G
Guest
Guest
Lots of cool pubs and clubs on the market here.
Missus Motown and I are looking at a certain pub right opposite the historic Mayflower Steps.
I know I can pull a certain crowd if I want = over 30s and why not?
I agree here - if you can pull a crowd in buy somewhere or rent it. Loads of deals coming over here too
Davy
Missus Motown and I are looking at a certain pub right opposite the historic Mayflower Steps.
I know I can pull a certain crowd if I want = over 30s and why not?
I agree here - if you can pull a crowd in buy somewhere or rent it. Loads of deals coming over here too
Davy
Have the owners pay some hot chicks $50.00 bucks to dance on top of tables when your peak hour occurs to create some excitement with the guy's. If that don't work then have JTV come over the bar and do a strip tease! LOL......
Hey Steve congrats on the gig hope it goes well for you. I myself tried to do something similar with a bar but the owner though that he will fill up the joint the first few weeks without spending money on any sort of advertising.
Hey Steve congrats on the gig hope it goes well for you. I myself tried to do something similar with a bar but the owner though that he will fill up the joint the first few weeks without spending money on any sort of advertising.
Entertainment? You want me to pay you money to ENTERTAIN the customers I already have, and would have without you? That benefits my business how? It may make my current customers even happier, but gains me not one thin dime.
"If the bar hires Entertainment, DJ or Band, and that entertainment sucks, then they fire them and hire another. Whats so hard about that to understand?"
Please define what makes them suck? They don't bring in more business, or are so bad they actually lose the current business?
" Again, remember, whose customer will it be?"
Well now, that's an interesting question. In my case, they are the venue's customers of course- for as long as I'm there..
After that if I move to another venue, these same people ( many of which I brought in the first place) seem to have a way- if I'm lucky- of coming to my next venue- and generating more income for THAT one.
I hate the term, but I'm sure you've heard it- "a following"? there must be a reason why venue owners ask if you have one...
"If the Club wants to be more successful they hire a PR Firm. Many Clubs that I know and deal with do just that."
If they do, they do. If not, they don't. Not part of our jurisdiction.
"If the DJ is to take on the task of bringing in patrons then the DJ should be paid more than a DJ Fee."
They do. DJs who bring in a lot of new customers get paid a lot more then those who don't or can't.
"If I take a risk, I take a percentage of the take, otherwise pay me my fee."
Well, I know some DJs work for a base plus a percentage. .....
ME: "Not only that, they are PAYING you to get free exposure and meet & make contacts." H: "Ohhh Please! Quit the brainwashing"
Actually, I've been recommending Restaurant/bar shows at least once a week for DJs/KJs for a LONG time. If you work an UPSCALE restaurant, you meet and greet many new prospective clients. If you're good at what you do, not only does word get around, but prospects have already seen what you can do, which cuts one step out of the booking process. FREE exposure. FREE leads. FREE advertising. What would all that be worth if you had to pay for it? Check your marketing budget. Well, not only do you get all of this for free, they PAY you to do it.
I do around 35-50 private events per year, as well as all the public venue work. most of those come from the public exposure.
Steve, here in Jersey, what works extremely well... besides facebook event flyers and invites... is actual hand distribution of flyers... Local graphic design companies charge about 100 or 200 for a few thousand flyers. The club/lounge usually pays for this, and they also hire a person or two to go out and phyiscally distribute flyers at malls, coffee shops, womans clothing stores, shopping outlets, TANNING SALONS (with all of their permission of course)... wherever the crowd you want is found in otherwords...and the club or dj pays them $75 to do this.
Now some dj's here bring their own promoting team and that seems very attractive to club owners. They have the dj and 3 or 4 promoters who take care of these things, and they each usually get paid as a group and it gets split. This works extremely well, because you create a better connection with your crowd by actually going out and talking to them. I am an opening dj from time to time for a friend of mine, who has a team of 3 people, and in a matter of two months they went from having an average of 250 people at the club to 400 ppl.
