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Looper's Delight
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Stephen P. Goodman wrote: > > Hi folks, > > I've a question for the more seasoned of you amongst us, who are perhaps > more used to dealing with clubowners (including coffee houses and the > like)... > > Is it just me, or is the word "showcase" being used by the owner to >describe > his venue often a warning that This Might Be A Bad Place To Play? And, >is > it overused? "Showcasing" as I understand the term here in LA basically refers to a band headlining its own gig, often without supporting acts, and frequently with the intent of literally showcasing its wares before A&R people from a record label. Somebody describing their own venue as a showcase gig is likely stating that it's a place where up-and-coming bands aspire to headline, largely for the prestige and/or publicity angle therein. Most of these sorts of high-profile venues are probably best to consider after an act has had a chance to build up a certain sizable following; it's still not uncommon for showcase-style venues to make a group buy a certain number of tickets for their own gig from the club, which the band then has to sell itself in order to stand any chance of profiting (or breaking even) from the gig. This is something of a holdover from the "pay-to-play" days at the cheese-metal peak in the late '80s, when there were so many hair bands dying to get signed that bigger clubs would make groups pay them for the chance to gig at "big" venues and possibly get seen/heard by A&R reps. At the very least, the sheer number of acts struggling for attention in this town more or less necessitates that you prove to the club owner that you can bring in a certain number of people in order to ensure a profitable evening for the bar. Otherwise, you might be able to get some sort of slot on a Monday or Tuesday night along with two or three other acts, with no pay. The other alterative is looking for gigs where you're providing background music; you're not the center of attention, but you're not expected to necessarily draw people in, and if it's any sort of reasonable arrangement, you'll be paid a flat rate for your services. (Be wary of places that expect you to provide background music *and* collect payment by drawing people in specifically for the chance to see you.) It's not realistic to expect payment from a coffeehouse gig, unless you want to set out a tip jar or something along those lines. I've never heard of a coffee shop charging cover for an act, and I'd be pretty reluctant to go along with it as a customer. The problem with trying to get paying gigs for playing ambient electronic material is that it's sort of inherently background-oriented music, with little in the way of a performance aspect in the traditional sense of the word. So a club/bar/coffehouse owner might be hard pressed to come up with a good reason why they should pay someone for doing that when they can just as easily pop a CD by a world-famous ambient artist into the house PA for free... Anyway, good luck. --Andre