SLMC

ticious · Joined: 03 Sep 2007 Posts: 2086 Location: Chicago

RUNNING A SUCCESSFUL LIVE MUSIC VENUE - Part One: The Show

This FAQ was written by the owner of multiple successful live music venues. My experience extends only to live music venues similar to my own and this FAQ is not intended to be the 'last word' in how to run a venue. This is simply my experience as a venue owner and as a guest at many other successful live music venues.

This FAQ relates specifically to running a stand alone live music venue (one which is not 'attached' to a mall, store, rental property or some other business or project). Some of the concepts here can be applied to any venue but there are also significant differences between these types of venues. If your venue focuses more on dj'd events, parties and/or contests or if your reason for running a venue is to promote a business or project, some of the concepts presented here may not apply to you.

Part One of this FAQ is focused on running a successful show. Part Two will deal with the business issues.

Define 'successful live music venue'
A successful live music venue is one where musicians enjoy performing and where guests enjoy hanging out. Fortunately, these two factors usually go together. When their fans have a good time, most musicians have a good time. And when people have a good time at your venue, they'll want to come back to have a good time again. This is the key to running a successful venue; return visitors who eventually become regular visitors!!

Example (actual im received from a guest):
Guest: I LOVE this venue...its great.
Venue Owner: Thanks!!! I really appreciate you taking the time to say that Smile

.
Guest: shoot, I like a nice venue too...and this is a cool one. I'm seriously digging on it.
Venue Owner: I'm really glad you enjoy it. That's what it's here for Very Happy

That's the definition of a successful venue!

Make it a good experience for your audience.
The biggest mistake people make when they open a live music venue is in thinking that running a successful venue is about the music or the business or both. It's not. Running a successful life music venue is about the AUDIENCE. Without them, there is no point to running a venue. Everything you do should be focused on the enjoyment of your visitors.

Navigation and Lag
See the FAQ on building a live music venue for tips on making your venue a comfortable place for people to move around in.

http://slmc.myfastforum.org/about1477.html

A successful live music venue will have a lot of visitors (20 - 60 for most shows, more for some shows). This means lag. You can't prevent it, you can minimize it.

DO minimize the number of lag generating objects, like high resolution signs, or flashing signs, excessive pose balls and animations (including dance ball sets) that you place on your venue.
DO NOT limit what your guests can and can't do by turning off scripts or asking them to not wear bling just to minimize lag. Look to your build, not to your guests to control lag on your venue.
DO position your tp in point within sight of the stage and dance area.
DO keep your venue as free of obstructions (especially between the tp in area and the stage) as your venue's theme allows.
DO NOT put up a lot of signs or furniture where your guests are likely to try to walk before they're fully rezzed and can see these objects.
DO NOT expect your guests to read signs at the tp in point. They will walk away from it before the sign has rezzed.

Conversation
Lively room chat can be the key to a good and fun show for many people. In many cases and for many visitors, this may be even more important than the quality of the music (only to a certain degree of course!!). A good host will actively engage in the room chat and will assure that the room chat stays positive and fun.

DO Follow room chat and engage in the conversation of your guests. Keep it going when it slows down. Keep it light, focused on the show, the guests and FUN!!
DO individually greet your guests as they arrive if the show is small. However, as the crowd grows, don't type a steady stream of greetings, this comes across as insincere. It's better to focus on engaging in the general chat and type more general (though sincere) greetings to the crowd as a whole.
DO individually greet your regulars even when the crowd is large. They deserve special consideration and attention if you expect to keep them as regulars.
DO personally thank each person who tips the venue, regardless of the size of the tip, and use their name. Vary your message and do not worry too much about the occasional typo (except in the tipper's name). Occasional typos show the audience you are there and personally engaged. This will not only make the tipper feel appreciated, others will be more inclined to tip.
DO NOT Rely on a HUD or auto greeter to greet your guests. These are a complete waste of money and detract from the friendly atmosphere of your venue rather than adding to it. No one feels 'greeted' by a script (and everyone knows it's a script) and the message is clear; you don't really care if they're there or not and can't be bothered with greetings. If you really are too busy, fine. Do an occasion greeting to the overall crowd. But don't delegate your responsibility to a scripted object.
DO NOT Rely on pre-programmed macros or gestures to issue your crowd greetings to tip thank yous. The crowd can tell the difference. Macros and gestures are as cold and impersonal as auto greeters.
DO NOT spam the audience with constant tip requests. Once per quarter hour is the max COMBINED for musician and venue tip requests. A constant barrage of tip requests does NOT generate more revenue, it alienates the audience and actually reduces revenue.

