1. The Club and Club Owner
a. The reputation of the group
b. The tape and press kit
c. Your sales pitch
d. Professional attitude and personality
e. Timing
f. Knowledge/Understanding
g. Patience
2. Your First Bookings
a. Appoint one person
b. Hook up with a local established
band
c. Look for a club in your area
d. Call the club and inquire
e. Call back at the time you're instructed
3. The Event
a. Payment/Date/Time
b. What are you entitled to?
4. What to Expect from the Club
a. Pay to Play
b. No Pay
c. Percentage of Admission: Redeemed
Passes
d. Percentage of the Admission Price
e. Set Pay
f. Set Pay Plus a Percentage Over
g. The Door
5. Negotiation
THE CLUB & CLUB OWNER
A nightclub, a bar or any small size venue that you
are going to call upon is first and foremost a business.
The owner is someone who has invested a good deal
of money and is working long hours so that after the
overhead (bills) is paid, there's some profit left
over for themselves. They are probably in the business
because they enjoy music, but if music were their
only motivation, they would be in some other job listening
to the radio while they work. They are in business
to make money.
The way clubs make money is by charging admission
and/or selling drinks to their clientele. The amount
of patrons a club can attract is a result of the type
of entertainment and atmosphere the club provides.
When a club owner looks to hire a band to perform,
the decision on hiring revolves around the entertainment
value the band can provide. A band's value is based
on (a) How many people will they draw? (b) Will they
entertain the regular clientele?, (c) Does the band
have a following and are they big drinkers?
Ask any club owner and they will tell you that a great
band is one that brings in a big crowd. A band that
plays great but doesn't draw anyone is an out of work,
great band.
The days of clubs working hard to develop an act are
for the most part long gone. Locally, you might find
a place that will give you a start on an off night
like Sunday or Monday, but it's up to you to bring
the crowd. Due to the high cost of rent, insurance,
liquor and security just for opening the doors, club
owners will not offer you much in the way of pay to
just come in and perform for no one.
Many clubs today will put anywhere from 3-6 bands
together on a bill to maximize the audience. If each
band can draw 25 people, then 6 bands can draw 150
people on the night. Of course it doesn't always work
out this way and some bands will draw more than others.
But unless you can pack the house on your own, sharing
the bill is a fact of life.
There are many different types of clubs, bars etc.,
and for the sake of this conversation, we need to
concentrate on the type of place you will first be
looking to play in. Whether you live in a big city
or a small town, chances are that you can find a small
drinking bar that has at least a 75 person capacity,
a small stage, some lights and a small dance floor.
This should be a room that aside from a regular clientele
of bar flies, younger people go there occasionally
to see a band.
The owner of this establishment like every other club
no matter what size, is probably inundated with requests
from more bands to play than there are available dates.
The decisions on who to book are usually based on
the following:
The Reputation of the Group
If you are an already established band, the word on
the street and through the club circuit on how well
you play, or what size crowd you bring, will determine
whether you have a good reputation or not. Usually
club owners know of each other and due to their competitive
nature are always checking who's playing at the other
guy's club. If the band has a good reputation they
will be preferred by the clubs over a new untested
act, especially if they're vying for a booking on
the same date.
The Tape and Press kit
These are the two most important marketing tools your
band has. They serve as proof of your accomplishments
documented in a professional manner for everyone from
club owners to the press, all the way up to the record
labels. The press kit contains a bio on your group,
band photo, press clippings, along with any other
vital booking information. This will be accompanied
by a demo tape of your music. The club owner looks
at this material, listens to the tape and determines
whether they want to offer you a gig. If your band
is new or has never played in the area before, the
club owner takes a very big risk in booking you. The
reputation of the club is based on many things including
the kind of music it features. Having never seen you
before will supersede any guarantee you make as they
take a financial gamble by hiring you.
Your Sales Pitch
The fact is, some of the most successful people in
the world are salesman. Whether you're selling computers,
cars, ideas or yourself, to truly be successful at
it, you will need to possess certain communication
skills and concepts. Club bookers are very busy people
and do not have a great deal of time to look for quality
in a band if it is not easily found. Furthermore,
due to the vast amount of phone calls club bookers
receive it helps if you can offer something that makes
you and your group stand out.
