This isn't really true. It's promoters who book and pay bands.(Agreed)
They'll have some deal with the venue to hire it for the evening (Disagree as venues we approached will only accept "name" bands or "cover" bands which will pull a crowd).
It works the same for rock show, club nights, birthday parties or whatever (Can't compare this to a Euro Metal band as these are definitive crowd pullers).
The promoter might agree to pay a flat fee for the hire or maybe something based on the number of people who attend. The promoter might even get it for nothing, if the venue is sure they'll make a lot at the bar.
My initial email refers specifically to the promotion of Euro metal outside of London. When looking for a venue for Primal Fear we were turned down many times due to the venues not willing to accept an "unknown" band / style of music. They do not want a half full venue. Yes it is the promoters who book and pay bands, but we need the buy-in from venues to take on part of the risk also. We have proved this type of music is popular in the Midlands with Bloodstock (after 3 years!), and are trying to expand with specific shows. The Wulfrun Hall listened and accepted our argument and have taken the risk to help us put on this show - as said before we hope 600 Bloodstock fans will make it!)
> > WHY BANDS ONLY PLAY LONDON
> > Unfortunately for the music style we know as Heavy Metal / Power Metal /
> > Euro Metal, it is a "venues driven" market. This means that if a venue will
> > not get a significant attendance then it is THEIR decision not to play a
> > band.
>
> > Many European bands would like to play other shows in the UK except
> > London. There are also promoters outside of London (AMUST4MUSIC)
> > willing to promote and support a band, however, when it comes to securing
> > a venue, this is where the problems begin. The venue would like a
> > guarantee that if attendance is not met then the promoter has to pay a
> > premium, they do not want to open up for a 1/4 full audience.
>
Basically, the venue will agree to a cut of the door if they're fairly sure of there being a lot of people there (unknown with Euro Metal viz The Gathering at Dudley JB's - 30 people attended!), otherwise they'll want a flat fee up-front. If the promoter is sure that the gig will be popular they should be happy to pay the flat fee (We are trying to build on the reputation of Bloodstock to draw people to this show, as it is a first for this type of music outside London): if the gig's a sell-out they probably
make more money that way, not having to give the venue a cut of each ticket sold.
I think the venue's position is reasonable, especially with Euro-metal that they've never heard of before.(The venues position is reasonable - they will not take the risk, hence very few if any Euro Metal acts playing outside London).
> > This premium, the promoter will not pay, as it means a major gamble and a
> > potential loss will be made on the show.
>
It _is_ the promoter who is expected to gamble, but they can make a lot of money if they know what they're doing so it's only fair. You can't expect the band to gamble their money really and venues can't be experts in all styles of music.
In this day and age of Euro Metal there are fewer promoters for this type of music because they will not take the gamble. We are treading carefully and want a successful show, but we cannot rely on "walk-ups" anymore. A significant amount of pre-sales will help any promoter / venue / bands reputation.
> > The band will not cover this premium as they have their own costs to get to the UK > (If it is too expensive they will not come).
The band shouldn't be expected to take a gamble, though some might want to (Some do). The cost of them getting to the UK might be borne by the band or the promoter, someone has to pay, it's not reasonable to link it to the venue particularly (Some venues will only put a band on if the band guarantees a premium, this is actually how most London shows take place where the venues do put a show on at the cost of the band).
> > It becomes a vicious circle, the bands
> > want to do the shows, the fans want the shows over here, the promoters will
> > promote the shows (albeit without making a loss), the venues will NOT
> > play the shows!
> >
Not true. Any venue will host pretty much any gig if they don't think they're going to make a loss on it (Exactly - if they don't think they're going to make a loss on it - With Euro Metal most think they are going to make a loss, hence our struggle to secure a venue). This sounds like a promoter who isn't happy with the risk part of his job.(We are happy with the risk - 3 years of making a loss on Bloodstock is'nt bad, however we are trying to convert the ticket buying public to help out, i.e. buy in advance, venue becomes happy with Euro Metal, we put on other shows and don't miss the boat on other acts)
> > However, there is a solution.
> >
> >
> > Prove to the venues that there is an audience, by buying your ticket as soon
> > as possible in advance of the show. The venue will gain confidence in the
> > type of music and be prepared to stage another show.
>
>
This doesn't make sense. IF the venue were to judge how popular a show was they'd go on how many people actually paid to get in, not how early they bought their tickets (If the venue has not played a Euro Metal band then they have nothing to compare it to, hence the venues we contacted all want to know estimated pre-sales figures for a Euro Metal band - If we were promoting Thunder or The Darkness or Arch Enemy or Skid Row or UFO, Priest Motorhead, Leppard, etc etc, then no problem, but we are only referring to a particular style of music - Euro Metal).
But the venue doesn't make such judgements, the promoter does.(Yes, the promoter makes the judgement but still has to present it to the venue - ref venues wanting pre-sales estimates. Some London venues have in fact accepted guarantees from bands as stated above).
This sounds like it's coming from a promoter who is putting on a gig and is trying to recoup his stake as early as possible. (Why not? A different mode of marketing a show it may be. But the main reason for this is to expand the amount of Euro Metal style shows. We can only do this based on the pre-sales from one show which then secures the venue, which then provides the capital to secure the next band who is touring. If we take £5k pre-sales for Primal Fear by January - we can book another Euro act who wants to schedule a show in July. If we wait until the March date for sales of Primal Fear "on the door" then we will have missed the opportunity to book this other band and they then do not come to the UK).
Maybe they've provisionally scheduled a show which they claim is definitely happening but they know that they're going to pull it if they don't get enough pre-sales. (All those gigs planned for TJs!)
Some venues have their own promoters. It might seem like a good idea to petition those to put on more euro-metal but it's really not popular or well known enough. (Exactly - this is what we are trying to strive for. Bloodstock is a success now. Venues should take note and have the vision we have in putting on more shows - success will come)
The best thing to do is to promote your own shows...(We do!)
To get a band over from mainland Europe there's the fixed cost of flying/ferrying them and their equipment which will be prohibitively high for just one gig, so you really need to arrange a small tour.(The UK market for Euro Metal cannot stand a small tour - hence most bands only doing 1 show in London most of the time. We feel there is a market for another show outside of London but not a tour, hence trying to find a venue which will buy in to the concept of a Euro Metal show linked to Bloodstock which may draw 600-800 people or more!)
Plan several gigs in places a reasonable distance apart with cheap transport links between them. Use locals as free roadies and for expert knowledge of venue eg put on metal in TJs rather than the Welsh Club.
If you have faith in euro-metal agree to pay the band a fee independent of the number of people who turn up and pay each venue similarly. Get written confirmation.(This is what we are doing)
You might even make some money that way, if loads of people turn up. But I doubt it.
Other genres who have acts who are prepared to slum it a bit more do better I think, eg punk/hardcore playing tiny dingy venues and kipping on people's floors.(Most Euro Metal bands are big in mainland Europe and will not slum it in the UK unfortunately)
