I’m considering opening a bar/music venue in Boston that would feature a bunch of unknown local bands each night, and I’ve got several questions about how things work:
How are bands booked? Will I find myself inundated with demo CDs from bands looking to play a gig, or will I have to pound the pavement recruiting bands? (Assume that my venue has been around a few months and has developed some name recognition; obviously opening day is different.)
How are the bands compensated? A flat fee? How much should I expect that would be? A percentage of the cover charge collected at the door? What would be typical?
Since I’m talking about student and hobbyist bands, what sort of equipment should I supply? Drum kit? Monitors? Guitar and bass amps? Mics?
Any other requirements for the stage? Power outlets, etc.?
Will bands still be able to add their own pedals?
I’m sure I’ll come up with more later, but any other insight is very welcome.
Typically, most venues will supply backline equipment (drum kit, guitar amps, etc.) on a case by case basis. In the bigger venues dealing with A & B list acts, this will depend on the rider that the artist has. In your case, it would probably depend on what the band actually has. This would be discussed in the booking part of the process. Monitors, mics, main PA, etc. are typically supplied by the venue.
Something I would suggest would be to talk to a local systems integrator or a local AV equipment rental house and work with them on what the stage should have and what the Main PA speakers and placement should be. They should be able to give you a system that works within your budget and works well.
I would be prepared to spend at least $50,000 for a system in a club like you are talking about. This will include a mixing console, speakers, DSP, any outboard gear if you don’t have a digital console, a monitor system, amplifiers, mics, and any wiring required for the system to operate.
Something else to do would be to hook up with someone that can run the system reliably and well. That way, bands and customers are more likely to come back because the sound is done well. After all, the main reason people are coming is to hear the band.
The arrangements that **Mines Mystique **describes sound more like venues where touring pros and semi-pros appear.
I have played in a bunch of bars and only one of them provided a sound system. None provided any other equipment. Maybe I just played in low-end joints so it depends on what level you will operate. Big and swanky “concert venue,” or corner pub? If you decide to provide drums, sound system, amps, etc., you could be getting into an investment into the $10K range.
I have been compensated usually by flat fee but some bars give the band the door. Giving the band the door is motivation for them to promote their appearance and bring in patrons.
IANA electrician but I am guessing you need to have a couple of 15-20 amp circuits (circuits, not outlets) available at the stage.
Oh, and BTW, if you are looking for local bands you should not have to pound the pavement to recruit them. They will find you. You might place an ad in a local alternative newspaper but I’m guessing that in Boston word will travel fast and you will have lots of takers.
I’m definitely thinking more along the lines of the corner pub where full-time students and people with day jobs can come and play.
If a flat fee, about how much was it? If there was a $10 cover at the door, what percentage would you get? How frequently would you get a flat fee plus a percent of the door?
They’ll find you, I guarantee it. If you need to sweeten the pot with a few acts to start (friends/acquaintances/discreet solicitation), follow up with basic promo to local newspapers, including “alternative” weeklies; you’ll certainly get inquiries after your name is in the paper.
It depends. Most musicians I know won’t leave the house for under $x/night (100-150 at VERY minimum) but it’s THE common scene around here for a lot of rock and roll clubs to regularly pay $0 plus maybe some comped drinks for fledgling/unprofessional bands. I wouldn’t have ever believed anybody would ever play for free before relocating here (Portland, OR), but it’s a fact, and these “hip” rooms are packed with “talent,” if not crowds, 7 nights a week.
The fact is, like it or not, that in most markets live music is so devalued (whether by competion among groups, or with DJ-types or iPods, or just the crummy quality of most groups, or, equally likely, the apathy of the vast majority of club owners), that you’ll likely get “talent” on stage on your terms, not theirs. How much compensation or consideration you want to extend to these groups will be more of an extension of your personality and character, rather than an outright business decision.
None, really, at least as far as instruments are concerned. You should have a house PA (a multi-channel mixer, some kind of amplification, and monitors directed towards the front-of-house) and ample balanced cables to run to/from stage. This would be all I’d expect from a venue, but I find every stage I run into also has direct input (DI) boxes, although it’s not uncommon for keyboard players to carry their own, or at least their own mixer (don’t bet on it, though). Mic stands and a few beater vocal mics, plus an extra vocal-height mic stand for the odd singer who didn’t bring one (??!) plus mics (like Shur SM57s) for mic’ing guitar amps, and some various things for dealing with drums (don’t ask me, I really don’t know the details of what kinds of mics drums need or how to set them up). But if you get into all this mic’ing cabinets and drums, then you’re already talking about a pretty fully-fledged set-up. In other words, it depends.
A typical small stage setup might give each player a channel (or two) on a mixer for front-of-house sound, let them handle their own monitoring with their own amps or monitors, let the drums go unamplified, and call it good. They’d handle their own mixes in such a scenario, usually. Much more than this, and you’d need to really have some serious thoughts and input from somebody who understands stage engineering.
