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There are probably books, seminars and even instructional videos on successful techniques for handling this important aspect of the hospitality industry. If these materials do exist, they have probably been produced by people who have outstanding records of accomplishment of impressive length behind the bars and in the offices of famous nightclubs and restaurants. Here in southeastern North Carolina, however, very few of these establishments remain in operation more than three or four years. Therefore, I believe that the complementary experience of the musicians who have been working in this environment for a decade or more can be an extremely valuable resource for entertainment decision makers.
The following pages are based on experience on the bandstand rather than behind the bar, and that, admittedly, is a tremendous flaw with this guide. However, it does reflect the thinking of creative people who support themselves only in successful alliance with successful entertainment facilities such as yours. Acknowledging that limitation, I hope that some of the ideas expressed in this work are of use to you in creating and maintaining a profitable setting for the great variety of musical talent resident to southeastern North Carolina.
Consistency -- As a blues specialist, I personally wish we had several clubs offering live blues seven days a week, year-round. However, Billboard statistics indicate that blues and jazz combined account for less than ten percent of record purchases, and we must assume that public preferences for live music to some extent parallel preferences for recorded music. While one or two clubs specializing in blues might be very successful, even cornering the market and virtually owning a loyal customer base including ten percent of all potential live entertainment patrons, one cannot reasonably suggest that limiting one’s entertainment offering strictly to blues, jazz, folk or any other fringe genres is likely to be a viable entertainment booking strategy.
However, becoming known as a venue that brings in good blues acts (or jazz, folk, etc.) on a regular, if not exclusive, basis, will go far in capturing an attractive market segment. If you position your venue in such a way that all followers of a particular musical form think of you first on, say, the third weekend of every month ad infinitum, you will be laying claim to a valuable marketing niche. To assist you in doing so, some non-mainstream musical forms are represented by organized groups of fans. Here in southeastern North Carolina, it is particularly easy to reach heavy users of blues and jazz and there is significant assistance available for reaching fans of folk, and even flamenco music.
Remember, too, that several of the fringe genres represent attractive demographics. Jazz listeners, for example, tend to be a bit older, better educated and more affluent than rock generalists are. They will go out earlier, settle into one venue for the evening and, while they are in that venue, they are likelier than a rock crowd to buy dinners and mixed drinks, thus increasing your potential profit for the evening. In weighing the relative advantages of appealing somewhat to a large late night crowd against a smaller group that comes out earlier and stays longer, it is worthwhile to consider the number of dollars per patron in addition to the number of patrons.
Another aspect of continuity comes into play once the patrons arrive. Musicians work hard on their set lists and performances to create a complete and specific ambiance for the entire evening. When an acoustic bluegrass band goes on break and the house sound system begins to blare out the town’s top 40 rock radio station, it erodes a great deal of the image the band is trying to create for you and your customers. When that happens, you end up paying the band the same amount of money and they end up doing the same amount of work, but with diminished result.
Another scenario might offer a better bargain. If you have already prepared for certain kinds of music and have CDs or cassettes available in the styles you book, then by all means play records in the act’s genre before, between and after the act’s sets. This also allows you to make one drastic change in the house music near closing time as a subtle signal to customers that the show is over and it’s time to go home. If you are just getting started booking a particular kind of act, you might ask your performers to bring along a couple of records from their own collections for between-set play, or even to provide between-set music from the bandstand. Such a request should not incur any additional fees from the bands. In fact, they will probably be grateful to you for asking.
