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I took someone's idea that on a slow night... give the bar a break.
Tonight was very slow.
I cut my price in half tonight to ensure that bar didn't take a loss.
I like the gig and it's close to home.
I know I feel much better than if I had charged my fulll price and the bar had taken a loss. I can now sleep well tonight.
Thank you, whoever you are (I've forgotten who mentioned the idea on this board).

I do the same from time to time. I mentioned in another thread that it is easyer to ask good money up front and give a break on bad nights than to start low and expect to get a raise later. we really are paid to bring people into the bar . if we do not then we have not really fulfilled our part of the deal. Bar owners see it this way and appreciate when we do to.

on shows where I make average or low pay I figure it averages out as they don't give me extra on good nights. those places I don't. BUT on shows where im demanding premium pay for the night Im happy to take a hit from time to time.

I had to do this on wednesday last week. NOBODY showed up it was really dead. so I offered to leave at 12 rather than 2 and took $75 off the price. I still got paid ok for my setup and tear down trouble.

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the voices arent real, but they have some good ideas

You're welcome

I did this once trying to be a good guy, then the bar EXPECTED me to do it everytime they were slow. One night we actually had a decent night going, stayed open all night, they claimed they didn't make enough & would only pay 1/2.
Be careful trying to be the good guy!

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LIKE Lonman on Facebook - Lonman Productions Karaoke & my main site via my profile!

My Bf just told me the same thing, Lon.
For me, it was a one-ioff kind of thing and I doubt I will be doing it again as this is the same bar who didn't want me to do my regular Sun gig if I did my once a month Saturday at the other place.
The felt it was too slow after that and people wern't coming because there was karaoke the night before.
What they refused to understand is that the people who WERE there that night, were ones who came from the night before gig for more (I had told them to come out the next night, and some did!). Don't know where my regulars were that night. MIA

yes you can get burned it depends on who you are dealing with. I gave one place a break cause it was bad. the next week it still wasn't great but better. I took off $20 and he was happy. next week was good and i was back to full pay.

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the voices arent real, but they have some good ideas

Yep, no good deed goes unpunished.

WORD to what Lonman said. If there's one thing all bar owners are good at, it's crying poverty.

Does the bar pay you double your nightly rate when the place is packed? When you charge half, youre saying your only worth half. Lonman nailed it, they will start EXPECTING it when nights are slow.

Mojo

do you go into a bar to book a show and tell em "well I don't think many people will usually show up"??? No 'cause you would never book a show. you go in saying you are going to bring people in there bar. most bar owners couldnt give a hoot if you are doing Karaoke, Dj ing or standing on your head whistling out your bum! as long as you bring people in there bar who spend money. If you do not bring in people who spend money have you done your job?? If you don't do what your paid to at any other job you will not be getting paid for long, why should this be different??

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the voices arent real, but they have some good ideas

Not completely true. I have a bar owner who wants a crowd, but not the wrong type. In their case, they specifically say they don't want it loud and rappy, because they "don't want to attract the baggy-pants type".


Someone hasn't done their job. Not necessarily the host.


It won't be different. I am new, so I haven't had this happen yet, but if I find a place where after 4-6 weeks I think it just isn't going to go, I will tell the owner that and that I will stop coming.

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[color=#ffff55]Mickey J.[/color]
Alas for those who never sing, but die with all their music in them.
-- Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.

I personally would not do this because in my experience most owners wouldn't appreciate the gesture and would take advantage of it in the future.

If I had a bar owner that I personally knew well enough and we scratched each others backs honestly - so to speak - I would do it. But I would think that would be extremely rare.

I take the money and run on a slow night because I know when I have a busy night I won't get paid more.

Only you know this owner and you have to use your own instincts when coming to business decisions. Just be careful you don't shoot yourself in the foot because you are a good natured person.

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[shadow=pink][glow=deepskyblue]. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
[updown]~*~ MONKEY BUSINESS KARAOKE~*~ [/shadow][/updown][/glow]

It appears the consensus is in. I won't be doing this again in the future.
I am fortunate that it's the bartender that works that night and not the owner so he likely won't even ask for a discount on slow nights in the future.

And yes, I DID my job for those of you who question it.
I promote it as much as I can, but the club is dark, dingy, dirty, and smelly.
The locals call it the dungeon so that should give you a good idea of what I'm up against.
Many people refuse to go there because they hate the "atmosphere" and vehemently dislike one of the owners. She has turned alot of people off in a VERY short time.
When I mentioned the bad atmosphere to this same owner and that a coat of paint would do wonders for the place and perhaps improve the customer base, she told me that it's the "essence of the club". ROTFLMAO
Whatever THAT means!
My take (and alot of other people's take) is that the "essence" is eau de scumbag.
She's from a much larger city, rather new to the area, and just cannot grasp the idea that this is a small town and people here are different.
We don't like dark smelly clubs.
This was once a mining town not so long ago and the locals have spent enough time in the dark as it is.
There is not enough of a population base to support the kind of club she's going for and she just cannot grasp that concept.
Why she would go for that market anyways is beyond me, since the other market usually has more dineros to spend.
Oh, well, I tried to tell her as have others.
I suspect it's a downhill ride from here and I will just have to ride it out.

