GigMaven

I’ve talked with so many music venues that are always disturbed by the fact that bands don’t promote their gigs at their venues. Instead, bands end up promoting a gig at a different venue down the street. So, why is this happening?

I’m not going to go through all of the crazy possibilities, but I will write on a few basic ones. Oh, and don’t get all worked up, these aren’t ‘the rules’. Think of them more like a “If this applies to you, then…”.

To start off, bands aren’t promoting their gigs at your venue because not all bands know how to promote. Rather than getting your knickers in a bunch, why not guide the bands in the right direction? For example, you may not have any flyers in your bar because you haven’t asked for them. Ask the bands to email some flyers to you. It’s easy for them and it doesn’t take much for you to print them off and hang them in your venue.

Bands may not be promoting their gigs at your venue because you are not promoting the bands. If you aren’t going to make the effort, why should they? In the end, you both are going to lose. Someone needs to take charge, wouldn’t you rather it be you? I mean really, it’s your money.

Bands may not be promoting their gigs at your venue because your sound guy is not aurally attractive. I’m not trying to put anyone out of the job, but you should really consider if your sound guy can walk the walk. If they sound guy is a disappointment, the bands will be a disappointment. It could be anything from the monitors to the mains. If your sound guy’s idea of balance is turning the volume to 11, you may want to get someone else behind the board.

Bands probably aren’t promoting their gigs at your venue because you aren’t spending enough time making sure the bands and the venue are on the same page. Just because you do this every night of your life at your venue doesn’t mean the bands are. Bands are playing at different venues all the time, but their not performing at your’s every night.

Bands probably aren’t promoting their gigs at your venue because you treat them like crap. Surprised? You probably shouldn’t be if you actually fall into this category. I know that some bands are very unprofessional and others are like dreams in comparison, but that doesn’t mean that you should be unprofessional. Always be professional and respectful even if it’s not returned. Look at it like this, you treat an unprofessional band poorly, their just going to walk out of the venue blaming you for everything that went wrong. You might as well be on Jerry Springer.

There are plenty of reasons why bands aren’t promoting their gigs at your venue, but I’ll leave that for another day. Just remember that you may need to make a stronger, more attentive, more connected, and professional effort. You could solve a lot of your problems just by using GigMaven. You make the decision.

Let me know your thoughts and leave a comment.