Now some dj's here bring their own promoting team and that seems very attractive to club owners. They have the dj and 3 or 4 promoters who take care of these things, and they each usually get paid as a group and it gets split. This works extremely well, because you create a better connection with your crowd by actually going out and talking to them. I am an opening dj from time to time for a friend of mine, who has a team of 3 people, and in a matter of two months they went from having an average of 250 people at the club to 400 ppl.
Just wanted to make up for a miss, and wish Capt, another NJ guy, Welcome aboard! Look out, Rick!
Back to....whatever we were doing...
Back to....whatever we were doing...
Do your thing man!:triwink: Lets see how long a Club full of people would stay around if there is no entertainment.
If they are regulars, and you don't bring anyone in, the y will stay whether you are there or not.
I love ya, but I get the impression you're basically a private event guy, and kind of new to working bar venues? If I'm wrong, apologies in advance.
I do over 220 bar shows a year, and I've actually cut back. Have been doing it for decades. Agreeing or disagreeing really won't change a thing. One either makes money for the venue or one has to find work elsewhere.
G
Guest
Guest
Well not much I can add to what Joe has already stated!
1. Entertainment is hired to INCREASE business not to entertain the 10 bar flys that hang there all day every day
2. A good DJ that builds a following WOM spreads and that following increases!
3. Changing up a DJ who has a following for another DJ can kill a venue quickly!
I have talked about the club gig I did both Karaoke and DJed at before, when I KJed on Wednesday nights up front in the restaurant in less than three months we started reaching capacity every wednesday night and were turning away customers, after a year they moved me into the club (200 more in capacity over the restaurant) in three more months we again reached capacity! That is Word of Mouth!
Then a new manager came in and decided she could get a KJ a lot cheaper ($150 cheaper) and told me to take $100 or a hike! I took a hike!
Within one month their Wednesday night Karaoke had dwindled to 20 people (versus 400) so they fired the manager and hired a new one who promply asked me to come back, I told them that the only way I would come back in to the club was strictly as a DJ on Wednesday night or a KJ up front in the restaurant along with a $50 per night raise and they had to advertise that I was back in the club! My first night back I had 400 people and it increased from there! After a year the manager left and a new one came in again I was fired for a cheaper DJ three months later the owner was on the phone asking me to come back! My price went up $100 this time!
Within a month I had Wednesday nights back to cap and it stayed this way for a year out performing both friday and Saturday nights! The owner asked me to take over handling the sound and DJs for the whole week and we had a great two year run! Then he sold the club, new owner and new managment came in and the first thing the new manager did was to change up the Wednesday night format to gangster rap! we did well for a while but as is typical the gangsters and wannabes started coming and the girls started staying away, the crowds started dropping and they decided to put a new DJ in charge of everything and move me back to the restaurant doing Karaoke! This worked out well (for the karaoke and once again we were seeing 300 and 400 people a night) Then as typical the owners and manager got together and decided they would get more money by hiring a $75 KJ! The karaoke was already once again supporting the club, once again I was let go! The owner started calling me within 30 days and was calling as many as 3 to 4 times a day (I wasn't taking his calls) within 6 months the business closed it doors!
Does the entertainment have anything to do with it, well I don't know for sure, but I am willing to take a guess and say YES it does!
Will the venue (because of the venue) attract a crowd anyway yes as long as there is something there that will hold them there and keep them coming back!
1. Entertainment is hired to INCREASE business not to entertain the 10 bar flys that hang there all day every day
2. A good DJ that builds a following WOM spreads and that following increases!
3. Changing up a DJ who has a following for another DJ can kill a venue quickly!
I have talked about the club gig I did both Karaoke and DJed at before, when I KJed on Wednesday nights up front in the restaurant in less than three months we started reaching capacity every wednesday night and were turning away customers, after a year they moved me into the club (200 more in capacity over the restaurant) in three more months we again reached capacity! That is Word of Mouth!
Then a new manager came in and decided she could get a KJ a lot cheaper ($150 cheaper) and told me to take $100 or a hike! I took a hike!
Within one month their Wednesday night Karaoke had dwindled to 20 people (versus 400) so they fired the manager and hired a new one who promply asked me to come back, I told them that the only way I would come back in to the club was strictly as a DJ on Wednesday night or a KJ up front in the restaurant along with a $50 per night raise and they had to advertise that I was back in the club! My first night back I had 400 people and it increased from there! After a year the manager left and a new one came in again I was fired for a cheaper DJ three months later the owner was on the phone asking me to come back! My price went up $100 this time!
Within a month I had Wednesday nights back to cap and it stayed this way for a year out performing both friday and Saturday nights! The owner asked me to take over handling the sound and DJs for the whole week and we had a great two year run! Then he sold the club, new owner and new managment came in and the first thing the new manager did was to change up the Wednesday night format to gangster rap! we did well for a while but as is typical the gangsters and wannabes started coming and the girls started staying away, the crowds started dropping and they decided to put a new DJ in charge of everything and move me back to the restaurant doing Karaoke! This worked out well (for the karaoke and once again we were seeing 300 and 400 people a night) Then as typical the owners and manager got together and decided they would get more money by hiring a $75 KJ! The karaoke was already once again supporting the club, once again I was let go! The owner started calling me within 30 days and was calling as many as 3 to 4 times a day (I wasn't taking his calls) within 6 months the business closed it doors!
Does the entertainment have anything to do with it, well I don't know for sure, but I am willing to take a guess and say YES it does!
Will the venue (because of the venue) attract a crowd anyway yes as long as there is something there that will hold them there and keep them coming back!
I have been a Club DJ many times. Listed below are three of the longest tenures.
My first Professional contract was at a Dance Club in Lynn Mass from 1978 - 1981
From 2000 to 2008 I did two Clubs here in Houston 4 years each. No Club keeps a DJ that long unless they are good at what they are doing. At none of these places was it my responsibility to bring in the patrons. Did I get people in on my own? Yes but was not obligated to do so.
I am not saying that it does not help for the DJ to advertise on his own but certainly not at his expense or with a lot of extra time.
First, once again I apologize for my error :trisad:
However, my point is that there is only an INITIAL expense ( and very little of that if done correctly), which is made back many times over by the higher fee one can charge if one brings in new income.
Anyway, just tryin' to be helpful. If you're happy, I'm happy...
Some Markets are different. That is why Texas is called the Lone Star State. We do things differently down hyar! :triwink:
Me thinks, yer confusing clubs and bars -- two entirely different types of venue.
Clubs (at least in my experience), have a name in, and of themselves. Bars have an address, and not much else. The club has an ambiance, and a high profile name. People go to the "club", because it is the place to be.
Bars, on the other hand, are competing with other bars within walking distance. In our local 3 towns (which are sort of merged now), you can find a couple, maybe a few local bars within walking distance all over the place. The locals to any particular bar, can be swayed to another bar, with the right amount of marketing on the entertainer's part. The bars can't afford to do that on a regular basis.
So, in the club experience, they usually handle all marketing for themselves, and whoever may be gigging there.
In the bar experience, YOU are the driving force in marketing for a particular night, and whether the crowd comes to the bar you are working, or the one where Houston is down the street.
I've always preferred bars over clubs, because there's more money to be made (hint, cough, cough
), and I think it plays out better to how YOU are doing as an act, as opposed to you just happening to be spinning at a popular club on a particular night...
Me thinks, yer confusing clubs and bars -- two entirely different types of venue.
Clubs (at least in my experience), have a name in, and of themselves. Bars have an address, and not much else. The club has an ambiance, and a high profile name. People go to the "club", because it is the place to be.
