Do Covers Bands 'pull' an audience?

[Bilbo]

[quote name='chris_b' post='1184513' date='Apr 1 2011, 11:56 AM']Also, you are asking opinions from the wrong people. Cover bands are aimed at the general public not musicians.[/quote]

Not really. I know that most of the gigs I do with covers bands are to audiences that are there anyway: weddings, functions etc and rarely is the size of the audience determined by the band ot the content of its sets. The only 'choices' that take place are the ones where someone in the audience likes the band and books them for another gig later on. The jazz gigs I do are mostly in a similar vein; functions, private parties etc. although some are in the public domain. We do pull an audience at our regular gigs (biggest at the venue in question, they tell us, although that's not hard) but some of them are certainly regulars and are there anyway.

[stingrayPete1977]

[quote name='Bilbo' post='1184528' date='Apr 1 2011, 12:04 PM']Not really. I know that most of the gigs I do with covers bands are to audiences that are there anyway: weddings, functions etc and rarely is the size of the audience determined by the band ot the content of its sets. The only 'choices' that take place are the ones where someone in the audience likes the band and books them for another gig later on. The jazz gigs I do are mostly in a similar vein; functions, private parties etc. although some are in the public domain. We do pull an audience at our regular gigs (biggest at the venue in question, they tell us, although that's not hard) but some of them are certainly regulars and are there anyway.[/quote]
Most of those bands will be doing both anyway, The pub gigs are good for moral IME and testing new tracks out. Beer tokens in the pockets for the band and a lot of functions come from those gigs too either just from someone asking after the gig as they have an event coming up or someone that would like to see you play to potentially play their wedding and can be invited down the dog and duck to see what your like, You cant really invite them to someone elses wedding to watch can you?

Edited April 1, 2011 by stingrayPete1977

[Lozz196]

We had a following in certain venues, that, when we went there socially to see other bands, those people weren`t there. Strange though, as we seemd to have specific people go to specific venues to see us, but we would rarely see them at any other venues, didn`t seem to like travelling. They were probably local to the venues, and just venture out whenever bands they like play there.

[robocorpse]

Pay to play is bollox, but can sometimes be indulged if its a really good slot you are getting for an originals band.
Pay to play for [b]cover bands[/b] is DOUBLE bollox, as everyone knows cover bands always attract a half decent crowd and make people dance and sing along when they have had a few, this keeps the beer flowing and the landlord happy. Face it, most venues are booking almost exclusively cover bands nowadays as they know its an instant crowd and even if the band is sh*t (which most cover bands are in some way or another) they can still get away with it.

[Doddy]

Of course a cover band can pull a crowd. If you are a good band,people will come out to see you specifically,just like any other band.
My old band used to get regular work a long way from home because when we played,the clubs had better attendance when we were on. One of them even used to charge £6 on the door and was always rammed.

[Norris]

We've had people travel all over the county to see us play, for the last 15 years or so. Using [url="http://www.facebook.com/CheezeBand"]facebook[/url] is a very good way of getting the regulars to turn up.

Most places that put on entertainment will pull a crowd if the bands are of a decent quality, and the gigs are [u]regular[/u]. Pulling in your own following as well makes for a great night. If a place is going to put live bands on, you can't dabble - you've got to keep at it for at least 6 months so that the locals get used to it.

Charging on the door never really works for covers bands. I remember one New Year's eve playing to an empty room after having packed out the place all year - because the landlord decided to charge that night. The regulars were all crammed in the bar where they could hear us without paying. Eventually the landlord relented and dropped the door charge - instant packed room again

[u]Good[/u] covers bands [u]do[/u] pull an audience

[stingrayPete1977]

[quote name='Lozz196' post='1184546' date='Apr 1 2011, 12:13 PM']We had a following in certain venues, that, when we went there socially to see other bands, those people weren`t there. Strange though, as we seemd to have specific people go to specific venues to see us, but we would rarely see them at any other venues, didn`t seem to like travelling. They were probably local to the venues, and just venture out whenever bands they like play there.[/quote]
This man speaks sense all sounds familiar to me matey.


Doddy are you still Gassing after Taylor Swifts Backing singer?

[ThomBassmonkey]

Tribute bands and covers bands are very different things in this sense IMO. A tribute band will pull in a crowd (or not) depending on what band they're paying tribute to.

