Build your own fan base

Amazing things happen when you have the right friends.  Not only can friends can bring you up when you're down but they can really motivate you to pursue your dreams and encourage you to go further than you ever thought you could.  I was thinking this week that bars and bands also benefit from having loyal friends and customers.  Facebook and other social media sites have proven that if you take a handful of people and entrust them with the power to easily spread good words to their friends, a simply seed can grow into a tree within days instead of years.

Do you have a business that needs help growing?  Have you built an infrastructure that supports a loyal fan base?  In other words... Are you making friends?  I'm not talking about sharing all your personal secrets with people you never met before.  I'm talking about finding out what people like to see and hear so that they will come back to you over and over again.  If you don't do anything that people really like, how are you going to build up a fan base that will make you successful?

If you are in a band and you play songs that you like but nobody gets up to dance and all you get is polite applause, should you keep playing those songs?  I find that many businesses operate like a band that plays songs that they like even though nobody is getting off their butt and onto the dance floor.  You know those businesses that keep running but are usually half empty on a night when similar businesses are booming.  When you do things that make people want to put down their drink and cheer for you as loud as possible, you know you are doing something right.

Some people are in a hurry to get as many fans (ie: customers) as quickly as possible.  They may print flyers, place ads, make the glossiest business cards, but did they take time to find out what people liked and disliked?  Steve Jobs felt that people didn't know what they liked because they had never seen his products before he invented them. That's not really true.  You see, people did like the original Apple computer that he and his friend Steve Wozniak built in their garage.  He just built upon his successes to come up with the Apple Macintosh followed by the Ipods, Iphones and Ipads.  Are you building upon your successes?

Everyone says that you should do something you enjoy to be happy.  I say, make people happy and before you know it, you will enjoy!

Have a great weekend!

Rob aka Weekend Concierge

Tip Rounding

I asked my friend if he believes in tip rounding and he said "Yeah, I do it all the time!".  I said, "I'm not talking about rounding the tip off to the nearest dollar by choice - I am talking about the server doing it for you when they only give you dollars back and assume that they should keep the coins portion of the change!"  My friend was appalled and so was I when this happened to me recently at a local restaurant.

Should restaurants assume that consumers don't want the coins portion of their change when they are paying using green backs instead of plastic or should that choice continue to be left up to us, the consumers?  The manager of this particular restaurant explained to me that when the busboy cleans the tables and picks up the folder with the tip inside, very often, the change spills out all over the floor.    He continued to explain that most people these days are not carrying big wallets to hold change so they really don't want it back.  His policy is to round up the change given to customers if the change is more than 50 cents and round down if it's less than 50 cents.  In my opinion, if the server short-changes me, I blame it on the waiter, not the restaurant, and that does not sit well with me - when it's management's policy.  In fact, during my research, I learned that this may even be illegal in some cities throughout the United States.

Surveying my friends, nobody seemed to mind the "round up" part of the restaurant's policy, however, being short-changed purposely lends suspicion to either the server or the restaurant and can leave a "bad taste" behind after what should have been a good meal.

This topic lends itself to other discussions such as "Should we be forced to leave a certain percentage as a tip even if the service sucked?"  Another comment on the topic of tip rounding was "Why not include the service charge, otherwise known as The Tip, in the cost of the meal, as they do in Europe?"  One friend commented that when he used to be a waiter years ago, he would always carry extra change with him so that he could quickly deal with any customer's request to break a large bill to leave him a tip - it's all part of the good service that people expect!

While some people did mind being short-changed to the nearest dollar, would they care so much if it was just to the nearest quarter?  If this restaurant does not want to chance pissing people off in an area where there are so many other places to eat, I would recommend only rounding up and asking the serve staff to carry a buck's worth of change with them in case anyone complains.

And that's MY TWO CENTS for today!

Sincerely,

The Weekend Concierge

www.weekendbroward.com

My Two Cents

During a recent conversation on Facebook regarding restaurants and bars that pay lots of money to hire bands, yet spend very little money to let people know about them, we had the honor of local talent agent, Judy Blem, chiming in to the conversation and sharing her two cents with us!