To develop an edge so that you can get through the
maze of tapes and press kits on their desk you will
need to possess the following traits:
Professional Attitude and Personality
First you need to come off like a winner, but without being cocky
and arrogant. You are not the first group in the world that writes
their own music and you need not try to sell yourself with the line
“we're the best band you've ever seen.” Trust me you are
not the best band they've ever seen and you never will be if at
this stage of the game you already think you are. The club booker
has seen and heard it all. Allow them the chance to come to that
conclusion on their own. Let your music do the talking.
Allow yourself to take criticism. Club owners are
just one of the many people who you will be approaching
for help and in turn they will offer their opinion
on what you need to do to improve. You should not
change yourself with every opinion thrown your way,
however, if enough people comment on a particular
characteristic of the group, consider its conquest
to be the next rung you need to climb on the ladder
to success.
Upon calling me, many musicians open with the line “we are
so much better than everybody else out there, we just need a break.”
When I hear that, I get turned off. My feeling is if you are better
than everybody else, the breaks should be and will come. I prefer
that you let your music do the talking and not words of bravado.
If you feel you are better than everyone else that's great but keep
it inside as an inspiration for yourself. A healthy positive attitude
is magnetic and it draws people to you.
Timing
They say this is everything but they are only partially
right. If you look at most successful people and listen
to their story, you'll find out that when they hit
it big, yes timing was everything , but you should
also realize all the times that they tried and failed.
Like a baseball player, the more times you get up
to bat the more chances you give yourself to hit the
ball. But not every time up at bat will yield a base
hit. Eventually if you keep at it you just might get
that pitch that you will meet with the perfect swing
and boom, it's outta there. So really it's not just
timing, it's putting in the time that is everything.
When making your calls, don't call one club. Call
five clubs. Make it your goal to book at least three
shows a week and don't stop until you do. If you call
15 clubs and book five of them, you are batting 300,
and that, my friend, will get you in the Hall of Fame.
Knowledge/Understanding
Know your opponent. It's war out there. If you're
going into battle without knowing your enemy, then
to whom do we send your belongings?
Before you attempt to book a club, try to find out
as much about the place as you can even if it means
going there at night and hanging out. The worst thing
you can do is book yourself into a club that is not
right for your music. It will happen sometimes but
each time it does, you will learn something from it.
Learn about the booking habits of the owner. Find
out what the minimum draw is. If the owner expects
bands to draw 100 people at the worst, do not even
attempt to contact this place until you are at 75
people.
I keep stressing to you that the people who book and
own clubs are inundated with phone calls. Your window
of opportunity is 60 seconds on the phone at best.
You better know what you're going to say and minimize
what you have to ask so you can get right to the point
and make your pitch. Unless you can talk your talk
and walk your walk, do not dial that dial.
Patience
Last but not least, something all bands need to have
is a little bit of patience. You are not going to
get booking agents or club owners on the phone the
first time you call. Or the second or third. Just
keep leaving your name and number and continue to
ask when is it a good time to call back.
Do not get frustrated. If after ten calls you don't
get a response move on. It's not meant to be. Use
your time and energy on your next conquest. Just do
not take it personally. These people do not know you!
In time when your reputation is stronger you will
come back to this club and find yourself pleasantly
surprised as to their willingness to work with you.
YOUR FIRST BOOKINGS
Appoint one person in your band to assume the role of making
contacts and bookings.
It is important to split up jobs within the group. But it is equally
important that the jobs do not cross each other otherwise it will
cause conflict. The best choice of individual to assume the role
of band booking agent should be the one member that is comfortable
on the phone and able to do what it takes to sell the band.
It helps to have a likable personality as well as some knowledge
of the music business. With that I am not just referring to the
way business is conducted but to also know what is going on in the
industry as a whole. It would certainly help your conversation skills
if you read issues of Billboard magazine, R&R, CMJ, etc.
