THE COFFEEHOUSE GIG - AN EMPLOYERS
PERSPECTIVE
By huskybones
So there you are, at the side of the stage. You're ready to rip through your set and reel in this group of coffee lovers and potential fans who are crammed into every corner of the room. But there's something more going on here. Something that you really need to consider when you accept a playing job at a club, coffeehouse or other establishment is that your being there as a performer serves a purpose for that business. What purpose? What difference does it make to you? Why should you care? In order to answer these questions, I spoke to the owner/operator of the Java the Hut Coffee House, John Casas.
During the day to day operation of a business, there are a mind-numbing array of details that the manager/owner will be dealing with. Everything from ordering supplies to trying to get the landlord to fix the faucet is an urgent matter. Getting people to come in and getting them to stay a while is where we, the musicians, can help. We can help the business, help ourselves, and, at least in a perfect world,
help the customers. So here are some ideas.
BE RELIABLE
When you play at a place, remember that you represent the business while you're there. Respect the schedule (start/stop times) and the customers. Have the things you need to do your job. Call prior to your show date and confirm.
AUDITION WITH WHAT YOU REALLY DO
A business keeps a very close eye on it's demographics. Demographics are kind of a profile of who the customers are (age, sex, hobbies, etc.). Do the customers show up on skate boards or in mini vans loaded with kids? These two groups probably like different kinds of music, and the person who hires you is going to be looking
for a match between your music and the customers he/she has in mind. Your live audition or tape should be representative of what you really do. One other thing, please for the sake of the other musicians, don’t play the whole night for free! An hour should be plenty. We thank you.
BE CONSISTENT
In terms of your set, play what you want but if you play Ska on Tuesday don't switch to Dixieland Jazz on Saturday and get the Ska crowd all upset. Remember that getting a gig is a lot easier than keeping it. Consistency is an important factor in building a reputation. Coke always tastes the same, doesn't?
WORK TOWARD MUTUAL GOALS
The business is marketing to its customers through the product, the service and the environment. For instance many coffeehouses feature visual art so you might look for a way to provide some visuals of your own. On the other hand you may just go grab people out of the parking lot and drag them into the place. (Talk to the owner
before you try that though.) Arrange a giveaway, bring music to play during breaks, come up with some interactive activity, and talk to people. Keep this in mind as you go along. There are many coffeeshops in town and many bands in town, so if you don't give people a reason to stay, then they won't. I think it's called free enterprise.
MAILING LIST AND ADVERTISEMENT
The place you're playing at needs to do their part and buy advertising. You as the band also need to help yourselves by starting a mailing list and building it up. Finding and keeping paying gigs is all about the numbers. A good benchmark for your mailing list is that you can expect about a 10% turnout. So to get ten people at your shows consistently, you'll need about 100 people on your list. If you
do better than this then write me and let me know your secret.
I want to thank John for his time and for sharing some info.
See you soon!
By huskybones
So there you are, at the side of the stage. You're ready to rip through your set and reel in this group of coffee lovers and potential fans who are crammed into every corner of the room. But there's something more going on here. Something that you really need to consider when you accept a playing job at a club, coffeehouse or other establishment is that your being there as a performer serves a purpose for that business. What purpose? What difference does it make to you? Why should you care? In order to answer these questions, I spoke to the owner/operator of the Java the Hut Coffee House, John Casas.
During the day to day operation of a business, there are a mind-numbing array of details that the manager/owner will be dealing with. Everything from ordering supplies to trying to get the landlord to fix the faucet is an urgent matter. Getting people to come in and getting them to stay a while is where we, the musicians, can help. We can help the business, help ourselves, and, at least in a perfect world,
help the customers. So here are some ideas.
BE RELIABLE
When you play at a place, remember that you represent the business while you're there. Respect the schedule (start/stop times) and the customers. Have the things you need to do your job. Call prior to your show date and confirm.
AUDITION WITH WHAT YOU REALLY DO
A business keeps a very close eye on it's demographics. Demographics are kind of a profile of who the customers are (age, sex, hobbies, etc.). Do the customers show up on skate boards or in mini vans loaded with kids? These two groups probably like different kinds of music, and the person who hires you is going to be looking
for a match between your music and the customers he/she has in mind. Your live audition or tape should be representative of what you really do. One other thing, please for the sake of the other musicians, don’t play the whole night for free! An hour should be plenty. We thank you.
BE CONSISTENT
In terms of your set, play what you want but if you play Ska on Tuesday don't switch to Dixieland Jazz on Saturday and get the Ska crowd all upset. Remember that getting a gig is a lot easier than keeping it. Consistency is an important factor in building a reputation. Coke always tastes the same, doesn't?
WORK TOWARD MUTUAL GOALS
The business is marketing to its customers through the product, the service and the environment. For instance many coffeehouses feature visual art so you might look for a way to provide some visuals of your own. On the other hand you may just go grab people out of the parking lot and drag them into the place. (Talk to the owner
before you try that though.) Arrange a giveaway, bring music to play during breaks, come up with some interactive activity, and talk to people. Keep this in mind as you go along. There are many coffeeshops in town and many bands in town, so if you don't give people a reason to stay, then they won't. I think it's called free enterprise.
MAILING LIST AND ADVERTISEMENT
The place you're playing at needs to do their part and buy advertising. You as the band also need to help yourselves by starting a mailing list and building it up. Finding and keeping paying gigs is all about the numbers. A good benchmark for your mailing list is that you can expect about a 10% turnout. So to get ten people at your shows consistently, you'll need about 100 people on your list. If you
do better than this then write me and let me know your secret.
I want to thank John for his time and for sharing some info.
See you soon!
