Im just going to get this off my chest as a fellow Memphis musician who shares the dilemma of also being a club owner. Folks, take a pill! I think a lot of people either dont know or forget that Im a musician as well, instead lumping me into the evil club owner category. And honestly, thats really not fair, especially if all you want to do is to broadcast it on Facebook (which is pretty silly anyway). Thats fine, when you broadcast it to all your friends who dont know me or know anything about RockHouse, because they can easily sympathize with you or whatever issue it is you are harping on, because it is one-sided. Recently RockHouse (and me personally) have been berated for a variety of reasons, ranging from booking, to not putting up with bullying in our venue, to kicking people out if they behave badly, biker colors, and debates about the minimum a band will take in order to play, etc., etc. It goes on and on. It annoys the crap out of me to see people chime in that have NO CLUE. Well, you cant please everyone I guess. So musician friends, fans, and friends(?), here is my manifesto of the day. Directed at no one in particular, just generally speaking and as I said to get it off my chest. RockHouse Live was created to offer folks an alternative to some of the other places to go in Memphis. Not to rule out the other places mind you, but to just provide something different; to expand the music scene as a whole in Memphis. To make it better. And also of course to offer a place where folks can come and enjoy good music and feel comfortable. At the same time, however, running a venue (now two) means that it is a BUSINESS at the end of the day, one that we want to ensure is successful and one where we have happy and content customers. Its not a charity. We do the best we can with the artists who play our venue, and I think for the most part we do better than most of the other places in town. So bands - and Ive said this before (and I apply it to my own band as well), please take these recommendations as professional guidance: - If you feel like you are THAT good, where you feel like you deserve X amount of dollars, then by all means, put your money where your mouth is. Demonstrate your capability. We will charge a cover, and you may take the door and thats what you will get paid, unless you are proven and we know you can pack the place. Or we will be happy to provide you with a small guarantee plus a percentage of bar sales (who else does that lol?) NOTE TO SELF: You can be the best band in the world but if you draw flies despite the venues promotion and your own (and bands, many of you do NOT promote in the traditional sense), then you cant expect as much pay as other bands that DO draw. Its simple economics. Get over yourselves. - If you have problems with my booking, you are fortunate that you actually have an individual to come to, rather than a faceless corporate entity that doesnt care one way or the other. I know most of you individually (blessing or curse as a venue owner, Im not sure yet), and that leads some to take it way more personal than it should be. Please come DIRECTLY to me, rather than making an issue out of it publicly. I can assure you that you wont be booked at RHL anytime soon if the latter is the case, and other club owners will think twice about booking you just because the word does get around. If I make a mistake, trust me it will be rectified to the best of my ability. As stated above, Im a musician too, and believe me, Ive had my issues with bookings. But I also recognize that things happen and I would rather preserve the relationship that burn it down. - So, if you badmouth RHL or me personally, I can assure you that you wont play my venue(s), at least not in the near future. Fortunately, there are many, many more bands that are talented, who draw, and that do want to play at RHL. There are far fewer venues than bands, trust me. - When you run a venue or two and understand all the challenges (and there are numerous and they are DAILY) then you can come to me with your criticisms and your wisdom. And, anyone who has booked bands Im sure understands where Im coming from. Until then, take a walk. - It doesnt matter if you have been a musician for 30 years. If you dont bring anyone to the venue, then it isnt really a mutually beneficial situation if we are paying you a flat rate because YOU think you are worth it. Mutually beneficial means we BOTH benefit, not just you. - There are places that may draw whether you suck or not. Beale St. is pretty much its own island. Places that have been around Memphis for years probably have their own built in crowds. Music in those places is pretty much background entertainment. At RHL, that is our MAIN focus, so we do look to the bands to be a partner, and we highlight that music. So think of it as a partnership, less like background noise. People come to RHL to see bands. When I look at bands to book, Im looking for bands that are willing to grow with the venue, who bring something to the table, and who willing to take some of the risk on themselves, work hard, promote themselves (flyers too, not just FaceBook). Why should it be all MY risk? I cant tell you how many times Ive played for cheap or free with my band to get into a new place, because Im confident that after the first time, we will be back and our money will be better. I promise you the bands who have been playing for years built up their fan base and their club base by working with the venues. They, at that point, can ask for and receive higher pay. Thats the way it works. In many ways, I made my own bed, so I gotta lay in it. When I opened RHL I envisioned more of an excited Memphis music community, one that would come together and see that a musician with a real passion for changing and improving the music scene was doing something good, but instead what Ive seen is a bunch of petty nonsense. Theres tons of bands and quite a few clubs and venues here. I hope every band and venue in this city is successful, and that someday it can be more of a cohesive scene than the fractured scene that I feel like it is now. I welcome new bands, new music, into the RHL fold. When we open more venues outside this market, those booking with me now will be offered to route through those venues too. Got plenty of open slots at both present locations. But dont come in expecting top dollar until you prove yourself. And dont take it personal, whether you know me or not. My obligation to you as a fellow musician and evil club owner is to ensure that you have a couple of quality places to play for years to come - hopefully more than a couple soon. -EOM-
Posted on: Sat, 27 Sep 2014 21:33:07 +0000