Hook Up With a Local Established Band
Inquire if they have a local show coming up and if
you can be the opening act. This will help break the
ice with the club allowing them to see what you've
got without a press kit. It also gives you that chance
to play in front of audience, and hopefully pick up
new fans.
You should have a prepared set that has at least 40
minutes of music. If you consider audience applause
and time in between songs, you can possibly push the
set to 45 minutes which is the usual time allotment
for an opening act.
If the group is willing to let you open up for them do not discuss
money at this point. Most bands need every penny they make and they
are already doing you the favor by getting you in the door. This
is something you can't buy. If you bring up the money there is a
good chance you won't get the gig.
Look For A Club In Your Area
If you do not know a band that can help you, this is the way
to proceed:
Look for a club, preferably in your home area conveniently located,
so that all of your friends can come.
Make sure the admission age is low enough so that
it doesn't exclude many of your fans. Don't forget,
that for this first show you are going to want to
bring in as many people as you can, so that you can
begin developing that good reputation.
Make sure that the club features bands so that they
are used to loud volume levels. The last thing you
need is to be constantly reminded to lower your volume
or in a worse case scenario, be told to stop playing
altogether.
Call The Club And Inquire
Call the club and inquire as to who does the bookings. Get their
name, the club address and the hours in which the booker works.
Ask how long after they receive your tape should you call back for
booking information. It is not necessary to speak to the club booker
at this time. All you will get out of the call is instructions to
send your tape and press kit and call back in two weeks. So why
waste your time and theirs. First mail in the tape and then ask
for the booker. If you live close by you can consider dropping off
the tape. For one thing it gives you a chance to step into the venue
and see it, especially if this is your first time. If you're lucky,
the booker will be there and might even listen to the tape right
away. If not, then perhaps the person behind the bar who you will
leave the tape with will become a good contact and if you enter
into a good conversation that could be an asset to you.
Call Back At The Time You've Been Instructed
It would help if you remember or even jotted down
the names of the people you met when you were at the
club or spoken to on the phone. If they should answer
the phone and you remember their voice and refer to
them by name, you will have made a very big impression.
Ask to speak to the owner or the person that books
the shows. Do not lie or exaggerate the size of your
following. Be honest and let them know you are just
starting out and would like the chance to open for
a more popular group so that you can start adding
on to your following. If this is indeed your first
show you still should be out telling all your friends,
family members and whoever else you can about this
event so that you can count on some kind of initial
following.
THE EVENT
If the club has received your tape and you are now
in conversation to book the show, there are three
main points you need to address.
Payment/Date/Time
Thursday, Friday and Saturdays are by far the best
nights of the week. Depending on where you are, Sunday
might not be so bad (but is usually affected by people
having school or work the next day), and Monday and
Tuesday are terrible.
If this is your first show, you are somewhat at the
mercy of what the club booker offers you. Chances
are it's not going to be on a Friday night at 11:00
for $500. It could be a Monday at 7:00 PM or worse
at 2:00 AM.
Though you may be able to come up with many reasons
why this time slot won't work for you, you need to
understand that there is no reason why the booker
should offer you anything different. You have no reputation
and he has no way of knowing for sure what kind of
crowd you will bring so why should he take any chances.
Remember the club has to pay its bills. Unless you
can supply him with documented proof like a press
kit legitimizing your group and describing your drawing
power, I'd say take what you are offered. Consider
it an audition for the club to get in and impress
whoever is there with your ability to turn it on in
the face of adversity.
What Are You Entitled To?
As far as pay is concerned, unless you have a reputation
and have established a going rate for your band (based
on what you've been paid for the past five shows),
the deal they offer is the deal you take. Payment
is based entirely on how many people you draw and
not just for the first show. You will need to prove
that you can bring in good business every time you
play. Once you prove yourself, you should be getting
your area's going rate for bands. The most useful
tool you have negotiating your pay is the amount of
people you bring through the door. Based upon admission
price, times the amount of people, you can estimate
how much money the club is making on your crowd.
SAMPLE 1 -
$5.00 admission x 75 people who came to the show = $375 amount made
at the door
What are you entitled to?