Impact – Yours is a business replete with changes and surprises. There are very few factors you can absolutely control or even predict. The impact of special events is one of those few, and it is an important part of your image among potential patrons. For something to be “special,” it has to be uncommon. Our region’s music community can provide “special” entertainment in several ways. One dramatic, cost-effective tactic for creating impact that is rarely utilized is booking an act in solo or duo format one night, then with full band accompaniment the next. Bill Strickland, Laura McLean, Roger Davis and Mojo Collins come to mind as well-known local players who are available solo as well as with bands. When duos are brought into the first-night equation for this booking strategy, then I become part of the list, as do Andy Whittington, Benny Hill, Dave Thompson, Kelly Jewell and a number of others. Customers and loyal fans of these players come out on Friday, talk to friends on during the day on Saturday and come back with those friends for something a bit different and decidedly “special” that evening. You expand your offering and effectively advertise the Saturday show during every minute of the Friday offering while at the same time significantly cutting costs for Friday entertainment.
The most important thing you can do about your impact is to make it your own. If Joe Music and His Caped Fears play the IceHouse on Thursday night, the Reel Café Friday night, Water Street Saturday, Circa 1922 Sunday, Level Five Monday and Paleo Sun Tuesday, the impact made by the band at each of these venues, which almost neighbor one another, is only one-seventh of what it would be if the act’s performance orbit for the week wasn’t so tight. You will pay, however, seven-sevenths of Joe Music’s performance fee for that one-seventh of Joe Music’s impact.
Consider forming good relationships with some acts people can identify thoroughly with your establishment. Try to come to an understanding under terms like, “thirty days, ten miles” with your acts. Even be prepared to offer a small premium to them in return for a degree of exclusivity. I realize that suggesting additional entertainment costs is not going to be popular, but the alternative, seeing your customer base go next door the night before or the night after you pay current artist fees to see the same act, may well be even less attractive.
Reach – Advertising in traditional print and broadcast outlets here is expensive. It is also uncertain, as the proliferation of small publications and cable stations has left the advertising industry largely in the dark about the true effectiveness of any medium. Nevertheless, some sort of advertising is necessary if you want to reach prospective patrons. If any funds are available for an advertising line item in your operating budget, it is an investment in the success of your facility.
At the same time, ads that name your entertainers are as beneficial to the acts as they are to you, and so it is reasonable to ask the entertainers to help spread the word. Many musicians have websites or affiliations with Internet, broadcast or print media, and many more, by virtue of their own creativity, have ideas for non-traditional methods of getting the word out. As soon as possible after you begin to consider booking an act, discuss advertising with them. Here, as in other areas, you have an opportunity to utilize their creativity and other resources without increasing the booking fee. Simply posting a flyer provided by the band making your patrons aware of their website will have positive results, and the better acts can help in more significant ways.
The sum total of the suggestions above is a real alliance between your venue and the musicians who perform there. Unfortunately, the bond that makes such an alliance possible is often thoroughly eroded before the first chord is sounded from the bandstand by flawed communications. I have worked with dozens of entertainment decision makers over the years and learned that your profession is not an easy one. The three basic conditions I’ve observed for someone in your position are 1) busy, 2) exhausted, and 3) busy and exhausted. Under the circumstances of your business, it is understandable that phone calls aren’t always returned(although the failure to return twenty phone calls is extremely difficult to explain away), demo tapes and press kits aren’t immediately scrutinized and calendars aren’t always perfectly maintained.
The three basic conditions for musicians are 1) impoverished, 2) vain, and 3) vain and impoverished. This lessens patience and understanding of your situation regarding bookings and the contacts that precede them. When productive contact is finally made, often after as many as twenty phone calls following delivery of promo materials, impatient and anxious to finalize any deal that makes a grocery shopping trip the day after a gig possible, musicians forget to discuss some necessary details. Then, an hour before the performance is to begin, misunderstandings about food, drinks and sound equipment are much more likely to crop up than they need to be.
This can be avoided with a contract that clearly lays out all responsibilities. There are people on both sides of the bar who are offended by the mere suggestion of a contract, believing that it implies mistrust, and that feeling makes us all hesitant to bring the issue up. That hesitation results in unnecessary ill will that could be avoided if the facilities manager and act spokesperson used a contract as a written checklist making sure that everything is covered, understood and agreed in advance.
The next two sections provide sample contracts for your consideration.