Judy – What's even worse are the places that DON'T spend "a lot of money" booking bands yet STILL get upset when a band doesn't "bring a following." Funny how in college business courses they teach you how to order food & beverages, deal with payroll, permits, insurance, etc., but they teach you NOTHING about dealing with live entertainment. One of MY biggest pet peeves are the owners/managers who decide to have a band pack up after two hours 'cuz "it's not busy enough" and offer 1/2 the band's agreed pay. WHAT!!?? Pro-rate at 50%? Umm, how about the fact that a gig is NOT 4 hours long if you count the hours it takes to set up and break down your gear, not including the travel time, and not to mention the fact the same band probably turned down a gig somewhere else on the same night that would have paid in full without a problem. My contracts do not allow for this to happen; there is no "pro-rating" allowed. If the band holds up their end of the deal, so should the venue. Bands who book themselves should just refrain from "promising" a crowd when even the most popular bands in town can't always guarantee their friends and fans will show up as this leaves a gray area for negotiation- and usually ends up not favoring the band.

The fact is that the business has changed from the days when we had 12 killer rock places in town and you didn't need to know WHO was playing. You just showed up and the band was great! With live music in every strip mall in every wing place & sports bar in town, this has driven down the prices bands get paid as well as exhausted and spread out the "following" of music lovers. But it IS a two-way street in the "business of cover gigs" - Bands should play SOME part in show promotion, but the venues DEFINITELY need not only advertise but to offer decent prices, good service and create a fun atmosphere that MAKES people want to come to their establishment.

Rob, your website www.weekendbroward.com and relentless promotion truly does help the bands AND the clubs. But I'm with you... the venues need to ADVERTISE more and NEVER rely SOLELY on any band for customers. For over 20 years as an agent, I have watched those kinds of places open and close in six months. I won't even take on a client whose first sentence is "I need bands with a following." Can you say "red flag?" There are some really well run places and there are some places run by folks who mean well but are often clueless. Maybe we can help them learn. Maybe not. But I'm not going to stop trying.  Alright, that's my two cents for the day.

Who is Mark Pirolli?

Last week, I had the honor of speaking with Mark Pirolli, co-owner of Cagney’s Saloon and asked him a few questions which I would like to share with my readers.

WC: Mark, how long have you been the owner of Cagney's?

MP:  3years

WC: What made you buy the place?

MP: ‘thought I would build something for the future as a sideline.

WC: Is it everything you ever hoped and dreamed about?

MP: (Not entirely) I had to quit my job to keep up with the demands of owning a business

WC: What is the most difficult part about running a bar?

MP: You have to work 7 days and 7 nights a week.

WC: What is the most fun you have working at Cagney's?

MP: Seeing what you are doing is making people happy and come together as a community.

WC: So,what do you do when you are not working ?

MP:  Sleep

WC: Any future plans that you would like to share with my readers?

MP:  I will save that as "Yet to be Seen". I work hard to giving people what they want or need, so I am not willing to divulge plans that take a lot of work developing. It would take away from the “WOW” factor.

WC: Lastly, what advice would you give to anyone looking to manage a bar such as yours?

MP: Be prepared to work day and night, 7 days a week. You better have a stash of cash for the hard times because the bills never stop coming in!

WC: Thank you Mark for taking the time to answer my questions with all your honesty and integrity – that’s one more reason why your place is one of the best around!

HISTORY OF CAGNEY’S SALOON

Cagney's Saloon is a neighborhood bar that caters to the local biker community. Like any good local bar, it is also a place where old friends love to gather and share stories. Many people have come and gone since its inception. Located on the corner of Stirling and University, Cagney’s was originally called Wet Goods Bar and Package Store in the late 1980's. The “store” was later sold to the Dukes until namesake Jimmy and Leigh Cagney took it over.

When the economy started to deteriorate, Cagney’s was sold once again. Unfortunately, the new owners fell on hard times and had to close their doors.

In 2009, Mark Pirolli and Nancy Olesen became the proud new owners. They renovated and upgraded the place to make it a safe, clean and comfortable environment for their friends to gather for drinks, celebrate good occasions and enjoy their favorite bands.

Find out more by visiting: www.cagneysaloon.com 

Keep up with the band schedule via: www.weekendbroward.com

2011 - A Year in review from my point of view

I didn't think that the year would be complete without my sharing a few thoughts on what I have learned during the past 12 months - traveling from place to place, listening to local entertainment and speaking with everyone from management down to the common man drinking a draft at the local pub.  I've organized my thoughts into general themes and hopefully some will hit home with you.

