Band (www.onthebeachband.com)

by Jeff Tucker
(Toledo, OH)

"Pay-to-play" and "for-the-door-venues" exist, for the most part, because of poor business planning. Anyone who has ever taken Business 101 knows that any retail business should plan on allocating at least 30% of their budget to advertising. However, as we all know, most clubs allocate absolutley "zero" to advertising...which is a huge reason why - according to the National Restaurant Association, approximately 80% of all new hospitality businesses (bars and restaurants) fail before they celebrate their first anniversary.

It's a vicious cycle. Bar owners don't spend enough on advertising, therefore, they do not generate the income they had hoped for. Soon, the need to generate business becomes desperate - and due to poor planning, they don't have the capital on hand that's necessary to "spend money to make money". So, not only do incompetent club owners expect bands to play for no guarantee - they also expect the bands to do jobs that are rightfully the club's responsibility....advertise and sell tickets.

We've all heard the argument - "We had a band in here last week, they played for the door, and they packed the place." That's great...but who did they pack the place with? Most bands that are playing their first gigs are extremely excited...and their enthusiasm carries over. Soon, their family and their friends are excited too. Your mom and dad, and your uncle, and your girlfriend and six of her friends, and a bunch of guys from your frat --- they'll all show up to your first gigs, they'll "hoot-and-holler", and they'll tell you how great you are (while in an alohol-induced haze). But, if the band sucks....your mom and dad, your girlfriend's friends, and the guys in your frat --- will not go to another of your shows anytime soon. But what's the harm? The bar was packed. The harm is a little thing called "consistency".

Imagine this scenario: You and a buddy are thirsty, and you drive by a new club that just opened. You walk in, sit at the bar, and order a Guiness. The bartender (who also doubles as the owner), replies, "Sorry, no Guiness. All I have is Old Milwaukee Light right now. See, we're just starting up, so I asked the beer man to give me a couple of kegs for free, and I told him that we'll actually buy beer from him when we can afford it. When things really get going, we'll have quality beer, honest." Seriously, after you gag on that Old Milwaukee Light, do you really think you're going to make plans to go back to that place?

Consistency is key in any retail business. Your friends will suffer through your too-loud, under-rehearsed band (once or twice), and they'll be kind enough to tell you you're great, when the truth is, you suck. However, the guys at the end of the bar...the couple in the booth, and that party of six sitting in the back - those folks don't know anything about you - other than the fact that you're too-loud and under-rehearsed. They will get up and leave...and they ain't coming to see you again, and they ain't coming back to that particular bar, either.

Something else taught in Business 101 - the "Rule of Three". For the purpose of this discussion, the "Rule of Three" refers to the fact that a bar that features live music will establish it's reputation after three weekends of live music (...again, consistency). If a bar lets bad bands play for free, they will firmly establish their reputation as a bar that has bad bands in three weeks. That's all it takes - three times, and you're out. Conversely, a bar that spends money and hires quality acts three weeks in a row will establish a reputation of having quality bands.

I don't know of any cliches that aren't true - including, "You get what you pay for", and "You've got to spend money to make money."

I've been earning 100% of my living performing music for 24 years. I have never played a "pay-to-play" OR a "for-the-door" venue. Why not? It's not because I'm "too good" to play those types of venues --- it's because of the exposure. You know - exposure, as in, "There's no pay, but it's great exposure". The truth is, what you're exposing yourself as, is someone who is willing to play for nothing. No matter how good you are, the bar owner on Main Street isn't going to pay you $750.00 on Saturday, when he knows you just played at the bar on Broad Street "for-the-door" on Friday. Why would he?...you've already been "exposed".