I guess my question is if you don't like the place, & no one else likes the place ie don't come in because of the dirty smelly atmosphere, the owner likes it as is and thinks it's what people want so no changes to clean it up - then WHY do you want to work there? I'd move on to something that could become a more lucrative venture iff'n it were me.

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LIKE Lonman on Facebook - Lonman Productions Karaoke & my main site via my profile!

Because it's close to home and in my small town, there are a limited number of venues.
Because I like the bartender and the few customers that WILL come in there.
Because I know, given enough time, that the customer base WILL pick up, despite the drawbacks.(Will it be enough? Who know?)
Because I can't smell (I have sinus issues) even though others can, so the smell obviously doesn't bother me.
Because I need the income. I can no longer do nursing because I need a total knee replacement and have no other income options at this time.

If this doesn't work out, I'll rethink my otpions, but until then, I'm determined to try to make this work.

You said you can't smell, but think about this. The odors will attach themselvers to you and your equipment. You can bathe when you get home and do laundry, but what about your equipment. People will notice it when they get near your cloth covered speakers and your song books. Peeeeeeyuuuuuuu!

Guess I'm lucky that none of my stuff is cloth covered!
It's all plastic.
The smell isn't THAT bad either, so I'm told.
It's just THERE and annoys people who can smell it.

diafel said, "I promote it as much as I can, but the club is dark, dingy, dirty, and smelly.
The locals call it the dungeon so that should give you a good idea of what I'm up against.
Many people refuse to go there because they hate the "atmosphere" and vehemently dislike one of the owners. She has turned alot of people off in a VERY short time."

If I were you I'd start looking for a new venue 'cause this place won't be in business for very long. Particulalry the part about the owner running people off. That and it being a nasty smelly HELLHOLE!!

IF other people can smell the stench then it IS getting on your clothing and equipment, plastic or not and they can smell it on YOU whether you can tell or not.

The morning after working go back and smell your clothing and equipment. Ive done this when the wifey has complained about cigarette smoke stench on my clothes after going out for an evening's karaoke at a smoking bar. MAN WHAT A PUTRID STENCH OF ASHTRAY!! Even in my underclothes(T-SHirt). IT PENETRATES!!

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"You know that I sing the Blues and I do not suffer fools. When I'm on that silver mic, it's gonna cut ya, just like a knife"-The SWINGCAT

Well, the one "owner" who alienated all the locals is now gone. She was fired.
I wondered how she could have been fired, seeing as she was an "owner".
Turns out it was the other girl has all the money and she was only an employee.
She overstepped her bounds on several occasions, so I hear, even authorizing sponsorship of some pool teams when she had no right to do so.
This is the same girl who told me she didn't want me hosting there if I had hosted my once monthly gig at the other bar the night before.
Last time it happened, their bar was pretty dead, BUT most of the custies that WERE there came from the night before because I had told them about it. Tried to tell her, but she wanted none of it.
She refused to listen when I told her that these were two differnet types of crowds and one doesn't necessarily affect the other.
I also reminded her that consistency is of utmost importance.
If I'm not there one week and even ONE person shows up, they WON't be there next week and will also tell all their friends.
I have my once monthly this month on Halloween (Friday). I usally host on Saturday,( but for this, they wanted the Friday) then host at the "dungeon" on Sundays.
Since it's not the night before, and I have no clue if the REAL owner even knows of the conversation, I will just show up for my regular Sunday gig.
I'm hoping it will be quietly forgotten and life can go on as before.
I'm also hoping that the REAL owner will realize the place needs a coat of paint and a cleaning.
I think getting rid of the girl who alienated everyone was a good move and since word spreads fairly quickly, it may help to turn things around.
One hurdle gone - only 3 of 4 more to go!

That whole smell issue on equipment - it is interesting that there are smells that you don't notice once you've been in a place for 30 minutes or so. Of course, since smoking ban here, it is different because cig smoke used to cover up other odors that might be in a place. I am most aware of a smell a place may have when I get in the van the morning after a gig and the equipment has been locked up all night. Not necessarily bad smells but there is often a trace of the night before. Glad we don't work in any stinky places! Even plastic absorbs odors and it is really hard to get smells out of plastic, though wiping it down with a vinegar and hot water mixture usually works.