Striking the right chord to enrich an experience: contracting vs. employing live musicians
In the dynamic world of live music, venue owners play a pivotal role in curating unforgettable experiences for their patrons. Central to this experience is the music performed on stage, making the management of live music bands a critical aspect of running a successful venue. Yet, venue owners have choices when it comes to structuring their relationships with these bands, and two prevalent options are contracting them for specific gigs or employing them as resident bands.
Both approaches have their merits, but which one ultimately leads to the most success? In this blog, we’ll dive deeper into the world of live music management to explore the differences between these two arrangements, enriched with real-world examples to shed light on their respective strengths.
Contractual Arrangements
One of the primary advantages of contracting live music bands lies in the realm of flexibility. For venue owners, this approach offers a level of adaptability that suits their ever-evolving programming needs. A jazz club might contract jazz bands during its regular run but reserve the option to bring in rock or blues bands for special events, thereby attracting a broader audience.
Additionally, contractual arrangements allow venue owners to exercise greater control over their budget. Negotiating rates with bands for individual gigs enables cost control, ensuring that expenditures align with the expected turnout. On slower nights, a venue can book more affordable acts, reserving higher-cost, high-demand bands for weekends or special occasions.
Flexibility: Contracting bands offers flexibility for both parties. Venue owners can book different bands for different nights, tailoring the music to suit their audience. Bands, in turn, can maintain control over their schedules, taking on gigs at various venues.
Cost Control: Venue owners can negotiate rates with contracted bands, potentially lowering costs for quieter nights while booking high-demand acts on weekends.
In a live example (no pun intended), let’s envision a charming, intimate jazz club located in the heart of a bustling city. While jazz remains the club’s mainstay, it occasionally hosts special “Jazz Fusion Nights” where contractually arranged fusion bands take the stage. These events infuse diversity into the club’s regular program and draw a diverse crowd of jazz aficionados and rock enthusiasts alike.
Employment Arrangements
In contrast, employing live music bands as residents provides a distinct set of advantages. Foremost among these is the promise of consistency. Resident bands, intimately familiar with the venue’s acoustics, audience, and atmosphere, deliver consistently high-quality performances night after night. This reliability can be a major draw for patrons seeking a dependable live music experience.
Moreover, employment arrangements facilitate collaboration between venue owners and resident bands. Bands become an integral part of the venue’s identity, working closely with owners to craft performances that align perfectly with the ambiance and preferences of the regular clientele.
Consistency: Employing a resident band ensures consistent, high-quality performances. Bands become intimately familiar with the venue, its audience, and its acoustics, leading to exceptional shows night after night.
Collaboration: Venue owners and resident bands can collaborate closely, tailoring performances to suit the venue’s atmosphere and its regular patrons’ preferences.
Let’s imagine a bustling Irish pub with a resident folk band. This band plays several nights a week, becoming a beloved fixture of the establishment. Over time, the band’s deep connection with the pub’s regular patrons transforms them into a tight-knit community, driving customer loyalty and a unique, memorable experience.
Successful Experience Metrics
Ok, “cool story bruh”, so what type of arrangement is actually working? Well, to determine which approach drives more success for a specific venue’s needs we can examine some key success metrics:
- Customer Loyalty: Venues with resident bands often cultivate stronger customer loyalty. Patrons return not only for the venue but also for the consistent, exceptional live music.
- Reputation: A strong reputation for live music can draw more customers and increase the venue’s standing within the local music scene.
- Financial Stability: Employment may lead to more consistent financial arrangements for both venues and bands, providing stability for long-term planning.
- Variety: Contractual arrangements can introduce variety, appealing to a broader audience. However, this approach may lead to inconsistent experiences.
Ready to begin making beautiful music together? The choice on which chord is an important one.
The decision between contracting live musicians and employing them as residents is far from one-size-fits-all. The right choice hinges on the specific goals, audience, and ambiance of the venue. Success in the live music industry, as in any creative field, revolves around striking the right chord between artistic diversity and consistency.
For venues seeking the flexibility to offer a wide range of musical experiences, contractual arrangements are a fitting choice. This approach allows for adaptability, making it well-suited for venues that cater to diverse tastes and seek to vary their programming regularly.
On the flip side, employment arrangements can lead to a unique, deeply ingrained identity for a venue. It fosters consistency, customer loyalty, and collaborative relationships between venue owners and resident bands.
In the end, success in the live music business is about finding harmony — a harmony that resonates with your venue’s culture, your audience’s preferences, and the unique talents of the bands you host. Whether you opt for contractual versatility or the consistent collaboration of resident bands, the key to success lies in making beautiful music together, night after night.
Now that you better understand some of the key differences between engaging with live talent as employees and contractors, check out my article on the everlasting business decision: managing employees/W-2s vs. contractors/1099s — simplified for support in managing other types of top talent.