Chat Spam!!
There are very few things that will ruin a show for your guests like chat spam. It doesn't matter if the spam is an audience member 'singing' along over zealously, an audience member using oversized ASCII gestures (these have become quite a fad, but only the spammer enjoys them, the rest of the audience hates them), a musician's manager or helper asking for tips/group joins, or your host using a HUD to greet people and ask for venue tips. For your audience, all of this has the same feel. IT'S SPAM and it's NOT FUN!!!

DO privately im spammers and ask them politely to stop. If they're singing along or using ASCII gestures, most likely they don't realize what they're doing may be annoying to others, so be nice about it. But be firm and if they persist or if they get rude about it, eject them. This one person is NOT as important as the rest of your audience.
DO NOT confront spammers in open chat. This dampens the fun for the rest of your guests. Keep it as quiet and private as possible. If the spammer takes the conversation to open chat, eject them, make a short joke about it in open chat, and let it go.
DO be up front with musician managers about your spam policies at the time of booking. Ask them to limit their tip, group join and website url spams to a frequency you (and your guests) find acceptable (three per hour on the quarter hour should be the absolute maximum).
DO NOT ask your guests to tip the musician if the musician has a helper or manager on the venue asking for tips.
DO NOT ask your guests to tip the venue more than once in a one hour set. Most musicians will remind the audience to tip the venue at least once also, that makes two venue tip requests plus up to three musician tip requests. That's already more tip requests than many guests are going to want to hear. And remember, each time you or the musician thanks someone for tipping, it's a reminder to the rest of your guests.

Rude Guests (not griefers)
People who boo the musician or are otherwise rude and negative in open chat or who behave disruptively (repeatedly bumping people, rezzing large objects, harassing guests with unwanted advances or any other behavior that causes discomfort to your other guests) should be privately asked to stop (via im, not room chat) and if they don't stop immediately upon being asked, they should be ejected. It's better to eject this one person than to have someone else leave.

DO be vigilant for people behaving rudely or bothering your guests. Don't wait for someone to complain. In Second Life, it's so easy to tp to another show that most guest will choose to do this rather than bother with trying to figure out to whom they need to complain. And they will tp out with a bad opinion of your venue, not the rude guest, the rude guest, they'll quickly forget.
DO make sure your venue hosts and managers are easily identified by their group tags in case someone does need help.
DO check the rude guest's profile to see if they are a newbie. It's possible they don't realize their conduct is disruptive. They may not even be aware there is a musician performing live on the stage. Try to take the time to inform them. But if they persist, be prepared to eject them.
DO NOT address the issue in open chat. Keep it in im. It's often a good idea, when it appears one guest may be annoying another guest to IM the 'victim'. Often it turns out to be friendly banter. However, if the 'friendly banter' is making other guests uncomfortable, be prepared to ask them to take it to IM.
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Joy is in the ears that hear
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- The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant

Creola Deledda · Posted: Mon Jun 16, 2008 12:28 am Post subject:

Very good post Ticious - I wish every venue owner/manager/hosts, and musician managers should read it! Kudos to you for posting this. Very Happy

Doubledown Tandino · Posted: Mon Jun 16, 2008 12:32 pm Post subject:

Yeah, this is primo stuff. Like a creed or mantra.
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Nad · Joined: 05 Sep 2007 Posts: 416 Location: at my puter.

I've been in a lot of venues on either side of the stage. This FAQ is a milestone in the SL music timeline. Thank you.
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Sally Silvera · Posted: Tue Jun 17, 2008 6:30 am Post subject:

/me applauds

From a music hopper point of view you've just created the backdrop to a great experience! Though that's not surprising really Embarassed

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ticious · Joined: 03 Sep 2007 Posts: 2086 Location: Chicago

If any of you regular venue hoppers or venue owners/hosts think of stuff I missed that you feel is important, let me know, I'll be happy to add it into the main post. This section is intended to inform people, and it would be great to have more thoughts than just mine Laughing

_________________
Joy is in the ears that hear
- Saltheart Foamfollower
- The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant