There’s nothing worse than playing a gig to an empty room, but every band will have a few nights where the door take is under $20 and the most attentive audience member is a bartender.
Bad gigs can hurt, but after your band or solo show fails, it’s important to think about why it didn’t draw, as this is the only way to keep it from happening again and again. Here’s a few of the most common reasons that band gigs fail to draw a crowd.
Weather – In most parts of the country, people stay at home when it gets cold out and when the weather changes dramatically. Obviously, you can’t control the weather, but try to plan your biggest gigs in the middle of your city’s best seasons. It’ll be much easier to get people to come out.
Sports And Other Events – I live in St. Louis, and over the last month or so, venue owners around here were secretly hoping for the World Series to end as soon as possible. Major sporting events suck bars and other venues dry, because people would generally rather stay in to watch games than pay money to do the same thing at a bar.
If your city has a big festival coming up or if major sporting events are planned on a gig day, don’t expect much. Know what’s happening in your city before you book a gig.
No Promotion – As every successful band knows, promotion is key, so never assume that a bar will be packed if you’re not going to put in the time to put up flyers, make Facebook posts and talk to friends and family members. You’ve got to promote to make your gigs a success, and what’s more, you’ve got to promote correctly.
If your band is regularly seeing poor attendance, your marketing may be off. Make sure that you aren’t scheduling your gigs too close together. Use every available resource to make sure that all of your fans come out and make sure that you’re only putting on the types of shows that you would go to. If you take a smart approach, you’ll be able to market your shows much more effectively.
Wrong Venue – Finally, consider that you might be playing the wrong type of venue. Punk bands won’t go over well at family restaurants. Singer songwriters aren’t meant for most bars. Your fans won’t be comfortable in the wrong venue and you certainly won’t be able to keep the venue’s regular crowd from walking out the door, so make sure to scout every venue before you book a gig.
What was your band’s worst-attended gig? Post below.