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<p>Open Letter From a Bar Owner to Musicians</p><p>Posted January 3, 2013<br />Filed under: <a href="http://chrisledrew.wordpress.com/category/music/">Music</a> | re-blogged from <a href="http://chrisledrew.wordpress.com/2013/01/03/open-letter-from-a-bar-owner-to-musicians/" target="_blank">http://chrisledrew.wordpress.com/2013/01/03/open-letter-from-a-bar-owner-to-musicians/</a></p><p><span style="font-family: MS Sans Serif;">The letter I have copied below was posted on Tampa Craigslist by a bar owner, but it was flagged for removal before I could provide a link or credit the author. But I managed to copy the content. So here it is, and I agree with a lot (although not all) of what he has to say. If more musicians clued into this perspective, the club scene would be much better:</span></p><p><span style="font-family: MS Sans Serif;">A bar, that is, an establishment that earns its revenue primarily from selling alcoholic beverages, measures its success by the ounce and the accounting is done everyday because we mostly live on the edge. So we spend our time trying to figure out how to sell more ounces. It’s not just how many people are in the house or how great the atmosphere is (that’s certainly important), but how many drinks, preferably premium, we sell in a day. That’s it.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: MS Sans Serif;">Live music is important to most of us (if we have that kind of venue). But it is a significant expense and is only worthwhile if it produces more than it consumes, just like advertising and anything else we spend money on in order to sell more ounces. But so many of the bands that come through here have no clue what their job is. Your job is to sell booze. You’re not here for any other reason.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: MS Sans Serif;">There are some truly awful bands that actually chase customers away. But there are also some bands I would call mediocre who do a fantastic job of selling my product. There are also some really good bands who rock the house but not the cash drawer. While I appreciate good music and would never have an interest listening to that mediocre band’s lame CD, they’re coming back next week. Here’s why:</span></p><p><span style="font-family: MS Sans Serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: MS Sans Serif;"><a title="Rybird Music" href="http://rybird.com" target="_blank"><img style="margin-left: 0px; display: inline; margin-right: 0px; border-width: 0px;" title="blogurp header" src="http://www.rybird.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/blogurpheader.jpg" alt="blogurp header" width="538" height="93" align="right" border="0" /></a></span></p><p><span style="font-family: MS Sans Serif;">1. They play simple music people recognize. People don’t dance to brilliant guitar solos or heady changes, they dance to the hook lyrics of a simple chorus. (If you’ve ever wondered why pop is popular, that’s why). When the ladies want to dance, the guys show up and everybody drinks. Simple truth.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: MS Sans Serif;">2. They don’t ask me for drinks, they ask my customers. This is a subtle art and if it’s done well, the band can more than pay for itself. Here’s a few obvious techniques: If someone offers to buy the band a round, you order shots of top-shelf. Even if you don’t drink it, ask for it anyway. If someone asks for a request, try to make a deal with them. If you buy (your date, your table, the band) a round, we’ll play your song. Some bands beg for tips, and that’s fine, but it’s not what I’m paying you for. (Try to play request anyway. At least you wont chase them off.) We had one front man hold up a mixed drink and make a wonderfully cheesy but impassioned pitch that you simply had to try this because it was, as he put it, “a glass of pure happiness”. It resulted in over a hundred bucks in the drawer in just a few minutes. Those guys are busy.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: MS Sans Serif;">3. They may not be the best band in town but they look and act professional. I cringe when I see a supposedly professional band wearing frayed khaki shorts, flip flops, mildly offensive t-shirts and greasy baseball caps (the standard bro uniform). I don’t care if you’re bald, a baseball cap is unacceptable. Live music is a visual form of entertainment. If you dress well, even if it’s hipster, funky, weird or flamboyant, as long as you look like you care about your appearance, and show a little self respect, you’ll go over better with my customers. The good bands also respect their gig and the customers. They show up on time, they don’t make a racket while they setup (hint: keep your drummer quiet especially when the jukebox is on.), they choose their set list carefully, they pace their sets well and stay engaged with the audience (don’t stop playing if the dance floor is full), they don’t get hammered and and they don’t leave a mess. All this adds up to what we call retention. Customers don’t leave. You would be surprised how many customers leave because of the band. And it’s usually not because the band is awful, but because it’s too loud, it’s the wrong repertoire, it’s rude and dismissive, it’s not engaged and basically no fun for anyone else but themselves. And here’s a little tip: Your continued employment is directly dependent on my bartender’s opinion of you. That’s probably true for every single bar you play. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: MS Sans Serif;">One last thing. It’s hard to find work. You might be surprised at how much competition you have. I get emails, voicemails, regular mail, fed-ex packages left for me, all with earnestly concocted press kits and demos and I ignore almost all of it. I get walk-ins who, if I’m there, I’ll give a few minutes to. Again, you’d be surprised how many show up in their bro-clothes, tell me how awesome they are, and hand me a business card with a URL to their reverb nation page or YouTube channel. They probably go home and wonder why they don’t get a call, but I’m not going to visit your website or listen to your demo. You’ve got maybe 60 seconds to make your “elevator pitch” and just a few more minutes to make it stick. There is a sales technique I’m seeing that’s impressive, stands out and really works, but out of respect for the bands that figured it out, call it a trade secret. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: MS Sans Serif;">Bottom line: A bar is a business. My bar is my business, my life, my success or failure. What I do in my business is entirely up to me because the risk is entirely mine. If I have a jam night, an open mic, solos, duos, bands, karaoke, or just a jukebox, that’s up to me and no one else. Whatever helps make the most revenue. I have great respect for working musicians and would rather not hire them at all than to short-change them. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: MS Sans Serif;">The open mic and jams that seem to get so much criticism here are not about me getting free entertainment, they are about bringing in paying customers and keeping them here. People who play and sing, but not in a professional band, like to get out, get a little stage time, have some fun, bring their friends and I offer them the place to do it. And yes, these nights are pretty good for the bottom line. If having bands was better, I’d have bands every night. It’s just reality, man.</span> <img src="http://affiliates.bhphotovideo.com/showban.asp?id=7944&img=bhgeneral_cam_468x60.gif" alt="" border="0" /></p>
Congrats to Brian Ralston aka Self Tort for having Mixposure's Song of the Week! Check out the song below!
<p>Well <a href="http://www2.mixposure.com/Randy_Gabel/">Randy</a> had the Mixposure Song of the Week and he was also voted Artist of the Month! Nice job Randy! Have a listen to some of his music below!</p><p><object width="400" height="441" classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param><param name="flashVars" value="radio_id=&song_id=all&band_id=8133&autoplay=false&skin_color=0x000000&jamroom_url=http://www.mixposure.com&cluster_url=http://www2.mixposure.com&remoteSwf=http://www.mixposure.com/modules/n8FlashPlayer/players/j3Xap.swf&remoteWidth=400&remoteHeight=325&system_name=Mixposure.com"></param><param name="src" value="http://www.mixposure.com/modules/n8FlashPlayer/players/j3Xap.swf"></param><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><param name="pluginspage" value="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></param><param name="quality" value="high"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><param name="flashvars" value="system_name=Mixposure.com&radio_id=&song_id=all&band_id=8133&autoplay=false&skin_color=0x000000&cluster_url=http://www2.mixposure.com&jamroom_url=http://www.mixposure.com&remoteSwf=http://www.mixposure.com/modules/n8FlashPlayer/players/j3Xap.swf&remoteWidth=400&remoteHeight=325"></param><embed width="400" height="441" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://www.mixposure.com/modules/n8FlashPlayer/players/j3Xap.swf" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" flashvars="radio_id=&song_id=all&band_id=8133&autoplay=false&skin_color=0x000000&jamroom_url=http://www.mixposure.com&cluster_url=http://www2.mixposure.com&remoteSwf=http://www.mixposure.com/modules/n8FlashPlayer/players/j3Xap.swf&remoteWidth=400&remoteHeight=325&system_name=Mixposure.com" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" quality="high" wmode="transparent" flashvars="system_name=Mixposure.com&radio_id=&song_id=all&band_id=8133&autoplay=false&skin_color=0x000000&cluster_url=http://www2.mixposure.com&jamroom_url=http://www.mixposure.com&remoteSwf=http://www.mixposure.com/modules/n8FlashPlayer/players/j3Xap.swf&remoteWidth=400&remoteHeight=325" class="mceItemMedia mceItemFlash"></embed> </object></p>
Congrats to Randy Gabel for being Mixposure's Song of the Month! Have a listen below.
