I’m a massive fan of grassroots venues, especially those that have a typical capacity of 200 – 300 audience members. This makes for a great intimate audience experience, but of course, as reported in the press, many such places are folding due to theinability to make the figures work. There are lots of reasons for this and sometimes the venue owners themselves miss “the elusive obvious”
The Elusive Obvious, which is not so obvious
I noticed in the press recently a local venue was closing down. This of course is not great news, but I’m far from surprised. A few years ago I went to see an artist with a view to booking him myself in a Leeds venue. The first problem I experienced was that the set time was different on social media to what was on the venue’s website. That’s not great but once I clarified the correct time, a friend and I set off with plenty of time to get to the venue.
I punched the sat nav info on my car and we set off allowing plenty of time. Aftera 45 minute drive the sat nav announced “You have arrived!” The problem was that it had taken us to a car park where there were no signs for the venue. We rang the venue and were told “This happens all the time” you need to park the car and then follow these directions on foot. We discovered that the venue was on a waterfront, but this was not indicated on the site and in anything on social media. Basic information would have saved us a great deal of time.
Artist appreciation?
We finally arrived at the venue. There was a small stage and an adequate sound system, so it was looking a bit more positive at this point. The artist played two great sets, 90 minutes in total. At the end of his set the promoter said the following
“Thanks for welcoming artist X and we’d be grateful if you could throw a few coins in the bucket to help him buy some fish and chips on the way home”
This was not the only payment method for the artist. Still, in my view, it was really disrespectful and showed a total lack of appreciation for a performer who had travelled some distance to entertain the audience. This is not the best way to show that you value musicians. In the current economic climate, the onus is on the public and the venue owners to do their best to generate great experiences for audiences. In total contrast a local Leeds venue is booked out regularly and has a reputation so positive that I have to book a year ahead to secure a space.
