Originally Posted By: Notes Norton
Yes, the live music industry is in a definite slump, and the open mic clubs are taking away some of the business we have left.

I went into the yacht club, country club, retirement community, private party end of the business and although it has also been hit, it hasn't been hit as hard as the restaurant/night club end of our biz.

Exception: We do play one "club" once a week and We're in our 7th year. It pays OK, but not great, but it's steady and it gives us a place for prospective party people to come hear us.

The problem is, live music isn't as important to the younger generation as it was when I was young.

Add to that TV now takes a big share of our market.

TV?

When I was younger, TV had a few channels, grainy picture, and very tinny, low bandwidth, midrange sound. If you wanted to see a band, you had go go out.

Now we have hundreds of channels, Giand sized Ultra HD screens, 7.1 surround sound, and a cable or satellite bill that can easily top $300/month - there goes the entertainment budget right there.

IMHO the band should hold the audience, not be the draw. Any following the band has should be seen as an extra to the club owner. But of course, many club owners don't agree.

But in my end of the business, there is a party, or it's a private club. People are coming because either they've been invited or it's their club. Our job is the same, entertain them while they are there. Give them a good time so that they want to come back.

Insights and incites by Notes


Two thoughts to add to Notes remark. When I was young, Network TV also featured several all-music programming shows. Hootnanny, Hullabaloo (I think), Soul Train, Midnight Special, Austin City Limits and Lawrence Welk. Variety shows such as Sonny and Cher, Glen Campbell, Barbara Mandrell, Johnny Cash, Smothers Brothers, and many more including Ed Sullivan. Saturday TV featured Country Music shows such as Buck Owens, Porter Wagoner, The Wilburn Brothers, Pop Goes the Country.

The local TV stationed also had a 30 minute local band TV show on Saturdays. Weekly live radio programming is still popular in certain markets for example, Latin communities and for church groups. Little money but an opportunity to pick up a sponsor for help with your live gigs and build exposure and a fan base. Should work to some extent for any genre of music.

Second, although best accessed through a booking agent or personal management, Festivals and Corporate events have big budgets for live entertainment. A more unique but also a lucrative market is through government and foundation grant programs. Lot's of hoops to jump through and you have to develop creative themes, but a lot of grant money goes unclaimed every year. There is grant money available for nearly any idea you can conceive if you also have the ability to sell it. That's where the hoops part comes in. I just checked on line for SC government and there are two available grants posted that total $8,000 and the only exception listed, proceeds can not be used for brick and mortar projects. So, you can't build your studio, but you can buy a tour bus..... get paid to record your BIAB album.... hire a 'real producer'.... Book 10 non-paying gigs at universities, local collage, Art theater, etc and still get paid by a grant.

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