<p> </p><p> </p><p> Aside from an obvious notion about what the title of my new track infers I would like to think we live in an age where creative genius is seen as more than a drug induced trip and more for what is really there.</p><p>Don’t take life too serious there are way too many people and things that will slow you down. Ride that wave and enjoy it while you can.</p><p>I am posting this blog because I had a great time creating this little track. It is a combination of loops and my writing. I used drum loops to create a beat and wrote a bass line and some lead parts as well as a passage.</p><p>I think in this day and age we need all influences to be truly creative to deny that one exists without the other is ludicrous. That would be like the day without the night. I like to think of loops as the silent partner in the musical collaboration.</p><p>I would also like to say to those who create loops. Hail to ya. Without you there is no jump start, you are the flint in the lighter, keep on creating. To those who use loops or are considering them as a part of your stylistic perspective and writing cohort, DO IT! It takes a truly creative person to take what’s there and build with it.</p><p> I wanted to blog this also to announce that I am moving in a new direction. I will still create soundtrack style music but I think Jim of Jims Rare Earth, AKA King of the Aardvarks, made a valid point, while I do create interesting and pleasing soundtracks there is still an element missing, my personality and it is masked over or lost in the greater scheme of things. I think it’s time for the Jack in the Box to pop out and say Hi.</p><p>To those who may be reading this blog and are not yet a member of the Mix or If you are considering The Mix as your Indy Future, I say Go FOR IT, Come be a part of a truly special Family. We look after our kind. Come and learn and grow with us. Here you will find a truly supportive bunch of talented musicians.</p><p>I will say to my Friends and my Mix Family, though I don’t say it enough I love you I salute you and thank you. You are the reason I keep coming back.</p><p>A warning to those who might think you have found a well of music you can steal for your personal Gain, WE WILL FIND YOU, you might imitate us but you will never be us, so join us for we are many and we are growing stronger every day.</p><p> Cudos to the artist of the image I used, my eyes are bad so I can not make out your name but you know who you are, great Job.</p><p>To those who's loops I used thank you and e mail me so I can give credit where credit is due. Mediamann@ymail.com</p>
<p>On the subject of re invention i have often asked myself , why? But truth be know i have always writen in the electronic style its just that at this point in time i am writing in main stream. That being said and a weird into by that i mean this bold, check it out my new release, "the Devil In Me ( Chasing The Dragon)" its a demo before any mastering so tell me what you think. Thanks</p>
<p>Uploaded a new song called "Bad Is To The Bone". Please check it out if you get a chance.</p>
<p><a class="postlink" href="http://www.chabanesrecords.c.la" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Chabane's Records</a>' new release :<br /><br /><a class="postlink" href="http://archive.org/download/SKIDLIFEChangeYourMind/SKID_LIFE-Change_Your_Mind.zip" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><img src="http://i70.servimg.com/u/f70/15/68/38/78/skidli10.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><strong>SKID LIFE - <em>Change Your Mind</em></strong><br /><br />12 Grunge tracks from Brazil.<br /><br /><a class="postlink" href="http://chabanesrds.perso.sfr.fr/Chabane_s_Records_distro.html#skidlife" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">CD</a> and <a class="postlink" href="http://archive.org/download/SKIDLIFEChangeYourMind/SKID_LIFE-Change_Your_Mind.zip" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">FREE download ( please click HERE)</a><br />Or copy and paste this link : <a href="http://archive.org/download/SKIDLIFEChangeYourMind/SKID_LIFE-Change_Your_Mind.zip" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://archive.org/download/SKIDLIFEChangeYourMind/SKID_LIFE-Change_Your_Mind.zip</a> (direct download)<br />Torrent : <a href="http://archive.org/download/SKIDLIFEChangeYourMind/SKIDLIFEChangeYourMind_archive.torrent" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://archive.org/download/SKIDLIFEChangeYourMind/SKIDLIFEChangeYourMind_archive.torrent</a><br /><br /><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Chabane's Records:</span></strong><br /><a href="http://www.chabanesrecords.c.la" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://www.chabanesrecords.c.la</a><br /><a href="http://www.facebook.com/Chabanesrecords" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://www.facebook.com/Chabanesrecords</a><br /><a href="https://twitter.com/#%21/chabanesrecords" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/#!/chabanesrecords</a><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/ChabanesRecs" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/user/ChabanesRecs</a><br /><br /><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Skid Life:</span></strong><br /><a href="https://soundcloud.com/anthony-juno" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://soundcloud.com/anthony-juno</a></p>
