1.) Your band "ONLY" makes the door
2.) Your band HAS to sell tickets for the show, and for the most part, takes a huge percent.
So let's say your tickets are $10.00 each. I played a show where we only got $1 out of every $10. So for all the hard work you put in to rehearsing and performing for several goes straight to the club. The problem is that with the current economy of the nation, most club owners, understandably, aren't willing to take a chance on your band or spend the money to advertise you. Another side to this is that most clubs WANT you to have a large following before they would even consider having you play a single show even for free in most cases. Another problem is that most all clubs want 2 specific types of bands, cover bands (usually getting $350 if the club does pay a guarantee for 4 hours of music) or niche based tribute bands playing one artists work and even dressing the group like them. Original bands are not as desired becuase they are relatively unknown or don't have the following needed for a club to have a good night.
Here in lies the first closed loop... Performing at clubs, bars, festivals, etc is still one of THE best ways of getting a following. The problem is you can't get a following without a gig you can't get a gig without a following and becuase most clubs won't advertise any profits go to that or you might be performing mainly for your friends, family and girlfriends. And this inevitably hurts both clubs and bands becuase if a club owner only books bands that are willing to play for free they are usually gonna get what they pay for, and sadly that is usually a horrible garage band. Still when you are in your "paying your dues" period it can be worth the free show here and there. I look at them as HUGE elaborate rehearsals for my guys and I try to book us constantly to keep our gig chops up and to keep the comradely and morale of the group up.
One helpful resource I have recently discovered for indie artists is the Indie Venue Bible (Same company that makes the Indie Bible) inside it contains thousands of listings across the country. It is based by region to make it cheaper as each region is around $24.95 but you get a full year to update.
They way I get it's is look in Craigslist, the Indie Venue Bible, search engines and call locals. Being polite and persistent without being a pest goes a long way and whether or not you sell out the place. Know my number one rule for gigging solo or with a band. Whether you have 20 people or 20,000, treat that small crowd like 20,000. It's tough but the better the show you put on the better your chances are coming back even if you have a rough night. I have had a wonderful experience dealing with club owners because my approach is first to being an entertainer and showman. You sometimes have to be firm with them but being professional goes a long way. And that goes without saying of course.
In the next blog I will be discussing the radio side to the indie musician. If you have any further questions on this topic please feel free to email me on me on my website: www.joevitalejr.com or like me on Facebook www.facebook.com/joevitalejrofficial.
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