Bars, on the other hand, are competing with other bars within walking distance. In our local 3 towns (which are sort of merged now), you can find a couple, maybe a few local bars within walking distance all over the place. The locals to any particular bar, can be swayed to another bar, with the right amount of marketing on the entertainer's part. The bars can't afford to do that on a regular basis.
So, in the club experience, they usually handle all marketing for themselves, and whoever may be gigging there.
In the bar experience, YOU are the driving force in marketing for a particular night, and whether the crowd comes to the bar you are working, or the one where Houston is down the street.
I've always preferred bars over clubs, because there's more money to be made (hint, cough, cough
Nope! I ain't confusing a damn thing. Either way, here in Houston a DJ or Band is hired for thier skills and performance which creates a draw. Is a following an asset? Of course it is. Is it a requirement? Not at all.
Well and good. How do people know the band or DJ is playing at that venue when they start? Would the band or DJ have a mailing, e-mailing, or text list per chance?
G
Guest
Guest
Wouldn't it depend on the band, I mean if the Rolling Stones were performing at your club how much advertisement would they expect to have to do?
On the other hand if it was Marvin and the bluenoses, both the band and the venue may have to go the extra mile in advertisement!:triwink:
The Club or Bar will advertise. If they want a huge following to come to the Club without paying for advertising, it is then called a Production and therefore the Club Or Bar pays more money to the Production person who is sometimes the DJ himself. Its paid in the form of a percentage.
What I'm kinda getting out of this is that in Houston, TX, entertainers working a regular weekly bar show are pretty much interchangeable (in terms of value to the venue) as long as they aren't so bad that they scare off the regular customers the venue already has?
Entertainers who bring in more income don't command a higher fee and last longer at a venue?
If you could bring in twice as much income as the other guy, you couldn't ask for a higher fee?
Kind of "Socialist Entertainment"?
Well, I have to agree about one thing- Houston is certainly an extremely unique market.....:triconfused:
The reason I make more than most hosts around me is that I can bring in more income, and work to make that happen.
If I put a $100 ad in Steppin' Out- the local nightlife mag- and I can bring in $75- $100 MORE than others, and keep the show running for years, the ad not only cost me nothing, but made me a bundle.
No biggie. As you said, Houston, TX is a unique market and it's different there. Gotta tell you though: I'm liking NJ a whole lot more...
Entertainers who bring in more income don't command a higher fee and last longer at a venue?
If you could bring in twice as much income as the other guy, you couldn't ask for a higher fee?
Kind of "Socialist Entertainment"?
Well, I have to agree about one thing- Houston is certainly an extremely unique market.....:triconfused:
The reason I make more than most hosts around me is that I can bring in more income, and work to make that happen.
If I put a $100 ad in Steppin' Out- the local nightlife mag- and I can bring in $75- $100 MORE than others, and keep the show running for years, the ad not only cost me nothing, but made me a bundle.
No biggie. As you said, Houston, TX is a unique market and it's different there. Gotta tell you though: I'm liking NJ a whole lot more...
Well first if you know your own worth, references will confirm that, then you ask for more from the start. If you can't prove that you are good, then you don't last as long as a snowball in Hell. They will get rid of you.
There are tons of clubs big and small all over Houston. Some bars are almost like a club depending on whats happening there that night. People like variety but they want good variety otherwise they go elsewhere.
How much is the owner doing to get people in their bar? I say that because you don't own the bar and a lot of times they expect a DJ to work miracles in a place that is dead. Yet they don't want to pay you the money for all the hard work it takes.
My question to you since you said the pay isn't that great. How much are you getting paid right now and what's the average pay for DJ in a bar in your area? Here it's rougly $125.00-$150.00 a night on weekends. I wouldn't just trust the owner when they say when business picks up you'll get paid more. It may or may not happen.
My question to you since you said the pay isn't that great. How much are you getting paid right now and what's the average pay for DJ in a bar in your area? Here it's rougly $125.00-$150.00 a night on weekends. I wouldn't just trust the owner when they say when business picks up you'll get paid more. It may or may not happen.