Covers bands seem to be more general entertainment. People might go to a pub because "there's a band on" but I don't often hear of people going to see a specific cover band (though some do have a reputation for being good and will encourage more people to go, I doubt it'd make the difference between an empty and full room though IME) but that's more of a tipping the scales than the biggest deciding factor.

[wateroftyne]

[quote name='ThomBassmonkey' post='1184608' date='Apr 1 2011, 11:41 AM']I don't often hear of people going to see a specific cover band[/quote]
It happens a lot 'round our way....

[Conan]

[quote name='robocorpse' post='1184551' date='Apr 1 2011, 12:19 PM']if the band is sh*t (which most cover bands are in some way or another)[/quote]

Eh? Why do you say that? Most cover bands are in some way sh*t?

[Doddy]

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' post='1184607' date='Apr 1 2011, 12:40 PM']Doddy are you still Gassing after Taylor Swifts Backing singer? [/quote]

Yes

[Conan]

[quote name='wateroftyne' post='1184611' date='Apr 1 2011, 12:42 PM']It happens a lot 'round our way....[/quote]

Yup! Even in my last pub blues band (all covers) we had quite a lot of people who would follow us around the region for gigs. Neither we nor our venues ever charged a cover fee. If the bar is busy and sells a lot of drink, then the venue should be able to pay the band from the extra money they took that night.

[Pete Academy]

[quote name='robocorpse' post='1184551' date='Apr 1 2011, 12:19 PM']Pay to play is bollox, but can sometimes be indulged if its a really good slot you are getting for an originals band.
Pay to play for [b]cover bands[/b] is DOUBLE bollox, as everyone knows cover bands always attract a half decent crowd and make people dance and sing along when they have had a few, this keeps the beer flowing and the landlord happy. Face it, most venues are booking almost exclusively cover bands nowadays as they know its an instant crowd and[b] even if the band is sh*t (which most cover bands are in some way or another) they can still get away with it.[/b][/quote]

That's quite a sweeping statement.

[Doddy]

[quote name='robocorpse' post='1184551' date='Apr 1 2011, 12:19 PM']. Face it, most venues are booking almost exclusively cover bands nowadays as they know its an instant crowd and even if the band is sh*t (which most cover bands are in some way or another) they can still get away with it.[/quote]

...and all original bands are ace,right?

Yes there are sh*t covers bands,bit there are also top drawer ones.
Mind you,I suppose it depends on your definition of sh*t.

[Pete Academy]

[quote name='Doddy' post='1184632' date='Apr 1 2011, 12:56 PM']...and all original bands are ace,right?

Yes there are sh*t covers bands,bit there are also top drawer ones.
Mind you,I suppose it depends on your definition of sh*t.[/quote]

Something considered disgusting, of poor quality, foolish, or otherwise totally unacceptable.

[FlatEric]

I'm in a covers band and on a good night, we would get around 15 or 20 people turn
up, that we know are regulars and also some faces we have seen at other gigs, so. .
Yes!


I have started taking pics if the audience, so when we are looking to get another
gig at the same venue, you show them the crowd!

Like this. . .



Works a treat.

All of us also like to see other covers bands, bonus if they do a few of their own.

On the flipside, I know several Originals bands, who are all very good but sometimes
struggle to get a reasonable crowd and very rarely get paid.

Shame, after all their time and effort.


As a covers band, I always think it pays to let the punters know what you do - on posters
put "Soul, Ska, Blues, Rock" or a mixture of what you do.
If someone turns up looking for a night of Soul and Groove, they perhaps won't stay
too long for Classic Rock!

Cheers.

[dmccombe7]

I would definately pay to see a good cover band.
Cetera's Kiss tribute band "Dressed to Kill" played at a local venue with 2 other bands.
400+ people attended at £13.50 a ticket. Very busy night.

All tribute / cover bands. All were good and i would go back to see them again.

DTK do put on a great show and you are paying for the show as well as the competency of the musicians.

There's not much chance of Kiss playing locally or even in Scotland. Maybe this is the next best thing.

I also have friends playing as a Led Zep tribute band and tour abroad regularly with this act.

They are always well packed at their venues.

Must be a demand for it !

Agree with most comments that if the band are good they will pull an audience.

