Rocking out is more than just a good time for the restaurants and bars that serve as venues for the Athens music scene.
Music fans have an undeniable positive impact on business, venue owners said. Music can be used as a tool to increase revenue and attract customers on otherwise slow nights or to increase the reputation of a particular establishment.
Featuring such bands as Crackers & Jam and ekoostik hookah, The Blue Gator, 63 N. Court St., has built a reputation around its penchant for music.
The Blue Gator is a music venue; upstairs - usually if there's not any music
there's not any people said Joel Schechtman, owner of The Blue Gator.
The Union, 18 W. Union St., has bands play Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights, which brings in customers and others who might not otherwise visit the bar, said Chandra Trembly, a manager at The Union.
Dance or Die, a dance party at The Union, is open to anyone 18 and older and serves a similar purpose, she added.
It brings in many underage customers who would not be there otherwise Trembly said.
Music acts also can make up for a less-than-perfect location. Court Street bars have an easier time attracting customers because of their placement, said Jim Prouty, booking manager at O'Hooley's, 24 W. Union St.
Up on the other end of town
all you have to do is open the doors and bars will fill up
Prouty said. Down at this end
you need a reason for people to come down here.
Music acts also have become a staple of the sober social scene. The Front Room in Baker University Center schedules band performances and open mic nights on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. The other nights are left open for meetings, socializing and studying.
The effect of the music acts is hard to tell because students have come to expect this entertainment, said Tim Hogan, associate director of Baker University Center.
In addition, the The Front Room's relationship between attendance and sales differs from that of bars, Hogan said. Large crowds do not generally equate into sales, because many of the events include free food and drinks.
While bars make money from music acts, the bands that play usually do not leave empty-handed. Tom Simon, a member of Crackers & Jam, said there are generally two ways a band is paid. If the show is out-of-town or part of a larger event, it usually is contracted, and the band agrees to be paid a set amount. For gigs at bars the door money usually is given to the band.
Establishments generally will charge $3 for patrons over 21 and $5 for those under, and then give the band $3 per person. This way, the bar still makes money off people who are not drinking.
Depending on the venue, there might be other costs. At certain places, bands might have to pay for a sound technician, which could cost $100, Simon said. They might also take a percentage of the total money brought in by the band.
If more than one band plays, the money usually is split in some way. For opening bands, Simon said, they might either be not paid, or given a pre-negotiated sum of anywhere from $50 to $100.
Traveling to play a show has a slightly different set of parameters. For instance, when Crackers & Jam invites a band to come to Athens to play, they guarantee that band a certain base amount of money in order to cover travel expenses. While this may mean the hosting band makes less money than the guest, it ensures that bands will travel to play.
This is a reciprocal arrangement - Crackers & Jam would receive the same treatment if they were to travel, Simon said.
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Alex Hazlett