Bands - I have great respect for bands.  Not only must each member be talented enough to play their own instrument, but they must also be able to get along with each other.  There are lots of struggles such as late hours and personality conflicts to name just a few. Putting up with each one's weaknesses and subtleties can take a toll on a band. Like marriages these days, not all of them last.  However, some bands have better marriages than others.  I've seen the struggles of trying to get gigs and how money affects which bands get to play certain venues while others need to turn down offers because they hardly cover the cost of gas and drinks.  Playing 4 hours or more to half empty bars also takes a toll on the bands.  In the end, having a few loyal fans present, can give the bands the encouragement they need to give it their best, no matter how many or how few show up to see them.

Bars - A lot of stuff goes on behind the scenes and your local watering hole - no matter how large or small the place looks.  Owners need to manage so many different aspects of their business including but not limited to having enough staff to serve drinks, clean up messes, hire entertainment, promote special events, decide what kind of food to serve and make sure enough beer is on tap!  All the aforementioned tasks need to take into consideration how many patrons are expected to show up.  If less than expected show up, the night can be a total loss.  If too many show up and not enough food, drink, or staff are on hand, the owner/manager must work extra hard to make everyone happy.  This is no easy job!

Photographers - Over the past year, I have run into many professional and amateur photographers who capture the essence of the bands and the fans who come out to see them.  Each photographer has his or her own style and method of distributing the completed product.  Some try to make a few bucks.  Others simply do it for the enjoyment of uploading friends faces to Facebook.  I have found a great need for bands to get all the publicity that they can get.  We cannot depend on local media who pay more attention to big money concerts and events than what's happening right around the corner from where we live.  Sharing the fun moments in pictures is one of the best ways to  publicize an event, a band or a place to visit.  Our impatience to read a lot has been replaced with short, one-line comments attached to photos and exemplifies the expression "A picture is worth a thousand words:.

Facebook -  Over the past year, Facebook has become an alternative to Google when it comes to finding information on both people and places.  Facebook used to make it easy for people to post information and disseminate it to anyone connected to their profile.  As Facebook tries to improve its' usability and functionality, I have found that it can be more un-reliable in getting the right words out to the right people so I would not recommend that anyone rely solely on this medium.  On the other hand, I would not give up on Facebook as part of a total social marketing program because it can only get better as competition for your online time continues to heat up in 2012.

Websites -  I have seen several websites pop up over the past year which promote local events.  Each one has their own strengths and weaknesses (including my own!).  I have checked them out to see what they offer.  I believe that they were all started with good intentions.  Unfortunately, I have not found one that I can turn to on a daily basis to get the most up to date information on local entertainment.  That may be why I keep doing what I do!

I'm looking forward to another year of staying in touch with bands, bars, restaurants, karaoke DJ's and most importantly, you, the fans who decide where to spend your time and money, each and every day.

All the best to you and yours this holiday season!

Rob aka The Weekend Concierge
www.weekendbroward.com

Women Rockers of Broward County - Part III

This week, I present the final interview of a three part series showcasing experienced female band members who have agreed to answer a few questions from yours truly.  This week, we feature Jen Boronico, lead guitarist of "Pandia".

WC: What is your full time job and what do you like to do when you’re not working or playing with the band?

JB: My full time job is the President of Boca Tanning Club, which is a National Franchise with 20 salons in Florida, Texas and New York.

I am also a commentator for Mixed Martial Arts. I am on FightZone, a television show that is broadcasted in 38 million homes on FSN. You can check out my demo reel @ www.jenboronico.com

WC: If you could give up your daytime job and make enough money to survive by playing with your band more often in more places, would you do it?

JB: My financial goals are extremely high… if I was able to earn $200,000+ a year I would do it though.

WC: How do you feel about working the late hours (and early morning) hours?

JB: Working late is tough sometimes because I have a 7 year old daughter who likes to wake up pretty early. Regardless what time I get home I am up by 9am to be with her.  (This weekend we play Ugly Mug till 4:30 am so I get home by 6am)!

