TV's on Loudly while I'm trying to play at club????

[Don Mare]

I play At martini blues Monday nights -- Proffesor Rock -n-Roll 300 top 40 tunes from the past. Solo thru a PA..

I wait till sports is over on Mondays then try to draw custopmers into the room-- but as they walk in they see TV's above the BAR Full Blast.. and then they see a guy all by his self (ME!) playing to an empty room..

That TV _on thing is giving the potential main room customes the vibe that the guy playing music in the room next to the bar is not worth listing too???

they stay in the room with the bar, and never come around to my room..

Thursday night I paly a sushi bar and make a killing.. my music is valued there and I am paid a fee plus feed and tipped well..

at martinis I work for a precent of the take of my room.. if the bartender is stoping them in there tracks and keeping them in his room then its his tips,, I guess??

I don't no where to begian to complain or take a stance with this trap I'm caught in the middle of?

what is the right thing to do to keep peace and not cause hatred or compitition???

as is I do nothing and I've made one dollar for four shows.. the last for mondays.. its been empty.. no one comes over..

should I demand that the TV's are to be OFF when I play to encourage folks to party in the main room area?

or just get out of there?

or take this up with the owner and the bartender and myself all at the same time in the same room so theres no feeling of back stabbing?

I'm lost ??

[clayfeat]

Unless I had absolutely nothing else to do on Mondays, I would probably gracefully resign from the job. It doesn't sound like this place is a good fit for you. 8)

[PeterUK]

I'd have a word with the bartender and make a joke about how many (or few ) customers you're getting compared to other venues you play where people come to hear you play and bring lots of their friends.

Suggest to him that you'd like to experiment by having him turn down the volume of the TV for say, three or four sets per night (say 30-minutes each). Hint that you'll put the word around the neighbourhood that you're playing this great venue.

If he's bright, he should see the potential for extra traffic (customers) and give it a try. If not, then as suggested above, your probably better off finding another venue to fill your Monday night slot.

Let us know what you do.

:D Peter

[hankseiz]

It's like playing a joint and having the jukebox on while the band is playing. I'd definitely be thinking "what the ___ am i doing here".

Another thing that comes to mind is maybe promoting the gig a little....make some phone calls, e-mails....get the word out a bit. Some places have a built-in crowd & others you have to bring your own (especially on a Monday night ). Kindly, hank

[sidneystreet]

You might not be able to get them to turn off the TV, but you could certainly ask them to mute the sound and turn on the Closed-Captioning. That way, someone interested in your music can listen, and those catching up on TV can do that too.

I really admire you for hanging in there. I've played for some incredibly disappointing crowds before, but I still got paid either way. My ego was hurt a little, but not my pocketbook.

[TheGoodTexan]

Originally Posted by Don Mare

I play At martini blues Monday nights -- Proffesor Rock -n-Roll 300 top 40 tunes from the past. Solo thru a PA..

I wait till sports is over on Mondays then try to draw custopmers into the room-- but as they walk in they see TV's above the BAR Full Blast.. and then they see a guy all by his self (ME!) playing to an empty room.

Monday nights...hmmmm.....you're on the west coast, aren't you Don?

That puts Monday Night Football over around 9:30 for you?

Is that what time you're starting? 9:30 is kind of a late starting time for Monday nights, and if you're not on the west coast, then you're getting started even later.

I'm central time, but I know that after watching Monday Night Football, I'm not up for anything at all, not even music.

There are only 4 MDF games remaining. Maybe you should hold out for that, then try to begin a little earlier, with the TV off.

[TheGoodTexan]

Originally Posted by TheGoodTexan

Monday nights...hmmmm.....you're on the west coast, aren't you Don?

That puts Monday Night Football over around 9:30 for you?

Is that what time you're starting? 9:30 is kind of a late starting time for Monday nights, and if you're not on the west coast, then you're getting started even later.

I'm central time, but I know that after watching Monday Night Football, I'm not up for anything at all, not even music.

There are only 4 MNF games remaining. Maybe you should hold out for that, then try to begin a little earlier, with the TV off.

[Joe-Bob]

This is exactly why Elvis devised a "final solution" for many a TV set.

[TheGoodTexan]

How the heck did I end up double-posting and quoting myself? Unintentional.

[Joe-Bob]

Originally Posted by TheGoodTexan

How the heck did I end up double-posting and quoting myself? Unintentional.

Doood! Step away from the bong.

[rosett]

the lead singer in my last band bought a little electronic device that will turn off just about any tv. we had alot of fun in bars we were playing at with it, i think it cost under $10.

[Twin Reiver]

Now, don't shoot the messenger here, but I tended bar for 10 looong years. It is a rough job, especially when you're a jerk and it is very hard not to be a little bit of a jerk when you are tending bar. But what caught my attention immediately was this:

they walk in they see TV's above the BAR Full Blast.. and then they see a guy all by his self (ME!) playing to an empty room

Most of those 10 years I spent working in bars with live music. The only way a bartender makes any money— pays his rent, keeps his utilities on, buys strings—is if he gets tipped. By customers. Which he can not do if there are no customers. I'm not saying that this is the case, and I'm not saying it is right, but I was always amazed at bands who either cleared a full room or didn't bring anybody to fill an empty room who couldn't understand why I wasn't into them playing there. It was really nothing personal, but it was totally aggravating and it is hard to hide that aggravation. Especially towards the end of the month when bills are due and during the holidays. Personally, I like music a lot more than television (and, ironically, I hate bars with TVs in them), but it would be hard to resist turning on a football game to try to lure customers in when the music is not doing that. A football game can keep people planted at the bar and drinking for the good part of a shift. Should he have the closed captioning on if you are playing? Yeah, probably. But the guy is there on a dead shift, aggravated and worried about not making any money. I'll bet you anything he isn't the person who booked you and that they person who booked you isn't there.

So perhaps this isn't working out for anybody and you'd be better off dropping the place. But I tell you what: You fill that room and that bartender will do pretty much anything to keep you there and happy.

[ye olde fretmonkey]

Originally Posted by rosett

the lead singer in my last band bought a little electronic device that will turn off just about any tv. we had alot of fun in bars we were playing at with it, i think it cost under $10.

schweet!

Wonder if you could turn off people's TV's while you're out, say, walking the dog?

[eryque]

Originally Posted by ye olde fretmonkey

schweet!

Wonder if you could turn off people's TV's while you're out, say, walking the dog?

Since TV remotes work on a light signal, you could probably do it if you had a line of sight to the TV.