CLEAN power, absolutely verified at the correct voltage and not susceptible to ANY kind of interference from other loads on the power. If a keyboardist’s rig of many thousands of dollars or somebody’s boutique amp is ruined because of a ham-handed self-fixit job done poorly, not only will you build up a lot of bad will, but you might be on the spot for some type of revenge or compensation, legal or not.
Sure; that’s all part of the instrumentalist’s rig. Don’t worry about it.
You must have clearance from BMI and ASCAP (and that third other one, maybe, that I can’t remember) if anybody is going to be playing ANY covers at all, whatsoever, including jazz instrumentals from yesteryear. The consequences of not paying royalties and getting caught would typically leave you on the hook for a multi-year contract at a very disadvantageous rate, or, if they were in a bad mood, much worse financial retribution.
Plus, it’s the right thing to do – composers deserve compensation for their work, and whatever else you’ll hear about the schemata for royalties from these cats, it’s the only game in town for the vast majority of working writers.
That said, I’ve played occasionally at places which don’t pay out to BMI or ASCAP, and only use musicians who play original rock tunes or original jazz tunes/jams. The ones I’ve played are very strict about not allowing any covers on their stages – if they weren’t I wouldn’t be interested in working for them.
I’ve worked as an agent for both venues and artists in the past. Your basic options:
a. handle it yourself
b. pay a local agent to handle bookings - some do it for a flat monthly rate, some take a piece of the door or a % of the till on show dates.
c. have a local musician handle the booking - some will do it for leverage in the scene, some for $$, make sure they’re organized respected and remember you call the shots.
PA:
depends on the venue. I would call a national a/v sales place likehttp://www.fullcompass.com and speak with a sales rep about what you’re looking to do, and they can talk you through your options.
That said, I’d get a powered 8-channel head unit (like Yamaha, Soundcraft or Mackie) along with some decent mains and a pair of unpowered floor monitors. Get good gear without bells and whistles. Dump the extra cash you save into building a small stage or at least a carpeted drum riser plus at least 4-6 par can (stage lights), even if just on a switch rather than a control board or dimmer pack. Even basic stage lighting and a stage or riser will put you head and shoulders above most local joints, and create a positive impression among musicians and patrons alike
Compensation:
charge a cover and give it to the band - best incentive, most likely to make casual pub-goers pass your place by.
offer a flat guarantee - you’ll get lots of takers to play, and patrons won’t be paying a cover.
offer a small guarantee vs. the door - i.e. $100 or the door whichever is greater. Door net or gross is up to you, but bear in mind somebody’s got to pay the engineer if you have one. Another reason to keep a bare bones system and make the bands deal with operating it.
offer a percent of the till, or a percent over a certain amount - say 10% of the till over $1000 or something. This rewards bands for bringing drinkers in.
This is a cursory review of the subject, and probably has more lingo and jargon than you’re used to. I’ll be happy to answer further question and clarify points.
It sounds like you should spend a little time scoping out some places that are doing something similar. Check out the bands and what equipment the bars are providing. Learn a little bit about PA systems and the like.
I agree that you should probably supply the main system, and possibly some stage monitoring, but the bands should have the rest. Once you know what you’re looking for, you can probably get some deals on used equipment. For larger/more important shows, you can contact a sound company.
Some of the places I’ve played (a long time ago) usually had someone that booked the bands (maybe you have a friend who is familiar with the local music scene). Many places would have you play for free on a weekday with a couple other bands as a sort of audition, then make you an offer for a weekend slot (usually with a couple other bands). This could either be a flat rate, a percentage of the door, or a combo of both. We often did it for free beer and a place to play. Starting out, you should have no trouble finding people to play for free.
Good luck. It sounds like something I wouldn’t mind doing.
I would first worry about the actual bar aspect. Make sure the place is clean, comfortable, friendly and serves a decent product. The rest isn’t nearly as hard.
If you want to provide a venue for hobbyist/semi-pro musicians, you’ll be having them bring their friends & family who may not be regular clubgoers. They’ll be a big word-of-mouth factor and less likely to forgive a nasty-ass ladies room or crappy drinks.
As for the musicians themselves, I can tell you that there are so few venues left that you don’t have to get fancy. If you provide a clean, fun, asshole-free environment, you’ll be inundated by promo packages. Speaking of which, whereabouts in the Boston area are you considering? I’m in a newly formed band on the North Shore that’s looking for places to play come fall/winter…
As for gear, give 'em some spotlights, maybe a Mackie 808s for a PA with some JBL main speakers, a couple of wedge monitors, and let them supply the rest. If they want something better than the house PA, they can hump it in themselves. Plenty of electrical service is a good thing, have outlets every 6 feet or so to cut down on extension cord nest 'o snakes problems. A drum riser is a good thing to have too.
