joseph wrote:DaVo wrote:I think the biggest problem is that the venues do not understand that having live music at their venue is a promotion and a form of advertising. Let's face there isn't a member of this board that hasn't gone to a bar or shit hole that they wouldn't have if they didn't have a shows.
this is a good point that hasnt been brought up.
i think you can probably count a lot of this to owners of the venues are more "hands off" so its left to a booker and sound guy and bartender to make sure the shows go well. so then you have more personal ego involved.
and honestly why should a bartender/soundperson give a fuck about some bands? theryre paid less than minimum wage and rely on tips,,,,, then they gotta play some game that they get no benefit from except maybe an extra tip here and there... sometimes its worth it not to make that extra effort/buck.
Well, having the bartender running it can be a blessing and a curse depending on the person's motivation. Since a majority of his/her income depends on the draw of the bands and the amount of people in the bar, keying in on what people want and what bands draw should be their focus. The problem is that usually even though the have a majority of the responsibility, they have no say or input into the real decisions on who is playing there. Thus it does become just another job.
When I was talent buying, I tried to poll the bartenders and ask for input on shows because they were the ones that had the most interaction with the customers. The bar staff was who they bitched about the band to and who they asked what bands were coming up and weather this band or that was playing.
Now this worked a lot better when venues were more like clubhouses and less like venues as they are today. I think it is safe to say that most of these people working in these barns have any regulars or really any passion at all for the bands that are playing there. I can't remember the last time I saw a band tender during a show that didn't look bored out of their mind and wished they were somewhere else.
I think the worst job in any venue short of cleaning up the men's restroom has to be that of the soundman. They are stuck and regardless of their personal tastes, they have to stand there and watch every single band. Over time I don't think it's hard to imagine that they tend to get really burned out and it becomes nothing more than a job.
The booker or talent buyer seems increasingly less someone that is trying to build an event and more of someone that simply fills dates. None of them start out this way but it seems over time they become more and more a scheduler than a promoter. It's easy to get burned out and it's a trap I fill into a couple of times. This idea that it's Saturday and we must have band regardless. The thing is that it is part of the talent buyers responsibility as house booker, to insure that the reputation of the venue is upheld. They should be the ones standing up the promoters and insuring that everything is on the up and up.
I paid my dues but I lost my Receipt.