It is all worth it though when I look out in the crowd and see the impact I am having on people as they jam to our tunes. Especially when I hear how inspirational I am to the women in the crowd. Almost every show a girl will tell me they are so inspired my be that they are going to start taking guitar lessons, or start lifting weights, or the best is when they find out I am sober for 9 years and say I am inspiring them to try to defeat an alcohol issue...these are the reasons why a little sleepiness throughout the day is well worth it! If I can impact one person it is well worth it :)

 WC: What advice would you give to other women who are interested in joining a band?

JB: Don’t give up and don’t be offended when people give you constructive criticism…have thick skin and remember you cannot please everyone, everytime.

WC: Jen, thank you for helping me put together this little series of interviews and share your thoughts with my blog readers.  Also, thank you for your honesty and being a great friend to all those who surround you everyday.

Find out where Jen Boronico and Pandia are playing next by checking the events calendar at www.WeekendBroward.com

Women Rockers of Broward County - Part II

This week, I present part two of a three part series showcasing experienced female band members who have agreed to answer a few questions from yours truly about what it's like to live the wild life in their shoes.  This week, we feature Maria Doty of the "The Double Standard".

WC: What is your day job and what do you like to do when you’re not working or playing with the band?

MD: I've been working in the managed care healthcare insurance field for about 20 years and am currently the Director of Enrollment for a company in Dade County. My department is responsible for the enrollment of Medicare, Medicaid and Commercial lines of business.
 
When I am not working during the week or playing out, I get to do some of my favorite things which are cooking, I happened to be pretty good at it, visiting with my family and grandkids who live on Florida's West Coast, going on cruises (I've been to more than 20 islands/countries in the Caribbean/South America) and the New Orleans Jazz festival.

WC: If you could give up your daytime job and make enough money to survive by playing with your band more often in more places, would you do it?

MD: Well, my immediate answer would be yes, except that when you say "enough to survive" makes me think twice before I answer. I can't tell you how much enjoyment I truly feel when I am up there singing and really belting one out. When you know you are reaching anyone that is listening because you "feel" what you are singing. Not to mention when someone comes up to you and says, "Wow, you gave me goose bumps!", or "Man, you can tell you were singing from your heart". That is when you know you did your job. That is really rewarding.

However, I do like my job and I worked very hard to get where I am and honestly enjoy the "perks" that it not only provides me but those that I love. That being said, if I somehow had the opportunity to do the music and make at least enough to survive and bit extra than yes, Let's Rock and Roll!

WC: What advice would you give to other women who are interested in joining a band?

MD: If you are single, there's not too much to think about. You will meet plenty of people of all types. I'd say make sure you like the people you are playing with. You will spend a lot of time with them. Make sure it's fun. For me it has to be fun. I know some of us do it to earn a living but like anything else you have to enjoy it.
If you are in a relationship it can become difficult, especially if your significant other isn't in the biz. Let's face it you have to "schmooze" and mingle and some men can't handle that attention on their significant other. For the record, it works the other way around too if you are a male in a band that is in a relationship. The jealousy monster isn't gender specific..lol!

In my band, my husband is my drummer and I am lucky in that we do not have any issues in this area. This arrangement works for us.  It can be tough for a woman in this business.  As I said I am lucky to have my husband Chuck as my drummer, a funny, nutty bass player Billy Bier who is like the obnoxious brother you love and my guitar player Joe Gatermann who has been my longtime musical partner in crime for more than 10 years.


WC: How do feel about the late hours?

Well that's pretty much the way it is. For me it has to be weekends. It's nice to have some days but the party is usually on at night. Fridays are especially difficult for me. I wake up for work at 5-5:30am and get home about 7pm, then "change hats" into rock and roll mode, get ready, go to set up which thankfully my drummer/husband Chuck takes care of with help from our Roadie in-training Alex, and of course Billy and Joe. Then it's do the sets, we do 3 one hour(+) sets, and have some fun. By the end of the night after breaking down and winding down, I get home around 4am. That makes it a 23 hour day so needless to say I am toast. Although at times it is hard to get going, once you are there the adrenaline kicks in and if you honestly, truly love it, you'll feel it was worth it. I do!

WC: Thank you Maria for sharing with us all today.  Keep on Rockin!

Find all the upcoming performances of Maria Doty and The Double Standard at www.WeekendBroward.com