When it comes to bands, the most successful ones have three elements to their advantage - they sound good, they put on a great performance and they have a fan base that is big enough so that they don't spread themselves too thin when they play often and keep trying to get the same friends to see them play at every gig. Although I have never been in the bar business, I can tell you that as a paying customer, I prefer the ones that have a stage large enough to accomodate at least a 5 piece band comfortably, have reasonable food and drink prices and never demand a cover charge.
I recently put together a Top 10 list called The Best Bars for Bands in Broward and noticed that all the venues on the list, more or less, had the aformentioned attributes. The other criteria for making the list was a consistant effort on the part of the venues to hire quality cover bands each and every weekend. I have always believed in consistancy. If you want people to come to your venue every weekend, you must make an effort to hire the right bands and let people know about it too! Some places pay big bucks for a popular cover band and automically expect to fill their restaurants and bars with fans. If the bar happens to be located on a busy street such as by the beach where passers by can hear the music and stop in to see the band - that's great. On the other hand, if your place is located down a hidden avenue, you will have to work a little harder to get the word out. Most bands I know do not have a marketing budget so creativity goes a long way.
Bars and bands have a symbiotic relationship when it comes to publicity. Many bands rely on friends and family, mostly on Facebook. Unfortunately, that usually includes college friends and family that are out of town who feel bad about not being able to come to Florida. You will often see their well-meaning comments such as "Sorry, I can't make it - wish I could be down there but we're out of town". Then there are the bars who rely so heavily on the fan base of the bands that they don't realize that fans get burned out if the band plays every weekend in the same geographic area.
Another important element for restaurants and bars who strive to make the "Top 10 List" is to ensure bands have a decent stage where they can be both heard and seen - after all, the band's show is just as important as their sound.
Now that I have covered what I feel to be the most important elements for successful bands and local venues who host them, why don't you ask yourself what are the right elements for you to make the most of your one and only life? Does it include listening to great live music? Does it include spending more time with friends? If so, maybe you can help our local bands and bars fulfill their mission by inviting your friends to meet you at a local watering hole and enjoy some great live entertainment!
Best wishes for a great weekend!
Rob aka Weekend Concierge
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