clueless venue owners can be. The ones that buy a venue like the one that changes hands yearly seem to not realize just how difficult the business is. It takes a lot of work to make a venue successful. If it's tied to restaurant the amount of work is multiplied substantially.
Most aren't business people, and even less are savvy promoters. Advertising and presentation are a big part of attracting business/repeat business.
johnny1111
Contributing Member
*****
White Bear Lake, MN
Keep a coolin' babyMay 24th, 2012 08:13 PM Edit Profile Print Topic Search
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There is a Tom Petty tribute band that plays around here. I really like Petty and checked them out on YouTube. I was less than impressed--especially the singing. They pack them in and always have gigs. (Scratches his head.)
BbendFender
Contributing Member
*****
Texas
Throw in a pick and you've got a deal!May 25th, 2012 05:31 PM Edit Profile Print Topic Search
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Your club owner probably thinks he's just a little bit "important". I'd blow him off and go somewhere else. He sounds like lots of club owners I've known in the past.
When our band was first starting out (1975) we played a little country bar on Sunday night. Well, Sunday night was their "jam" night and bands didn't get paid. We were bringing in more people on Sunday night than he had all the other nights combined. We talked to the owner and asked him about getting paid a little bit. He said "Sunday night is jam night, we can't pay bands on jam night". Our band pulled out and within 3 weeks, his little country bar was a hay barn for some cows and the place had a barb wire fence around it. Club owners, sheesh!
Rick Plays The Blues
Austria
May I try that again?Jun 1st, 2012 06:37 AM Edit Profile Print Topic Search
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I guess most of us have day jobs and don't need to play, right? At least, this is the situation I am in and my band is.
So for us it is easy: we only play where we like to play and where we are welcome ... and if this means, we only have three gigs a year - okay, no problem, we have day jobs and gigging out is anyway more effort than you could ever get paid for.
Having said that, a gig now and then is necessary however, to keep feeling alive :)
Coral Head
Sunshine State
Groupies neededJun 1st, 2012 07:28 AM Edit Profile Print Topic Search
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I have stopped playing at most clubs for the reasons described above. The key to getting decent gigs IMHO is to look for deeper pockets. Go for gigs at places where the amount of money you wish to get paid is peanuts to them.
With respect to tribute bands like the Tom Petty tribute mentioned by Johnny - I think people just love the songs and will go see a poor quality copy band just so they can hear Refugee, etc. I read about one band that tripled their earnings just by changing their marketing to being a tribute band rather than just a rock band.
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