Opening my own performance venue was an idea I’ve had for a
while. Other business ventures I’ve been
interested in are opening a recording studio or becoming an artist
manager. I want to make sure I take the
right steps in making opening a venue a reality while minimizing the pitfalls many
new businesses tend to face.
One of the many challenges of having a music venue is finding
patrons that will regularly come to your business. I think some venues make the mistake of
relying on the bands they book to bring in the audience. This article shows that it ultimately
comes down to the club owner to bring in revenue, not the bands. It’s important for the venue to offer
something special to gain a regular following, whether it’s through the food
and beverages, the atmosphere, or the bands they decide to showcase…if it’s
good, people will come back for more.
It’s very important to learn from other venue owners, even
if they advise you to do the exact opposite.
This blog discusses a lot of the things that can go wrong as a
place for live music, saying that it’s not as glamorous as some people put it
out to be. Having to deal with numerous
booking requests, empty promises of customer turnout, even issues with underage
drinkers and fire codes are mentioned just as some of the problems faced. But, the bottom line of why someone would
want to open a venue even after learning about the many headaches associated
with it…is to be a part of those perfect, almost life-changing moments that can
only be seen in the passion of truly talented bands.