Money wise, you can’t lose if you pay the band the door, but some clubs I’ve played jack up the drink prices by a buck once the band starts playing to generate money to pay a flat fee. My old 5 piece band used to get $400 to play a weekend, $250-300 for a one-nighter.
Best of luck. I’m excited for you, we need more venues.
Small music venues aren’t doing so great right now, the Abbey Lounge just closed up after struggling for some time, which seems along the lines of what you are proposing.
Damn, in the time it took me to type this, the page filled up! I’ll post it anyway.
In every town I’ve been before I came to NYC the bar bands would bring their own PAs (and sound guys if necessary). Any serious band has their own PA even if just for rehearsal.
In NYC (and Boston, perhaps) the clubs usually have a house PA and a house sound guy that sets up all the mics and inputs for each act and mixes. Some of the house sound guys are your hero. Some really suck and don’t give a shit. Some won’t shut up about almost going on tour with Pearl Jam (or whoever). I think the bigger touring acts bring their own everything.
The difference is in most clubs outside the big cities there will be only one or two acts the whole night. The main act brings the PA.
The clubs in NYC have sometimes half a dozen or more acts a night so the house system is best for this. I don’t know if I’d go as far as getting a house drum kit. You’ll need mains, monitors, mics, mic stands, cables, a snake, direct boxes, effects, mixing board, power amps (although there are a lot of self-powered speakers on the market these days), rudimentary lighting setup, all kinds of crap. Plus you need to set it up to maximize your space, which will probably involve hanging stuff from the ceiling. If you don’t anything about this it would be best to consult a pro.
Tom Beralnick (sp??) is a musician in Albuquerque that has been doing very much what you discribe for the last 20-25 years. He started out booking performances into used bookstores and other odd venues. Eventually he was able to lease a delapidated store front, and a few years later moved to a pretty classy building, with a pretty nice house sound system.
His bookings are all about the music. Not about drinking or socializing. He basically works as a catalyst for the local music scene OUTSIDE of the bar top-40 cover-bands. He also works to bring in itinerate acts. I think he gives priority to Jazz and “new music” genres, but I have seen bluegrass and rockabilly acts at his venue.
Tom is a good friend of an old but not close friend. I really don’t know him at all, but what I have heard of him makes me think he might offer good advice if you dropped him a line.
My sense is that he is able to keep the creditors at bay, and not go hungry, but if he is getting rich at this, he hides it very well.
Google for “outpost performance space” in Albuquerque.
I listen to a HUGE amount of new music, and that’s I’d like to do. (Oh, and maybe get on stage a couple of times myself.) I’d really love to give the opportunity for bands I really like to have a house gig to build exposure. I don’t think I’ll get rich, but I’ve been well=paid in previous jobs that left me wanting to commit suicide at the end of the day.
Prolly gonna want the third one as well. Think it is SECAP? Something like that. They have the Dylan library and that stuff gets covered all the time. Think they’ve got at least one other “big name” act that gets covered often.
The gear they have seems pretty typical, they hire a couple really good sound men for the venue, and they are deeply involved in the local scene. I’d say half the staff of the bar has their own bands which helped when they were first coming on the scene.
A great draw is open mike or hosted jams with a well known local musician as the host - and those are great for getting to know the music community in town too.
Contacts within the community are very important. You never know if the 50 something guy who sits at the bar grew up with a very famous band and can help you get them booked.
Supporting the local scene is important, but the local bands aren’t enough. You will need bigger names to pull in the crowd until the local bands get their own following.
Keep the cover changes low unless you have a big name playing - under $20 is reasonable for a Friday or Saturday and $10 is reasonable for a week night with some free shows thrown in for measure.
The opening bands usually play for not much more than free food & drinks, but the headliners want all or most of the door and often a percentage of the bar - along with you covering the hotel room and food & drink while they are in town for your gig.
Most bars will hire a booking agent to handle all of this, you’ll also need to make sure the gig listings are in your alt-weekly and posters are up all over the city. Get to know people at your local indie record store, there is more than likely someone already doing booking working there. Here in Calgary, one guy who owns one of the local record stores books for 3 different bars. Try to work with the other bars in town - things like benefits and festivals can bring a local scene together, and there are so many pockets in local scenes, there definitely will be a place you can fit into without stepping on anyone’s toes.
Thanks for all the advice and feedback. I spend a lot of time in New York catching live music from all across the spectrum—as my ear doctor can attest to. but there’s a big difference between playing in a band, going to shows and actually running a venue.
so it depends on what level you will operate. Big and swanky “concert venue,” or corner pub? If you decide to provide drums, sound system, amps, etc., you could be getting into an investment into the $10K range.