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Please complete all information requested, and mail it WITH INSTRUCTIONS FOR ANY AGREED DEPOSIT to the address at the bottom.
Type of Event: _____________________________
Start time: ______ End Time: ______
To be held ___/___/___
at: [VENUE NAME HERE]
This agreement, dated ___/___/___ , is between ________________, hereinafter referred to as BANDLEADER, and [VENUE PROPRIETOR NAME HERE] representing [VENUE NAME], herein referred to as the CLIENT, with a business presently operating at [VENUE ADDRESS HERE]
Phone(s): [VENUE PHONE HERE].
In consideration of the mutual covenants herein contained and other good and valuable consideration, the BANDLEADER and the CLIENT hereto agree as follows:
I. The CLIENT agrees to pay the BANDLEADER $________ for ____ hours of musical performance. Performance hours include _____ band break periods, none of which are to exceed _____ minutes in length.
II. The CLIENT agrees to pay the BANDLEADER a deposit of $_____, which is neither transferable nor refundable, to be paid at least _____ days prior to the agreed event but not before the return of this contract, which must be signed by the BANDLEADER, and must be received by the CLIENT within 30 days. Deposit check should be made payable to [BANDLEADER NAME HERE] and mailed to [BANDLEADER ADDRESS HERE].
III. Overtime hours can only be provided with the approval of both the Client and the BANDLEADER. Overtime rate is $_____ per hour.
IV. The CLIENT agrees to pay the BANDLEADER the entire balance remaining, plus all additional overtime charges in US currency by CASH or check payable to CASH, immediately upon completion of engagement! Checks returned for insufficient funds are subject to a $50.00 surcharge.
V. The CLIENT agrees that any changes to the date, starting time and/or location of this contract will be based on the availability of the BANDLEADER.
VI. Cancellation of this agreement must be submitted in writing. Verbal cancellations are not accepted. Should the CLIENT CANCEL THIS AGREEMENT WITHIN 30 DAYS OF THE EVENT DATE, the CLIENT agrees to pay the BANDLEADER ____% of the balance due on this contract, which is to accompany the required letter of cancellation.
VII. The CLIENT is liable for any damage done to the BANDLEADER’s person and equipment by themselves, their guests and/or agent(s).
VIII. This contract contains all the agreements by the parties hereto. There are no promises, agreements, terms or conditions other than those contained herein. This agreement shall apply to and bind all parties and may not be changed orally. The laws of the State of North Carolina govern this contract. Any fees associated with the enforcement of this contract will be borne by the CLIENT.
Please sign and date to execute this contract. Make an additional copy for your records, and return the signed original along with instructions regarding any agreed deposit, to [VENUE REPRESENTATIVE], [VENUE ADDRESS].
Signature: _________________________________ Date: ____/____/____
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On this ________ day of ___________________, 20______, [VENUE PROPRIETOR NAME] hereby engages [BAND NAME HERE] as the exclusive and only provider of continuous musical entertainment for [EVENT NAME HERE] which will take place at [VENUE NAME AND ADDRESS HERE], on the ________ day of ____________________, 20______.
Additional terms:_____________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Said musical entertainment will be provided by __________ musicians, for the period of __________ hours, starting at __________ o'clock, __AM __PM, and ending at __________ o'clock, __AM __PM. Each hour of entertainment provided shall include a break for the musicians not to exceed _____ minutes in length.
Total cost for the above engagement, exclusive of overtime, is $__________. Additional entertainment after __________ hours will be charged at the rate of $__________ per hour or $__________ per half hour.
A deposit of ______ of total is hereby paid to [BAND REPRESENTATIVE NAME]. The balance, including any overtime charge, shall be paid directly upon completion of this engagement.
Please keep a duplicate of this form for your records.