<p><a class="postlink" href="http://www.chabanesrecords.c.la" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Chabane's Records</a>' new release :<br /><br /><a class="postlink" href="http://archive.org/download/SKIDLIFEChangeYourMind/SKID_LIFE-Change_Your_Mind.zip" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><img src="http://i70.servimg.com/u/f70/15/68/38/78/skidli10.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><strong>SKID LIFE - <em>Change Your Mind</em></strong><br /><br />12 Grunge tracks from Brazil.<br /><br /><a class="postlink" href="http://chabanesrds.perso.sfr.fr/Chabane_s_Records_distro.html#skidlife" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">CD</a> and <a class="postlink" href="http://archive.org/download/SKIDLIFEChangeYourMind/SKID_LIFE-Change_Your_Mind.zip" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">FREE download ( please click HERE)</a><br />Or copy and paste this link : <a href="http://archive.org/download/SKIDLIFEChangeYourMind/SKID_LIFE-Change_Your_Mind.zip" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://archive.org/download/SKIDLIFEChangeYourMind/SKID_LIFE-Change_Your_Mind.zip</a> (direct download)<br />Torrent : <a href="http://archive.org/download/SKIDLIFEChangeYourMind/SKIDLIFEChangeYourMind_archive.torrent" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://archive.org/download/SKIDLIFEChangeYourMind/SKIDLIFEChangeYourMind_archive.torrent</a><br /><br /><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Chabane's Records:</span></strong><br /><a href="http://www.chabanesrecords.c.la" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://www.chabanesrecords.c.la</a><br /><a href="http://www.facebook.com/Chabanesrecords" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://www.facebook.com/Chabanesrecords</a><br /><a href="https://twitter.com/#%21/chabanesrecords" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/#!/chabanesrecords</a><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/ChabanesRecs" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/user/ChabanesRecs</a><br /><br /><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Skid Life:</span></strong><br /><a href="https://soundcloud.com/anthony-juno" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://soundcloud.com/anthony-juno</a></p>
A Very Special and u n u s u a l
featuring
Jims Artificial Earth , and
Premiers during Saturday Night Rocks, March 2
Gene ( daddyrabbit ), Jim ( Jims Artificial Earth ) and me (kooder, Without A Flag ) are our guests for this Mix Files. The Skype call with the three of us went... well... use your imagination, multiply by a lot, add in 4 or 5 cups of gut-wrenching laughter, and you get the idea.
It started as Gene wanting to do a Mix Files kind of thing with me. I said sure. By the time we had the conversation, JimsAE was in the mix. After the conversation, different ideas were floated on how to do this and present it - cause it was fun and hilarious in spots - and it turned out to be a 2 part Mix Files. What airs this Saturday is Part 1 (of 2).
Between the three of us, and a conversation that lasted a couple of hours, I simply cannot make just 1 part. Too much mayhem for just 1 hour. It gets crazy. And funny. Crazy funny. So, Part 1 airs this week (March 2), and Part 2 airs next Saturday Night (March 9).
All three of us expect to be in chat for this.
There is fun and mayhem, and some pretty good music, too, I think. And, did I mention, emphasis on the mayhem? We would love to see you in chat (that's a link).
If you are interested in hearing some killer music and having some good belly-laughs, Saturday Night Rocks is the place to be this Saturday night.
I'm just sayin...
Saturday Night Rocks and The Mix Files
Have some fun... be there
Appreciation to Buddrumming for The Mix Files' banner
The Mix Files is a 1 hour pre-recorded segment which features conversation with - and the music of - Mixposure.com artists, each week. The Mix Files airs during the *live* Saturday Night Rocks Radio Show , here on Mixposure's MixStream Radio . Saturday Night Rocks is *live* from around 8 PM EST US and goes till at least midnight... Saturday Night, of course. The Mix Files *usually* airs between 9:00 and 9:20 PM EST. Please join us in chat (that's a link, btw).