I just stumbled upon a great blog that my trombone-playing friend from undergrad just posted. I think most of us (at least musician folk) understand the usual deal when it comes to bands playing in clubs. The band gets either a flat rate or a percentage of the door from the night. There's almost always an added catch: the band has to bring a certain number of people in to the club for the night. The author of the article, Dave Goldberg, brings up some great points.
First, he points out that the great bands are gigging pretty much every night, so it would be impossible for a band to get their friends and family out to the club every night. In fact, he says that often it's the newer bands that don't play many gigs that can get their whole entourage to show up.
Second, he says that even if many people do show up, they're following the band, not the venue. The smart business owner should fill his/her venue up with great acts night after night and build a venue following. This way, people will keep coming back to the venue and trust that whenever they are there, a great band will be playing.
Lastly, he brings up a good point about the big double standard that musicians have to face. Does the bartender need to bring his or her friends to the bar? Does the chef need to have a certain number of people eat his or her meals? Yet bands have to play for meager pay ($25 a night!?) so that they can get "exposure."
Please read Dave Goldberg's blog post "Why LA Club Owners are Totally Lost and Some Advice for them from a Professional Musician."
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