_______________________________________
CLIENT's Signature
_______________________________________
Street Address
______________________________________
For The [BAND NAME HERE]
______________________________________
City, State, Postal code
______________________________________
Phone
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Outside of regular live entertainment – I don’t know of any Wilmington club owners who have ever regretted affiliations with good causes, open mics, civic organizations or jam sessions. Benefit shows draw customers from outside of your usual customer base. All multi-act events bring in the fans, friends and relatives of the multi-members of those multi-acts. Jam sessions are absolutely the best breeding grounds for bands. People who support good causes look good themselves and earn goodwill from present and new patrons. Even more pragmatically, donations to non-profit groups provide you as much business tax advantage as entertainment expenses.
There are, however, a couple of cautionary observations to keep in mind. While I was active with the Blues Society, several club owners told me that Tuesday jams were their best nights of the week, and it always made me very proud. However, I was thinking only of what my friends and fellow blues enthusiasts were accomplishing during that one night per week and ignoring other ramifications. Strong jam nights really meant weak regular band and cover charge nights, and it may well be that enjoying the advantages of a weekly affiliation with a group like the Blues Society can make one complacent and even neglectful concerning the other nights.
I have also heard, after almost all of the hundreds of free jam and benefit events I’ve participated in, complaints from other players about the host venue failing to show gratitude to them for bringing in business. In most cases, this is the musicians’ problem, not the club owners’. Clearly, you can’t keep track of, much less give free drinks to, three dozen musicians. Some indication of thanks, though, is possible and it will head off any bitterness or negative thinking on the part of the players. Just being on the premises and making a point of speaking to some of the players, commenting on their talent and civic spirit and indicating that seeing their work during a benefit show or jam will help you identify and consider them for paid bookings later will turn you, in the musicians’ minds, from adversary to ally.
In addition, songwriters’ nights, open mics and jams are subject to the same rules of supply and demand as any other product or service, and a community the size of ours can only support so many. A great track record fourteen years long tells us that weekly Blues Society jams work, but how many more weekly electric blues jams will the town support? How many hours of topnotch original song performance can our talent base field? For that matter, how many nights per week do local musicians have the energy and money to attend? Writing this Memorial Day weekend, 2001, I am convinced that Wilmington has reached and passed the point of diminishing returns on these events; that we have neither the musical, fiscal nor cultural / community spirit resources to support the jams, open mics, etc. now in place. An old Italian fairy tale about a village of cobblers, in which everyone supports himself by repairing his neighbors’ shoes, comes to mind, and there is a great distance between old fairy tales time and high volume, low profit enterprises such as yours.
Pros and cons of house sound systems – On the “pro” side, you can purchase a P.A. system that you feel provides the right quality and size for your venue and, through ownership, may feel more comfortable adjusting volume and other knobs and buttons at need. You can also bring in road acts that, logistically, need to have a P.A. waiting for them at the gig site. Permanent installations make more and better speaker placement options possible.
On the “con” side, you make it possible for acts that don’t care enough or aren’t advanced enough to own their own stage rigs to play at your venue. If they haven’t invested adequately in equipment, is it likely that they have invested adequately in their own lessons, record collections and other tools of the trade? In short, a house P.A. lowers the lowest common denominator for acts qualified to play your house.
In addition, house sound systems are very difficult to maintain. It is inevitable that musicians will accidentally walk off with your microphones, cables, etc. Wrapping and stowing gear at the end of the night s likely to be done haphazardly or not at all by musicians anxious to leave or, worse yet, by your own staff, equally eager to get off work and without a clue regarding professional sound equipment care. Employing a sound technician will take care of most of these problems and make everyone on the bandstand and in the audience happy, but that issue hinges on facility budget variables that cannot be discussed in a general document such as this.
As emphasized on the first page, this document is written from a limited perspective. There may be factors, unseen from the bandstand, which negate some, most or even all of the observations I’ve tried to share from that vantage point. At best, I hope that some of the suggestions in these pages are worth considering. At worst, I hope the folks on the other side of the bar will accept it as a sincere wish for success.
Arthur Shuey
343-9447
webmaster@onthestreet.zzn.com