PRESENTING YOUR OWN SHOW

QUESTION:
How can my band make money by arranging our own gig? When we tried to do it, by renting a room and selling tickets, we ended up losing money, although there was great attendance, especially by younger fans. The promoter we rented the concert hall from didn't advertise the show and we had to pay a lot of money for ads in addition to doing all the advertising work ourselves, while he got the profits. It seems unfair.

ANSWER:
When you use the term "advertising" I think you really mean "promotion" -- all the efforts that are made to make a show successful. Part of the problem is that when someone rents a room from a promoter, the promoter then becomes more of a Landlord, and the incentive to work on the show is diminished.  Since he gets the rent whether or not many tickets are sold, it seems like a done deal to him, particularly if its an all-ages event where bar sales are not likely to be huge even if the room is packed.

A good all-ages venue is needed in Denver, but its difficult to maintain one because of high start up costs, horrid insurance rates, etc. And of course bands want to keep their ticket prices low to attract fans. And when those fans turn 21 in just a few years, they want to go to BARS, so you've constantly got to develop a new crowd, whereas at over-21 nightclubs there are always the "regulars".

If a band (or a lineup of a group of bands) can pull in big numbers of people for a show, its time to go to a promoter or club owner and get booked (as opposed to renting the room, which is generally a no-win situation). The promoter would have interest at that level of attendance and then he or she would assume the responsibilities of promoting the event in order to turn a profit. The obvious benefit for the talent of course is that they get a guaranteed fee for their services and don't have to hassle with the details of the promoter's job. And if the event loses money it doesn't come out of the acts' pocket.

The downside is that the promoter will want to raise the ticket price in order to lower the risk, and while most loyal fans will pay the extra buck or two, some attendance could be lost. And the bands want to INCREASE their following, get NEW people in to see them, etc., so they want it to be as easy as possible for people of all ages to come. If you had charged $6 at your show, and $10 for day-of, you would have grossed around $5000, and shouldn't have been required to absorb any expenses other than rent and promotion -- but likely still wouldn't have broken even. The clubs do strip ads and get severe discounts via an annual rate, while the occasional advertiser has to pay exorbitant amounts. Its really tough to do a good job. 

I'm a major proponent of mailing lists, but of course there is still a big investment in time and money to send gig announcements out. Yet they seem to be more effective than random ads, because they're directed to people you know are already interested. And rooms pay attention if you tell them you have a mailing list of 500 or 1000 and will market a gig in their room. They know from experience that it works.

Most bar type clubs advertise on a weekly basis. Promoters such as NIPP and 2B Announced do posters and flyers, but like I said when they're acting as Landlord they figure they needn't bother, as the renter of the room, be it another promoter or the bands themselves, are effectively assuming the role of promoter at that point. But I agree that they should help out and at the very least include it in their calendars (which I think they usually do).

Rents of up to $4000 a night for a concert hall seem high, but if the show is on a weekend, they might be giving up a night where they could have had significant liquor sales in deference to an act with an under-21 following, and in the final analysis they're only looking at the numbers and their own bills. Thus, a band must make it appear attractive to the owner of the room to seek THEM out and assume the risks themselves. As well as the responsibilities of selling the show to the public.

It is important to be aware of all of the issues involved. Take a minute to consider the scenario from a room's perspective: On a slow night with a local show, say you've got a box office person, a bar manager, a bartender, a waitress, a sound engineer (and hopefully also a monitor engineer), someone working the door, a few security guys, etc. That's about $150 an hour right there to keep the doors open. Say the owner's monthly rent (or mortgage 
payment or whatever) is $10,000, which would break down to about $300 per night. Add in insurance premiums, utilities, phone, daytime employees, equipment costs (sound AND office), janitor services, trash pickup, etc., and it soon becomes apparent that you MUST earn at least a couple of thousand dollars a night to stay alive. And if you factor in the nights when they're closed, the overview gets even more critical. 

So they've got to have winners to make their nut. And if people aren't drinking the loss increases with each hour that passes. Most companies are willing to support a promising band and help it develop a following in order to cash in as the group becomes more popular and continues to play the room, but competition is fierce for the acts that can reliably draw, and it sometimes costs less to be closed on a slow night than to indulge a band that 
seems stagnant. That is especially true if the group attracts a destructive audience or one apt to piss off the neighbors, which is another HUGE problem for club owners. The band packs up and goes home, and the club is left a mess, often with sound equipment damaged or missing, and the neighbors screaming to the City Council loud enough to make renewal of the license the next time its up a big problem -- then there's lawyers, accountants . . . 

I'm not defending local venues' failure to support the scene. I'm hoping everyone can work together to create a situation that's fair and mutually rewarding. One of the purposes of the music association is to review and discuss the problems and figure out ways to make it easier for everyone to work, and hence for the scene to continue to grow.

Some bands have successfully presented their own shows, but it seems they often use a warehouse or other economical space not normally considered a music venue. After solving the sound problems, however, you face the difficulty of getting the word out without attracting the uniformed types concerned with zoning violations, noise levels (if its in a residential area), licensing, the potential for underage drinking, drug use, and blah, blah, blah (as Iggy Pop so eloquently described it). And if anyone is accidentally hurt, the liability issues would be overwhelming.

One of the biggest failures in our scene, I think, is the fact that popular local groups are rarely heard or advertised on the radio, so that new people can become aware of the talent and become avid listeners, buyers of product and audience members. Every band is local to SOME city and exposure is what boosts them up to state, regional and national levels, assuming they've got 
what it takes. In my opinion, this city is particularly bad in regard to radio airplay, TV exposure and most of all, PRESS. If the media were more supportive, the clubs and promoters would fall into line because they COULD; because audiences would be hearing about the shows, coming, and lowering the financial risk for the people paying the bands. 

Thus, I feel the music community should address the press and the broadcasters and convince them to support local music. And that is a predominant goal of the Colorado Music Association. If we can coalesce all the scattered energy into one strong and impressive body, we can use pressure and effect real change. There truly is strength in numbers.
With kindest regards,
Dolly Zander

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