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Web Exclusive: How to start your own all-ages venue

Alternative Press - Tim Karan on 9/1/09 @ 7:00 AM - altpress.com




For the past 13 years, my friends and I have been running our own all-ages venue, the Café Metropolis in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. We started out about as DIY as you can get, with a hacked-together sound system in a former paint store. It has been nervewracking, exhausting and not very lucrative, but it's also been a heck of a lot of fun.
   Opening an all-ages club is more complicated than just booking bands at your local American Legion hall. You need to take care of a million little details: You have to decipher health and safety regulations that were apparently written by Martians; you negotiate with landlords, cops and surly neighbors; and you have to pay Fall Out Boy at least $60, or they won't have enough gas to make it to their next gig. Here are some of the things I've learned over the years.

YOUR HOODIE CANNOT BE USED AS A FLOTATION DEVICE
All Time Low, Bayside, Cursive, Fall Out Boy, Gym Class Heroes, Hawthorne Heights, Mastodon and a million other cool bands from every state and more than 20 countries have played Café Metropolis. Even better, great local bands like the Menzingers, Title Fight and Motionless In White have launched their careers on our grimy little stage. But it hasn't been easy.
   What's the most important lesson I learned along the way? Running your own show is not quite the same thing as seeing a show as an audience member. It's fun, but it's a different flavor of fun. When I Am The Avalanche are onstage and somebody stuffs a hoodie down the toilet, it's not going to wait until the song is over. When Ted Leo is tuning his guitar, and he gets interrupted by a screaming, naked man covered in red paint, you know this is not like working at Walmart.

LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION
The first thing you need is a suitable location. Ideally, you want a space that is at street level. Climbing stairs with Marshall amps is not going to endear your venue to musicians. Also, anything above the ground floor means dealing with stricter fire and safety codes. If you are going to attract touring bands, you need to find a place that can hold from 100 to 300 people. A good rule of thumb is you need three square feet of floor space for each person. Ideally, that means between 1,000 and 2,000 square feet (about the size of an average McDonald's). Anything smaller and you are going to have a hard time booking bigger bands.
   Don't just scan the real estate ads in newspapers; get out and look for empty buildings. Knock on doors and ask around. Landlords are going to be skeptical and tricky to deal with. One way or another, they are going to know what is going on, so you won't get far trying to bluff them. And if someone asks you to sign a lease, please talk to a lawyer before you sign away your life.



LAWYERS, GUNS AND MONEY
Being in it for the long haul means being legal, and that means wading through a maze of permits and red tape. Local zoning and fire department regulations are complicated and vary wildly from town to town, but they are usually well documented online. Do your research. At minimum, you will probably be required to have two exits and at least one bathroom. You will raise a lot of red flags if you march down to City Hall and ask them what permits you need to open a punk-rock/all-ages club. It's not exactly something that makes the suits comfortable. Play nice and tell them you are opening a coffee shop or a café that features live entertainment. You don't have to lie, just make it easy for bureaucrats to put you in a category they already understand.
   You also need a sound system. This is going to be your biggest expense. You can start by renting small PA (public address) systems from a local music store for between $100 to $300 per night. Eventually, we started buying sound equipment piece by piece until we had a fairly decent set-up.

IT'S (NOT) ABOUT THE BENJAMINS
Dealing with bands and booking agencies is not always a walk in the park. The first thing you need to calculate is what the promoters and agents call your 'nut.' This is the amount you have to earn from every show to pay your expenses. If rent and expenses add up to $2,000 a month (not including what you pay the bands, or your workers) and you can do 10 shows every month, then you need to clear at least $200 every time you open the doors. One typical method of compensating performers is something known as the 'door deal.' A door deal means you agree to split anything over your nut (e.g. the $200) with them. Touring bands usually want a minimum 'guarantee' (an amount of cash agreed on beforehand) that they get paid regardless of whether or not anyone shows up. Sometimes the deal will include a minimum guarantee and a percentage of the take beyond a certain dollar amount.
   We have paid guarantees as little as $50 and as high as $1,000. Use your head when making deals. Be honest and upfront with booking agents and-this is critically important-don't be afraid to turn down a show if you don't think you will cover your costs. A hole in your schedule is better than screwing somebody over, or emptying your bank account every time a show does poorly.
Be sincere and flexible and most booking agents and bands will want to work with you. The idea is to create something that is sustainable in the long run. You have to worry about money constantly and sometimes that means tough decisions. Then again, if a band drive 300 miles in a snow storm and only 10 people show up, don't be a jerk and give them half the door money. Give them the entire $60. Pete Wentz might remember that next time.



