I visited a handful of live music venues tonight. Two of them had their booking agents on hand and both seemed eager to chat (I think their jobs are boring between 7-9pm, before the acts go on).
10) Leigh, DC, Twins Jazz - Female, Black, Late 50s
Twins Jazz is a fairly established Jazz venue on U St. It is small, but can pull some locally known names on weekends. During the week, though, they get a wide variety of acts. These all come through their website or emails - bands reach out directly asking to play, they reply asking for clips and bios, a back and forth ensues. They often get bands that do not fit their interests (non-Jazz). Sometimes this is okay if it is close (Blues, light r&b), but most times it is not and sometimes results in bands performing who do not fit the bar. They occasionally get house bands, but it is hard to keep them as they can't draw a steady crowd. Bands are compensated well - 70% of cover. A lot of acts are found via word of mouth and personal connections, but she noted that she doesn't really care about the relationship aspect of finding acts.
Leigh freaked out when she heard our idea. She wants it and wants to use it. She said it would make her job much easier and give her time for other things.
Key Takeaway: Venues are assaulted with acts. Their challenge isn't necessarily choosing the good from the bad, but choosing the act that best matches their venue.
11) Mack, DC, Brixton - Male, White, Late 20s
Brixton is a large, 3 story bar on U St. They have bands on weekdays and DJs on weekends. Mack gave me a LOT of good info. His ideal situation would be to have a regular band for every day of the week, but this isn't possible because bands can't bring consistent crowds each week for a single venue. He said that bands often reach out, but they are fortunate in that a part owner of the bar is a member of Thievery Corporation (mid-name band) and he passes artists along. Sometimes they reach out to bands they like, too. Lots of bands reach out b/c Brixton is a big name and they like the exposure and compensation it offers. They have no formalized expectations of crowd size, etc. DJs are easy to get, but unreliable - 1 in 4 flake out or are terrible. Bands are harder to acquire, as they want a group that fits their needs. Bands never flake, though. Crappy acts come through all the time and he feels like there isn't anything he can do about it.
Important quote: "We are a bar, not a music venue. We get people to play here to make the experience better for our customers; we don't get people to play here to get customers."
Big challenges: Lack of vetting, lack of skill in performers
Upon hearing about our idea, he thought it would be very helpful, especially the rating system. However, he said that most venues have reservations regarding ratings as they know how Yelp! can destroy a bar's reputation. He said a free site is great, but they would totally pay $20 a month for access. The easier the better - he wants an accessible site that gives a detailed list w/ very specific genres. He said many bands exaggerate their genres and that this needs to be deciphered. Ideally - 2 steps to narrow down to 10 bands. 15 minutes or less.
Also, St. Paddy's Day is coming up and they needed an Irish band. He looked everywhere to find an "Irish" group. He mentioned that really specific things like this should be available.
Key Takeaway: Vet the bands, make sure they are serious.
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