Dave

[farmer61]

[quote name='Bilbo' post='1184397' date='Apr 1 2011, 10:52 AM']Just thinking about another thread about paying to play and it got me thinking. Do people think that a covers band develops a following or are they just one in a long line of covers bands appearing at the same venues week after week? The only covers bands I have seen in the last few years have been when I have gone to a pub that others take me to because they go here every week. When I used to go regularly as a teenager, the audience in The Isca pub or El Seico's in Newport was near as damn it always the same people. I have no doubt that a tribute band will pull an audience of fans of the subject act but just wondered whether covers bands doing the kinds of set lists we have seen here recently are an attraction in their own right or whether they just fulfil a need by default.

Any thoughts?

My query is a response to the idea that a covers band would be asked to 'pay to play' on the promise of a percentage of door take and that they would be expected to 'pull' an audience. So I am curious whether punters are selective about which covers bands they see of whether they are going to the 'venue where there is a band on', irrespective of who the band is.[/quote]
We do

[TheRev]

[quote name='Pete Academy' post='1184481' date='Apr 1 2011, 11:33 AM']There seems to be a reluctance for people to pay to see cover bands. I remember one of the regular pub venues in Stoke charging two quid after he had always let people in for free, and there was much moaning from the visitors, many of whom walked away in disgust.

Personally, I think you should be expected to pay in most cases. All the hard work rehearsing, not to mention buying expensive gear, deserves to be recognised, and a couple of quid wouldn't go amiss.[/quote]


I'm very much in favour of venues that don't charge on the door and pay the bands a decent whack as 1) you get lots of punters through the door and 2) You get a better quality band who will work to entertain said punters and keep them in the bar all night.

A local example of this is on Gloucester Road in Bristol - a busy main route into the city centre with a large student population. There are two live music venues practically next door to each other, The Prom and The Blue Lagoon. The Prom charges £3-5 on the door and pays the band £60 plus passing a hat round. The Blue Lagoon doesn't charge on the door and pays £190. On a typical Friday night, the Blue Lagoon is rammed and the Prom is half empty. I've seen people walk past the Blue Lagoon and stop and listen to the band before going on to the Prom. Most of the time they come back 2 minutes later because they don't want to pay £5 for a band no better that the one they can see for free. Most of the bands that I know (myself included) would much rather play the Blue Lagoon as it's decent money, you get well looked after by the owners and there's a regular flow of punters, ranging from drunk students out for a laugh to wizened old jazzers who regularly come along for the quality of the music.

I believe that a band should be paid well (£40 per muso for a pub gig) and then the venue can decide whether to recoup the money by charging on the door or allowing people in fro free and hoping that the band will draw in enough punters to cover the band in the bar takings. A good band will keep a venue full and keep the bar busy, resulting in a happy landlord and a repeat booking. I know that times is hard and staff have to be paid etc, but the above model works for the Blue Lagoon, who have staff and serve food etc, so why can't it work for other venues?

[Doddy]

[quote name='FlatEric' post='1184686' date='Apr 1 2011, 01:32 PM']As a covers band, I always think it pays to let the punters know what you do - on posters
put "Soul, Ska, Blues, Rock" or a mixture of what you do.
If someone turns up looking for a night of Soul and Groove, they perhaps won't stay
too long for Classic Rock![/quote]

I think that is an important point.
The most successful cover bands that I've seen or been in have had a 'theme' to them. Be it Classic Rock,Funk and Soul,Britpop or whatever. That way the audience knows roughly what they are getting and are more likely to turn out if it's the kind of music that they enjoy. It's kind of part way beyond a cover band and a tribute-kind of a tribute to a specific genre.

[Conan]

[quote name='Doddy' post='1184632' date='Apr 1 2011, 12:56 PM']...and all original bands are ace,right?

Yes there are sh*t covers bands,bit there are also top drawer ones.
Mind you,I suppose it depends on your definition of sh*t.[/quote]

Over the years, I've endured far more "sh*t" original bands than I ever have covers acts. There is a lot of competition on the covers circuit and if you want to get regular, well-paid gigs you have to stand out from the mediocre bands. Yes, some are better than others, but I have to say that the standard of musicianship among most cover bands is pretty amazing. Their images/performances could possibly do with a bit of work - but that's a separate issue!

[Conan]

[quote name='Doddy' post='1184751' date='Apr 1 2011, 02:15 PM']The most successful cover bands that I've seen or been in have had a 'theme' to them. Be it Classic Rock,Funk and Soul,Britpop or whatever. That way the audience knows roughly what they are getting and are more likely to turn out if it's the kind of music that they enjoy. It's kind of part way beyond a cover band and a tribute-kind of a tribute to a specific genre.[/quote]

Agreed. But from there it's a small step to becoming a true tribute act. I find these to be a different propostion altogether from a covers band playing a range of material from a range of acts within a perceived "genre". I personally would rather see the latter... Not that I'm putting tribute acts down, but they are a very specialised part of the market - usually even going so far as to turn down prospective band members because they don't look like the musician that they will be pretending to be...