"I started booking shows when I was a junior in high school just so my band would have a place to play. I usually rented out VFWs, Elks Halls or any small club that would allow for outside booking. It was always fun, even if it was a win-or-lose situation. For young bands, I would totally recommend getting into booking. The best thing about it for my bands was we got to trade shows with bands outside our region and build a fanbase in their hometown while they got the same shot in our hometown. The first Unearth show was actually put together by us. We booked an All Out War and Buried Alive tour package in our hometown just to guarantee that we would have a great first show. It worked and was worth the investment of their guarantees."
TREVOR PHIPPS
Unearth

"It is absolutely unacceptable to schlep a band from multiple states away to your town and not give them whatever it is you promised. How some promoters feel it's acceptable to deliver less than what was originally stipulated is very well and truly beyond my limited intelligence. If you promise a band a quarter of a banana and three kisses to play a show, you pay up a quarter of a banana and three kisses. No question."
MATT FOX
Shai Hulud

"If you are looking to book shows or help out at your local venue, please research what you're getting into. One of the biggest downfalls I see from touring and booking is that some venues aren't properly controlled, mostly from inexperience. Always have guarantees and expenses taken care of before you go into the show, so you don't make yourself seem like a noob. It will also ease the band's worries, especially if they are new to dealing with you. Always remember that almost 90 percent of the time, the bands are going through hell to just come play for you, so as much hospitality you can provide is always welcome."
MATT WILSON
Gold Five Productions

"[Booking shows] is the easiest way to get involved in your local and regional scenes. American Legion halls and VFW halls are the easiest venues to approach for your own shows. The important thing is to explain to the owner what you are doing and that you want to create a positive place for bands to play and kids to see a show. It doesn't hurt to have a few big friends to act as security, either. In the end, there's no better feeling than booking a show and paying a band from out of town to come play your town, especially if it's enough money to fill their gas tank to get back home. There are a lot of shady DIY promoters out there; being one of the reliable ones goes a long way in this business."
VINCE EDWARDS
Metal Blade Records

"I used to book shows because it was the only way I could ensure that As I Lay Dying would get to play with other good bands when we first started out. In fact, I think that's why the Christian music scene is great in San Diego: For all of us kids putting on the DIY all-ages shows, the only venues we could find without expensive overhead were churches."
TIM LAMBESIS
As I Lay Dying

"I remember every weekend, my brother and I would drive down to the Flint Local 432 and would always have something to do. I worked the front door, back door, stage and the store-and always did it with a smile. I was surrounded by my friends and had the time of my life. I think that's what showed us how to run shows and appreciate all the hard work people do to keep a venue going. This was one of the places that made people feel important and have a sense of purpose in the community-at least I know it did for me."
JONATHAN DIENER
The Swellers

"Whether you're buying your own space to create a venue or renting a shack and building a stage out of plywood, make sure you have a promoter or local kids willing to pass out fliers. Create a local street team. Also, post warning signs or look into insurance, because there's always some crazy kid who might break a leg or hurt someone. We've also had issues in the past with kids stealing things and smearing feces all over the bathrooms, so bring some of your bigger friends and write 'Security' on their shirt."
DAN MURPHY
Goodnight Sunrise

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all_ages Posted 09.15.09 at 11:33PM
This is an awesome article, but it's just the beginning. People should know that there's an organization that exists just to help you start a venue in your community. We're called All-Ages Movement Project, and you can find us at http;//allages.net In December, we're releasing our first book, IN EVERY TOWN: AN ALL AGES MUSIC MANUALFESTO, which will give you all the tools you need to get going. Do it yourself-->do it together!



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