I have an idea. Why don't you do a support slot for a DF Concerts gig, say somewhere really classy like King Tut's, the o2 ABC or The Arches? You too can harass your friends into paying at least £8 to see you go on stage at 7.10pm in an almost-empty venue after a four minute soundcheck. Lucky you.
In all seriousness, I've been against Pay to Play gigs for years. I've agreed to play a few in recent times because however much you want to stand by your principles, band decisions are somewhat democratic. So when the majority of the rest of your band want to play a gig you can either do it, or quit, and the latter wasn't an option for me. Whilst I agree that it's nice to support bands that you wouldn't otherwise get the opportunity to, I just can't rationalise the need for each of the support bands to sell upwards of 30 tickets each. As a rule I will not charge those who buy tickets from me more than necessary. So, the face value of the tickets for our most recent gig was £12, but the first £8 goes elsewhere and we could have kept the £4 surplus and put it into our band fund - we have an EP to record at the end of next month and it isn't going to pay for itself - but none of us want to charge our friends excessive amounts to come and see us play. That, though, is the crux - how do you convince your family and friends to spend £8 coming to see you play when they could easily see you elsewhere for free, or for less than a fiver, usually on a fairly decent line-up in a venue that doesn't serve piss-water beer in plastic cups? Chances are few of them will be fans of the headlining band - though if they are, you're lucky, and you're helping them out by getting them cheaper tickets - and you'll have to strongarm them into showing up.
Now I've made my decision. I will oppose all suggestions to play support slots of this manner, because even though I get really excited about the headlining bands and the idea of playing in a cool venue, I can't deal with the stress, or the guilt, of trying to sell those tickets. It's just not worth it. If you're a decent band (and that itself is mostly objective) then you'll eventually get good support slots, or headline slots, without selling your soul, or begging your friends. If not, a 'helping hand' from the likes of DF concerts won't do much for you. Particularly if the sound ends up being so bad that even those who did come out to support you and paid their money, wonder if it was worth bothering. They probably won't bother next time.
In all seriousness, I've been against Pay to Play gigs for years. I've agreed to play a few in recent times because however much you want to stand by your principles, band decisions are somewhat democratic. So when the majority of the rest of your band want to play a gig you can either do it, or quit, and the latter wasn't an option for me. Whilst I agree that it's nice to support bands that you wouldn't otherwise get the opportunity to, I just can't rationalise the need for each of the support bands to sell upwards of 30 tickets each. As a rule I will not charge those who buy tickets from me more than necessary. So, the face value of the tickets for our most recent gig was £12, but the first £8 goes elsewhere and we could have kept the £4 surplus and put it into our band fund - we have an EP to record at the end of next month and it isn't going to pay for itself - but none of us want to charge our friends excessive amounts to come and see us play. That, though, is the crux - how do you convince your family and friends to spend £8 coming to see you play when they could easily see you elsewhere for free, or for less than a fiver, usually on a fairly decent line-up in a venue that doesn't serve piss-water beer in plastic cups? Chances are few of them will be fans of the headlining band - though if they are, you're lucky, and you're helping them out by getting them cheaper tickets - and you'll have to strongarm them into showing up.
Now I've made my decision. I will oppose all suggestions to play support slots of this manner, because even though I get really excited about the headlining bands and the idea of playing in a cool venue, I can't deal with the stress, or the guilt, of trying to sell those tickets. It's just not worth it. If you're a decent band (and that itself is mostly objective) then you'll eventually get good support slots, or headline slots, without selling your soul, or begging your friends. If not, a 'helping hand' from the likes of DF concerts won't do much for you. Particularly if the sound ends up being so bad that even those who did come out to support you and paid their money, wonder if it was worth bothering. They probably won't bother next time.
:(
ReplyDeleteSorry I couldn't be bullied into coming on Saturday...
ReplyDeleteCouldn't agree more. It's good to know it's just me. Getting someone else's opinion on stuff like this is always interesting, even though we're saying pretty much the same thing.
ReplyDelete(Funnily enough, I was moaning about pay-to-play "promoters" earlier...)