Red Stripe Guide to Live Music (Part 4): How to get in on the act - sourcing the right band for your pub
In the penultimate instalment of our 'how to host live music in your pub' guide - in association with Red Stripe - we tackle the not insignificant issue of finding the bands you want to perform in your premises. And we also look at how you go about getting that most integral ingredient of any live music event: an audience!
Finding a band
• You've decided to host live music in your pub
• You've sorted out the space where the musicians will perform
• You've decided whether you can afford an in-house sound system or whether bands 'bring their own'
• You've kept your neighbours in the loop
• You've sorted out the boring - but essential - stuff like getting the appropriate paperwork done.
Now there are only a few jobs left to do. But they are perhaps the most vital. Exactly how do you find the musicians - the bands, the singers - who will perform in your pub? And having found the right ones for your pub, how do you book them? What do you pay them?
And how do you get that crucially important element of any live event - namely an audience? After all, just as your regular customers want to know what's on offer over the bar or in the restaurant of your pub, your potential audience for music events you put on will need to know there are gigs taking place.
It's also important to find the bands that will be a hit with your target audience. If your pub is popular with an older demographic it's not a wise move to book a bunch of young musicians whose forte is loud, thrashy punk rock music. An obvious point, perhaps, but matching audience expectations is part of the retail plot, after all.
There is obviously an element of 'chicken and egg' to much of this. Established music pubs attract bands who want to play in them. But how do you establish the sort of reputation whereby the musicians want to perform in your pub, rather than the other way round?
Most towns in the UK have one or two pubs that are known for their great live music scene, but these venues started just the same way as any other novice business; it takes time, dedication and a lot of effort.
Web presence
In this day and age it helps to have an internet presence, both to source the right kind of band and to let people know a gig is taking place in your pub.
Kirk Barclay, general manager of the Half Moon, a long-established music-oriented pub in Putney, South London, says: "On one level it's quite simple. You have to decide what kind of band you want in your pub. Then you go and find them."
How? "Most bands, even those that are doing it for the fun of it, have their own website presence. Check out sites like My Space or even Facebook," he advises.
It sounds daunting, doesn't it? Dipping into the internet can be like looking for a needle in a haystack. But knowing roughly what you're looking for and with a bit of practice using well-known search engines can give you a feel for the kind of bands who want to play in pubs, says Kirk. "Lots of bands have made their break in pubs and so it's a route that musicians understand," he adds.
Assuming you've found a band you like, checking them out on such sites as My Space or Facebook is a useful way of sussing out the goods before you 'buy', says Stuart McNaught of the Purple Turtle in Reading, Berkshire.
"We talk to bands and vet them ourselves, either by using traditional demos, or by checking them out on My Space. Bands often put up film footage of themselves performing, so it can give you a good idea of what to expect."
The do-it-yourself approach can be hard going though, Stuart admits. "When we hosted a heat of the Red Stripe Music Awards earlier this year we checked out 120 bands and whittled it down to seven. It can be a time consuming job, but if you want the right sort of bands in your pub and for your events to be successful it is well worth the effort."
Having identified the musicians you want, bookings can be done directly with them, though make sure you've sorted the terms from the beginning.
"Do a fair deal with bands. Sort out the terms from the start, whether an entry fee is being charged or if you're taking a nominal deposit from them to cover staffing costs," says the Half Moon's Kirk.
Using a promoter
Alternatively, booking bands can be done through a promoter. It's not difficult to find one, Kirk adds. "They can be found through the web or local press. Or you can advertise for one to do the work for you."
True, it's another cost, but find and then empower a promoter with finding the kind of bands you want and they'll do the sifting and the booking, Kirk says.
And while it's another chicken and egg scenario, identifying promoters and getting them along to gigs in your pub shows them you mean business and raises your profile.
Making friends with other music-focused venues is another way of familiarising yourself with the variables present in your local music scene, says the Purple Turtle's Stuart.
He explains: "People are generally running different sorts of nights from the competition, and if you build up a good relationship with them you won't clash over particular nights and they will happily talk about which band is doing what and what they're like."
When it comes to advertising your gigs the usual rules about looking for customers apply, only with a bit more focus, given the sort of audience you're trying to attract.
"It's the obvious things like putting posters up around the pub and listing a series of events where people can see it so they get a sense that you are serious about live music," says the Half Moon's Kirk.
Getting flyers into local businesses can help too, although advertising in the local press "is not always worth it", he adds. But often it's up to the band to bring along the audience. "They'll work hard to make sure there are people to see them play," he says.
As well as using the internet to find bands, using the web to raise awareness of your music events can be very useful, Stuart believes.
"Younger music lovers are especially savvy when it comes to using the web. You can create 'groups' on social networks like Facebook for your gigs. We've done this and have got hundreds of 'club members' who regularly check out what we're doing in this way."
So there you have it. Hosting live music in your pub marks you out from the competition and if you get it right, the rewards - in terms of reputation and money across the bar - can be well worth the effort.
