Power to the punters…
May 28th, 2008
Disappointingly the Edenheight gig last weekend at The Hare & Hounds did not go so well, the band were tight and sounded like a funk filled Roots Manuva, with heavy horns and phat bass. It was a shame that there were not many folks there to enjoy them. Promoting is a funny old game, and when things don’t go well you wonder why you bother. It can be like waiting for people to show up to your birthday party and the sinking feeling that you get when it goes past 11.30pm and there are only three people there.
Promoting bands has got to be the hardest thing though, as it is always more expensive to programme bands than DJs because there are so many of them, especially funk & soul bands that are heavy on percussion and brass. I reckon that most funk bands have between 8 to 10 people in them, a promoter might manage to scrape together 500 bills to pay them, now I am no Carol Vorderman but even I know that 50 notes is sweet F*%k all, for somebody who has been playing their instrument for X amount of years and who has reached a capability better than most. So what is the answer? ou can get subsidy to Put bands on, but the hoops that you have to jump through are time consuming and tedious
You can get a venue owner to financially back the band, so that if you don’t make any money at least folks who gots to get paid, get paid. However this can backfire, if the venue owner ends up having to pay out and he/she is pissed at the promoter, and the promoter’s reputation and relationship with the venue owner is then somewhat sulliedOr you can have a relationship with the band where if you don’t make any money nobody gets paid or if you make money then you split it – but this is pants coz everybody should get paid
The power lies with the punter. The live music industry is buggered without the good, honest punter. Where are you? Where were you?One thing that the Edenheight trauma has taught me is to support live bands. If I like it or I think I might like it, I am going to it! And for all the musicians out there, keeping plugging, mama feel good! Salutes you! And for all the promoters out there, keep taking the risks and promoting the music that folks should get the opportunity to hear, I will see you down the front.
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