That will depend entirely on the club policy, your area's going
rate and your reputation. If you are asked how much you are looking
for, you should take the equation from sample 1 and receive anywhere
from 25% -100% of that money. To figure out the percentage use
the equation in SAMPLE 2.
SAMPLE 2 -
Gross x percentage = amount or $375 x 25% =
$93.75
Your job will be to negotiate this, based on many factors including:
your reputation, club policy and going rate. You will have to
because the club will certainly never offer you your value.
WHAT TO EXPECT FROM THE CLUB
Basically the club functions as a room that you are borrowing
to put on a show. Don't depend on the owner for anything other
than maybe some advertising. It is your job to bring in the crowd.
It is important that you understand this fundamental rule. Although
ethically you should be paid every time you play because it is
work, you are really working for yourself so who in reality should
be paying you? As with any new business starting out you have
to develop a clientele. This is usually done through advertising
which for any new business can be a costly undertaking. In this
case your advertisement is your performance, a pretty cheap way
to build clientele if you ask me! Besides, get used to it, throughout
your career there are going to be other types of dates where you
might play for free like seminars, agent/record company showcases
etc. just to gain exposure.
The following are some of the many types of pay structures
offered in clubs:
Pay To Play
In this scenario you will be asked at the time of your booking
to purchase in advance x amount of tickets from the promoter of
the show. This amount ranges from city to city and in NYC where
I'm from, it's around $250 - $500. Once you get the tickets
it then becomes your responsibility to sell them to fans not the
club's. In the case where you purchase 100 tickets for
$500 that makes each ticket cost $5. This insures
the promoter and the club profit for that night. For you to make
profit on the show you will have to raise that cost to let's say
$7.00 a ticket.
This is a sleazy way for promoters to do business and I advise
you to steer clear of these deals, however as these promoters
put it, they are offering you a place to play and an opportunity
to make money taking some of the pressure and financial liability
off themselves. It definitely gives you some insight into the
workings of the business and it puts the pressure on you to succeed.
So it's not altogether horrible, but if you can find a reputable
promoter who isn't lazy and works to promote the show, you are
better off.
No Pay
Sometimes a band needs to play out live to showcase themselves
for a club owner or booking agent. Due to the high cost of running
a business, a club won't take a risk on paying a band that they
have never seen or heard of. Many clubs offer open mic or audition
nights on a certain night. You'll get around a half an hour or
so to play and the club will see what kind of crowd you bring
in and if you're good enough for a pay gig.
I don't often recommend that bands give their show away for nothing
but at times under the right circumstances, if you really want
to get into a place on a regular basis, this is a very good way
to do it.
If you are not going to get paid there are some trade offs you
can ask for. The willingness of a booker to concede to some will
give you some indication as to the type of club and individual
they are:
Ask the owner if the club regularly take ads out in the paper.
If so they can give you some mention in an upcoming ad. This alone
is valuable in your press kit.
Try to get some perks out of the club like a guest list.
Try to book a tentative future date at the time of the show.
This way should there be a good crowd happening and they are giving
you a good response, you can advertise your return date right
there, maximizing the potential draw for the next show.
Percentage Of The Admission Price: Redeemed Passes
Passes are those 4"x 5"postcards used by bands and clubs
the world over to advertise the show. They are passed out at clubs,
on the street and through the mail giving friends and fans alike
information about an event. On the night of the show the club
will have someone at the door collecting passes and admission
money. At the end of the night the club will then count up all
the collected passes and pay you a percentage of the passes with
your name on it. Fair deal, right? .......wrong!!!
First, unless your father owns the club or the door man is Mother
Theresa, you can't really trust the club to account for every
pass redeemed. Imagine over the course of a busy night how easy
it is for a doorman to misplace 15 passes and not realize it.
Are you going to be the one to accuse this 8-foot gorilla who
eats steroids for breakfast and punks like you for lunch, that
he purposely threw some away in the garbage? I think not. And
if you try to convince the club owner that you drew more people
than cards collected and therefore expect them to fork over more
money, you will be attempting a kind of surgical procedure that
even Dr. Beverly Crusher has not heard of.
