Putting on a show, pay to play and the live music scene

A lot of discussions are coming up again lately about the pay to play model, putting on a show and the live music scene in general for ticket sales. This, is a topic I have so many mixed feelings about to be honest because I can see all sides of it.

On the one hand, we’re seeing tons of shows getting cancelled because tickets aren’t selling, and small venues are closing. On the other hand, bands deserve to be paid for their performances no matter what. So there’s truly a fine line that you walk when you’re dealing with these types of situations.

A lot of the shows I book require a venue hire fee at the size they are. There’s no guarantees. And this certainly requires booking in a smart way to make sure that you don't lose out. There can be a lot of uncertainty when you put on a show. The cold hard truth (ugh and I hate to say it) is that honestly, I see a lot of bands that are fairly uncertain about how big their fanbase is and where the fans are located.

There are a variety of models of pay to play - some that you literally fork out cash to get a slot at a venue/festival. (I don't believe this is generally ever a good idea to be honest), there are some with ticket splits and there is the model of you having to sell a certain amount before you start earning.

I have had discussions with artists that have no reach in a certain area that have had expectations like Wayne’s World “if you book it, they will come” but unfortunately, just because a show is going on, doesn’t mean that it will be a success. It doesn’t mean a sell out, it doesn’t mean even that if you offer free entry that people will come. That’s the same for big artists and for smaller artists as well. That’s a worst case scenario but overall, It doesn’t always mean that you’re going to have a packed room. While it could be the market, it could be the venue, it could be an issue with promotion, but it is often a combination of these things marked with “do you have a fan base here?”

So part of why I do like using one of the pay to play models listed above for bands earlier on is because there’s more skin in the game. There’s more reason to really get to know your audience deeply and understand where they’re coming from and where they’re going to show up for you. It’s more of a push to sell tickets and work on that fan base. Trust me when I say that I know bands work hard on this to start with, but it really helps to give a deep insight to everything needed to put on a killer show!

In general, it’s a lesson in selecting the right venue for your music, with the right vibes and audience in itself, the right size for what you can draw (if you can draw 10… why are you picking a 200 capacity venue to play?), and the balance between ticket sales and pricing. Then you need to consider what you need to break even and what you’re willing to put on the line knowing that you may not break even. There’s a risk in this for the promoter/ the booking agent/ the venue and the band.

Depending on the venue - because every one is different, they will take the venue hire fee (plus rider costs, security if needed, rentals etc) and let you keep all of tickets and merch sales etc. while they of course keep the full bar take. That’s simply a given!

Sometimes, they will take a portion of ticket sales as well and again, it is venue dependent. I think it can actually be quite fair to pay the small fee to rent the space, just like you’d pay to rent an office space out if you were working, the stage is your office.

Listen, these can absolutely screw you over when the sales aren’t there. But when the amount of sales and the ticket cost line up, they can absolutely be profitable shows. When you get to be more in demand, they will continue that path, or you’ll move to having guarantees and having solid expectations from each show. So it ends up a path to winning either way.

Of course, I also think that bands shouldn’t have to go broke because they went on tour, I know that artists do need to make money, get fed and it is a really hard road to make it that way. With this switch to the touring making more money than the album does, and then the fact that touring especially on a smaller scale has taken a massive hit since covid… It’s ridiculous how expensive it has gotten, how the landscape has changed in people going out, there should be guarantees in place to make sure that somehow, it doesn’t get the trigger pulled and that bands can at least break even.

This helps shift some of the upfront risk and make sure the band gets compensated for their travel and time. This is proper being hired to put on a show, just as you’d be hired for your time to do your job and guarantee a minimum amount plus an amount if sales exceed expectations – just like getting a bonus for performing well or having great sales. You deserve to be paid for your time and your expertise.

The key to remember is that these costs are all paid somehow by someone (the artist!) at the end of the day. It’s a game of passing on liability to someone else each time in a lot of ways. But if you pay to play, the artist pays it, if you don’t, the artist still pays it in the long run but passes the initial liability to the promoter or the venue. Everyone takes a risk in the booking game and that shouldn’t be dismissed when looking at your options. I really believe that booking should be and it is a collaborative effort and it really is now in so many ways, but I think every model counts when booking shows and when starting out.

As you continue to build your fanbase and grow, the options will just keep growing for you too. Don’t give up the good fight. Work on your strategy and reaching new audiences.

As with anything, play for where you’re at right now, grow with the venues, grow with the fans, show up, be kind and be awesome! Whether you are playing to 5, 500 or 500,000 - make that show count and they’ll keep showing up for you.

Live Music, Pay to play, live music scene