All very strange!

[Happy Jack]

[quote name='JTUK' post='1184463' date='Apr 1 2011, 11:26 AM']There are also one or two places that have an audience themselves and people will go there as the landlord has painstakingly accrued the bands he likes and that keeps the standard up..generally. People will go to these places on spec as the bands are known to be good, so will take a chance on unknown/unseen..but they are hard places for bands to get into, of course.
But if you do that.... you'll get good expeosure.[/quote]

That's an observation worth noting, BTW.

One of the best ways to build up exactly the following that the OP refers to is to break in to the handful of genuinely premier music pubs, the places where people go on a Saturday night simply because they know that, whoever the band is, they'll be good because the landlord only books good bands.

[Doddy]

[quote name='TheRev' post='1184747' date='Apr 1 2011, 02:13 PM']I'm very much in favour of venues that don't charge on the door and pay the bands a decent whack as 1) you get lots of punters through the door and 2) You get a better quality band who will work to entertain said punters and keep them in the bar all night.

A local example of this is on Gloucester Road in Bristol - a busy main route into the city centre with a large student population. There are two live music venues practically next door to each other, The Prom and The Blue Lagoon. The Prom charges £3-5 on the door and pays the band £60 plus passing a hat round. The Blue Lagoon doesn't charge on the door and pays £190. On a typical Friday night, the Blue Lagoon is rammed and the Prom is half empty. I've seen people walk past the Blue Lagoon and stop and listen to the band before going on to the Prom. Most of the time they come back 2 minutes later because they don't want to pay £5 for a band no better that the one they can see for free. Most of the bands that I know (myself included) would much rather play the Blue Lagoon as it's decent money, you get well looked after by the owners and there's a regular flow of punters, ranging from drunk students out for a laugh to wizened old jazzers who regularly come along for the quality of the music.

I believe that a band should be paid well (£40 per muso for a pub gig) and then the venue can decide whether to recoup the money by charging on the door or allowing people in fro free and hoping that the band will draw in enough punters to cover the band in the bar takings. A good band will keep a venue full and keep the bar busy, resulting in a happy landlord and a repeat booking. I know that times is hard and staff have to be paid etc, but the above model works for the Blue Lagoon, who have staff and serve food etc, so why can't it work for other venues?[/quote]

But on the other hand there are bands on the covers circuit that get £400-500 (and more) and the clubs charge 5 or 6 + quid on the door and
still get full,be it from a regular crowd or from people who have come specifically for the particular band.

[JTUK]

[quote name='Happy Jack' post='1184758' date='Apr 1 2011, 02:22 PM']That's an observation worth noting, BTW.

One of the best ways to build up exactly the following that the OP refers to is to break in to the handful of genuinely premier music pubs, the places where people go on a Saturday night simply because they know that, whoever the band is, they'll be good because the landlord only books good bands.[/quote]


We have targeted what we consider the best places of the local towns/cities round here. The best, as far as we are concerned, are big places that aren't a sqeeze for the band, pay reasonable monies and are manily town pubs which means lots of passing trade.
Once they ( punters) are in, it is upto the band to keep them... and the landlord doesn't want his accrued punters to walk so he IS discerning
and goes with what he knows and wants.

But, once you get in.. then the favour is returned as he supplies you with a market that you haven't had to trawl that many dives for.

The downside is that that venue might 'encourage' you not to play locally on his patch and it is up to the two parties concerned to work out
if this suits.
Personally, if the 'premier' venue..and all landlords would say that, btw..ha ha .. is indeed that, then we are happy with this 'exclusivity' deal..but again..it has to cut both ways.
He might have to offer us 4 gigs a year for us not to play his local competition and that seems reasonable.

We are a relatively new band so have had to go in on the low side money-wise..£200-240, for the whole year but will talk to the landlord if it works well by our second gig.
If you do well for him/her, then another £40-60 a night is not an issue..if he is doing £3000 of takings.
You just need a fair arrangment with the venue. They don't mind paying if they are earning..but breaking through is the hard part.

If the landlords can't get that last part....the relationship/trust goes downhill somewhat.

Edited April 1, 2011 by JTUK