You will therefore need to take the following precautions:
Find the biggest, baddest, but level headed friend you can
and post them near the doorman.
Have them collect the passes as they are handed off to the doorman.
If that isn't permissible they should carry their own counter
and check off the amount of people redeeming your passes. Sometimes
having this person looming in the background who is not easily
intimidated is enough to keep an otherwise dishonest club owner
or doorman straight.
Try to be original in the style, color and even size of your
postcard.
If you have a disagreement with the owner after the show, you
might want to look around the front door area, dance floor or
even in the trash for your very recognizable postcards.
Percentage deals are the standard in the club circuit but here
are some tips on negotiating them to work in your favor.
To start with, your cut of the passes will usually be around 20%
of the admission price. So if the admission is $5 you'll
get $1 per card. But what if you draw 200 people?
Shouldn't you get a higher percentage than the $1 per ticket?
Yes you should. What you need to do here is negotiate an accelerated
percentage per amount of people you bring in. So that after let's
say you draw 50 people you get 25% and after you bring
in 100 people your entitled to 30% and so on. A
club should be open to this negotiation at the onset, when you
book the gig.
In some areas of the country, admission prices to these shows
are somewhat expensive.
And if you're appearing on a bill with other acts chances are
you are not going to get a lot of time on the stage. In order
to entice some of your fans to come down you might want to work
out a deal with the club owner that offers your friends a cheaper
admission price. In return you will accept either a slightly lower
percentage or what I recommend is a larger draw amount before
your percentage goes up. So instead of a $7 cover charge
you can offer on your postcard a $5 charge. In return the
club will only pay you $1 on your pass or bump you up to
25% after you go over 80 people instead of 50.
What you are hoping to accomplish is showing some business smarts
as well as an appreciation for his club. After all, you are trying
to draw the most amount of people. The booker might be more interested
in getting a true count of what you brought in. You also cost
less money and in showing you their appreciation they might be
more prone to doing right by you. Keep in mind, many of the clubs
have themselves been burned by plenty of bands ripping stuff off
from the clubs and defacing their property. You've got to show
them some respect before you can expect them to show you some
back in return.
Percentage Of The Admission Price
A slightly better deal usually reserved for more reputable bands.
The club will pay you at the end of the night a percentage of
all the door receipts.
Depending on how many bands appear that night and at what spot
your band played in (opening act, middle acts or headliner) will
determine what your percentage will be.
So let's take a $5 ticket price and 6 bands. It's three
o'clock in the morning and you finally sit down with the booker.
Your told that 95 people paid all night to see all the
bands. 95 people on a $5 ticket comes out to $475.
If you were promised 50% of the gross receipts then you
would get 50% of $475 or $237.50.
Set Pay
Some clubs that have a good reputation will usually offer to start
a new band at a set price. Usually around $50. If you are
just starting out trust me it's decent money and take it. Until
you develop a following and begin to make the club money, you
have nothing to bargain with. In most cases a club that offers
you a starting pay is a club that cares about its acts and will
do more to help develop you a following. These types of venues
will advertise you in the local papers and if you ask them nicely
might give you the names of music reviewers so that you might
invite them down to review your band.
Set Pay Plus A Percentage Over
Now you are starting to get in with the club or have a good reputation
as a band that draws a big crowd. Let's say the deal is the club
will pay you a set salary of $500 plus 50% of the
collected door money over 400 people. So, in effect you
will get $500 no matter what happens. If the club draws
575 people on an $8 ticket you will get 50%
of 175 x 8, (175 being the difference between
575 and 400) or 1/2 of $1400 which
equals $700. So now your total pay for the night will be
$1200 (your contracted price of $500. plus $700
over). Of course you have to rely on the club's honesty as always
but keep in mind that if you are doing the club this much business,
they themselves are making good money and will not try to do anything
to upset you. The tides do turn as you get more popular and you'll
notice the clubs will become like home to you and your fans.
The Door
This very simple arrangement is where your group will supply someone
at the front door and he'll collect the admission as it comes
in. At the end of the night you keep everything that you collected.
