Local Spin: Argument for the Cover

3/6/08

I have a new angle on my old theme this week — supporting live, local music.

In my years of playing this game I call being a musician, I have heard my share of rants from both sides of the fence when it comes to who is responsible for bringing people and, frankly, money through the doors when it comes time for a show.

It seems to be a never-ending battle at times. Bands expect to be paid a reasonable wage for the work they do. Bar owners, on their end, need to bring in a certain amount of money to pay bands. Simple math, right?

So here’s the deal. On one side of the fence, you have musicians. Despite what some people may think, performing live music involves work.

It often involves years of learning the instrument and material, not to mention the various challenges involved in forming and keeping a band together.

There are also costs, ranging from equipment to gas and food. While there are a few full-time musicians out there, most have day jobs, many have families and all have other responsibilities, too.

Out of all the musicians I’ve ever met, I can’t think of any who were really in it for the money. That said, being compensated for the work we do is important to us and is necessary for us to be able to play.

Let me flip to the other side for a second. Bar owners are trying to run a business. Most of them are not really in it because they expect to get rich, either.

By the same token, they have lots of expenses as well. So when they decide to hire bands, they are taking a bit of a risk and also making an investment in their business.

I asked a local bar owner to give me a sense of what it costs to put on a band. This person told me that it was basically a four-to-one equation, meaning for a good night for the band and the bar, they need to make four times the band’s price for everything to work out. That can be hard to do.

So where am I going with all of this? Well, I have a solution, or at least something I think would help. I think bars and bands need to charge a cover. Now before you squawk, give me a few more lines. Fortunately for you, I have a limit.

If bars were able to charge a cover, it would take some of the responsibility off them to pay for the band.

It would also challenge bands to bring people in and at the same time they would know the money at the door was for them versus guessing how well the bar did.

Of course, this all rides on one group of people — not the musicians or the bar owners, but the community.

Are you willing to pay a few bucks to get in and support the bands you come to see? I’m talking a cover ranging on average from three to five bucks, about the cost of one drink. Are the bands worth one drink?

I’ve lived in and visited many different places, and almost everywhere I’ve been, you get charged a cover to hear live music.

I’ve heard people say people won’t pay a cover in Rutland. I think that’s a load of bull and those people aren’t the ones who will make the bar or the bands any money anyway.

If you think of what you spend on an average day, and how often you drop a few dollars on random stuff, why is it a problem to pay for live entertainment — entertainment that is put on by your friends and neighbors, no less.

And here’s the kicker. If you think the music sucks here in Rutland, charging a cover is one way that bar owners could afford to bring in better bands from different places.

Musicians shouldn’t have to beg to get paid. Bar owners shouldn’t lose money providing you entertainment. If you’ve got a better suggestion than cover charges, let me know.

… and by George, keep supporting live, local music!

George Nostrand is a local leader of a band of Pocketeers and a ranting writer, who hopes you go see one of his favorite local bands, Bona Fide Dregs, at Sidelines on Friday.

Give me some Spin! What’s going on with your band, your venue, or your cousin’s uncle’s brother’s band? If it’s musical and it’s happening in the Rutland area I want to hear about it. Send me an e-mail at:localspin@gmail.com.