mUSIC FEaTURE

Feature Make your Tavern vIBRAnT WITh LIvE MUsIC

Your tavern is an important venue in your community for social interaction and making music a regular feature can deliver financial benefits. Good quality, well run music events will attract more customers to your tavern or bar. A survey shows that playing music at a bar or tavern creates a feel-good atmosphere and enhances customer’s experience and 71% believe it makes staff more productive. The study further reveals how music can also have an impact on how fast people eat. It found that when lively music is being played in a restaurant or bar, diners takes an average of 5.1 bites per minute while without music it’s 3.9 bites per minute. The faster consumption led to requests for second servings. Bringing a live music band to your tavern can be profitable but choosing the right type of music can be a daunting task as well. You might be overwhelmed by the number of acts on offer or worried that your musical tastes won’t impress your customers.

Here are some key points you may need to take into consideration before you start looking for the right live music acts for your spot: • Knowing the maximum capacity of your venue will help you work out the potential income that you can generate from entrance fees. • Before you decide on the entrance fee, it’s better to consider what other venues in the area are charging for a similar band. Ask the performers if a door charge is the same or consistent when they play elsewhere. • You need to know what kind of music will work for your venue, your area and your customers. Don’t make assumptions – ask your regular customers what genre of music they would prefer or enjoy. • In the beginning you might want to stick to one genre of music. Later on you can decide whether to specialise or offer a range of different music genres on various nights of the week. • Look out for recommended bands

online on Twitter, Facebook and music blogs. This will give you a good idea of whether a band is right for your customers or not. Look out for music reviews in local newspapers and magazines too. • Consider using a promoter who will book acts for you, for a fee or share of the takings. • Contact local colleges or universities – they often have music students who are looking for places to perform for free. • Be sure to keep a good relationship with bands, performers and their managers. • If you decide to charge, consider including a meal or drink in the ticket price. This can help maximise revenue and cover the cost of the band. • It can take time to establish a reputation for good music and to build up an audience for certain nights as well.

DJ Soul T entertains the crowd. Image courtesy of Brandhouse.

Ticketing

• You’ll have to know how many tickets you would need to sell to break even or make a profit. • You may have to keep some free tickets on hand for journalists or promoters. • You might even decide to operate a guest list. If you don’t print tickets, sell access to the gig at the door by using a stamp.

Be a responsible trader and good neighbour

• Make sure you spare a thought for your neighbours. • Simple steps, like fitting removable shutters for windows, can reduce noise at low expense. • Consider investing in sound proofing. • Keep your neighbours updated about your plans and maybe even invite them to your music night for free.