You usually get this kind of deal only if you are a fairly popular
band with enough of a reputation to demand it and the only band
on the bill. It is more common in suburban areas and college towns
than in bigger cities where there is more of a tendency for the
clubs to do the door themselves and give you a percentage.
There are many other deals that will incorporate a little of each
one of these with perhaps a new twist of its own. I know a promoter
in Colorado who books a number of popular clubs in the Denver
area. For many of the new acts that are booked, their pay (regardless
of their draw capacity) is $100. But included with that they get
a big ad in the main music newspaper as well as a 1/2 page write
up!........ Brilliant!! To me, this is promotional material that
in most places, money can't buy. In fact the $100 seems almost
a bonus when you consider how valuable the write up and ad is
to their press kit.
Of course all good deals are not without some drawbacks and in
this example, the promoter only books bands that have their own
CD out. They need not be a signed band, just a band that has reached
the level of marketing their own merchandise. That as we will
see later on in the book is a positive signal in the industry
that the band has made it through some of the first stages of
development.
NEGOTIATION
What is your recourse in the event that you feel you have been
unfairly handled be it pay or otherwise? When it comes to pay
you are at a disadvantage especially in the beginning when you
have very little performance options and are at the mercy of the
club. Each negotiation is unique unto itself. To be successful
you must not attempt to outsmart your opponent but rather match
wits with a good argument based upon facts and a good sense of
business etiquette.
Supposing you go to settle a show that you were promised 50% of
the gross door receipts. From the stage you can see the 350 capacity
room is so packed that the line by the door needs to be manned
by two bouncers instead of the usual one. As you now sit in the
office watching the clock turn 3:00 AM, waiting to get paid, the
booker enters and after offering you a drink says you did okay
drawing 95 people. Your pay is $235. You stare ahead wondering
which one of their two heads you should address.
Instead of hitting the roof, inquire how that is possible when
the club was obviously filled to capacity. The booker will no
doubt combat that with all kinds of excuses ranging from half
those people were regular customers and do not pay, to you must
be blind and don't tell me how many people were in my club. What
you must keep in mind is that if you honestly drew a huge crowd,
the booker would be a fool to piss you off to the point where
you vowed to never perform there again. So with an armful of confidence
you can offer this possibility.
There are other clubs in town that would appreciate your 300 fans
and if there is no way to settle with you then you will happily
play for the competition. A fool would end the conversation here
so they will respond one of two ways. If your bluff is called
you know what you have to do. If on the other hand you're asked
what you think is fair, let me offer you one solution.
You were offered payment on 95 people and you feel that club maxed
out at 350. Offer to split this down the middle and have him pay
you the percentage on 222 people which is roughly the difference.
You arrive at the difference by adding 95 + 350 then dividing
the total in half.
The booker's reaction may be positive or they may come back to
you with an offer which might end up being another split down
the middle. The argument might be that x amount of dollars was
spent on advertising and there is no way that you drew that many
people. Explain that you also spent x amount on advertising. Proceed
to show the mailing list pages from the night with the multitudes
of signatures to drive your point home.
What you are hoping to achieve here is much more than financial.
Let's face it, neither of you can really prove how many people
came in through the door unless there were tickets sold and the
show sold out in advance.
In a courteous tone you want to establish that you are not to
be jerked around and that you are not a fool but rather someone
who is taking care of their business. In the end you will get
more respect from the club, keeping them honest in the future.
The final result of this negotiation should put a bit more money
in your pocket, raise some respect for you and hopefully culminate
in a better arranged deal for the next show you perform there.
I want to point out that although this may happen from time to
time there are many very reputable clubs where it is a pleasure
to play at and where the bands are treated very fairly.
As far as the many other circumstances that bands find themselves
disadvantaged by, the same level headed techniques need to be
assimilated. Always direct your problem to the person directly
responsible for correcting it. Yelling at the bartender because
you are being denied drink passes is not proper procedure. As
you will see later in this chapter and chapter 6, there are methods
to booking a show, documenting and confirming all the things you
discussed with the booker on the phone so that you are in less
risk when you arrive at the club.
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