This question comes up a lot for us. We realize that people are becoming more and more reluctant to pay a cover or buy a ticket to hear live music because they are often disappointed and feel they wasted their hard-earned money. This is a very valid concern.

Even worse, there are open mics and bands playing only for tips in venues everywhere. Yes, they’ve got to start somewhere, but it would be great to see more creative concern from the venue owners as to what they are asking their patrons to endure. Carelessness in this area has led to many people being completely turned off at the thought of “live music,” and rightfully so! Can I get an Amen?

There are several contributing factors to this travesty, in our opinion. Let’s explore one.

Music venues, especially these days, are in a tough position. In order to stay in business and keep the lights on, they endure ongoing pressure to come up with new ways to get people in the door. If you look around, most bars/nightclubs have some kind of event or theme nearly every night of the week–trivia, karaoke, tribute bands, etc.

When we were coming up in the ranks and regularly performing in nightclubs/bars on Friday and Saturday nights, we were instructed by the managers and owners to “keep ‘em dancing, keep ‘em thirsty, ‘cause that keeps ‘em drinkin’.” Although we had personal conflicts with this mentality (resulting in our ultimate decision to no longer play nightclubs), we completely understand and can appreciate their point of view. If people are coming in the door and nursing a drink all night or drinking Coke, then the venue isn’t making money. The profit margin on alcohol sales can be considerable and it is necessary in order for most venues to stay afloat.

Understandably, venue owners can be tempted to make monetarily driven decisions rather then decisions based on the quality of the music. If there is a local singer/songwriter or college band just getting their musical “sea legs,” but they have tons of friends that will come and cheer them on, then that is a pretty powerful motivator for a venue.

However, if the venue has a policy for making more careful decisions about the artists and bands they book, they still have the monetary dilemma and challenge of making the numbers work. They know that even if they pack the venue, higher quality bands come with a higher performance fee, thus the cover or ticket, to help offset that difference.

The problem surfaces when venues charge a cover or ticket price, but exhibit little regard for the quality of the music. Whether ignorance or greed is behind this, it can be identified somewhat easily. Don’t be fooled by a lot of hype or smoke-and-mirrors. Look for proven track records from either the venue or the artist. If there is a venue in town that has been around a while, consistently charging a cover or ticket price and strategically publicizing artists or bands that they book, the chances are pretty good your money won’t go to waste. However, you should still do some checking. Go to the artist’s website, listen to samples of the music, see if they are touring or have several media write-ups or reviews from objective critics. If so, they likely take what they do seriously, making this more of a career then a hobby. This would be a good sign.

Use wisdom when it comes to throwing your money down on entertainment. There’s a lot of great music out there. Don’t be afraid to venture out; just do your homework first. But, don’t get pressured into paying a $10 cover at the door of a place you don’t know anything about on a band you know nothing about. A cover at the door does not necessarily mean that the “band must be good.” Don’t be a sucker!