Now, the clubs don't just come out and charge every band for a slot on their stage. There has to be somewhat of an incentive for the bands to even participate in this scam or they would quickly find their clubs empty six nights a week with the exception of the occasional touring act with a decent fan base. What happens is the band is given a pre-determined amount of tickets to sell to their friends/fans. It can be anywhere from 50 to 200 tickets given to one band. The incentive for the band is they can charge any amount for the tickets as long as the venue gets their share (which is usually $10), but who actually charges their friends $15 for a $10? The venues use this to sucker every band pointing out the "great potential to make money" It's possible, i will admit, but the cons out-way this ONE AND ONLY pro.
Here's how the band gets fucked: Each band is responsible for every ticket given to them. Sold or unsold, they must pay for the ticket and this is where the term "pay to play" is coined. If you where given 100 tickets at $10 a pop, the band owes the venue $1,000. Doesn't matter if you lost the ticket either which happens a lot when band members split up the tickets amongst themselves to cover more ground. I've spent many times running to the ATM last minute cause someone lost a ticket or two. I've seen bands actually pay the venue out-of-pocket for every ticket and give them away which is the biggest waste of money. And now you can see how a venue can make $5000 on a Tues. night guaranteed.
So what happens if a band can't pay up before the show? There are a couple forms of punishment: Worst of all, the band can be kicked off the show and they spend the entire evening standing outside the venue refunding every ticket. Venues rarely do this cause some money is better than no money. What normally happens is the band's set time gets shortened or their set time is moved. If they told all their friends to be there at 9:45 cause they perform at 10:00, you can imagine the headache if they get moved to perform at 8:00. On top can be denied the chance to ever be invited back and now there's one less place for them to play in their hometown.
Here's another con that is widely overlooked by bands when they do this: The whole purpose of playing gigs is to be seen, gain fans and build a following. When you have 5 bands on a bill, their friends are going just to see that one particular band. They show up 15 mins before they play and walk out the door as soon as they're done to congratulate them on a job well done. No ones interested in staying any longer than they have to. No matter how often or which venue a band plays, they are only being seen by the same group of people over and over. I've asked myself so many times, "We've played so many shows and still our following consists of our friends and family. Playing LA is worse for me cause my friends don't want to deal with the hour and a half traffic from Orange County just to watch my band for the eleventeenth time. They can just wait for the next show in Orange County.
I've realized after years of this bullshit, a band just starting out is better off booking themselves at a coffee shop, youth center or even their own garage. Here they can play for free, offer free admission and instead of spending weeks trying to get rid of tickets, print flyers and actually promote the show. The venues have found a way to make a quick guaranteed buck. Can we honestly blame them? As long as there are bands willing to give money away to the venues there is no reason for the venues to stop. So, if you're in a band or thinking of starting one up, do something more productive with your time. Rebuild your local music scene no matter how underground. I mean, isn't that one of the things that made you love music in the first place? I remember at 15, watching Reel Big Fish play a free show at my library in a room far off in the corner. 50 kids in a cramped room with a cheap P.A. just having a blast and singing our hearts out. It doesn't get any better than that.
