So, we all know times are hard, money is tight, and everybody is broke.
The summer is a pretty hard time for Kate and I to have good shows. Most people go down the shore if it is nice, if they aren't down the shore they are drinking in their backyard. This is pretty typical for summers. Add in everyone being broke, and this summer has been really shitty in terms of bands drawing what they are supposed to for a show.
It is tough all around. We sympathize with the bands, but at the same time...we have to be able to cover our own asses.
Here are just a few things that we have to pay for just to be able to throw a show:
*rent on the venue which varies from place to place. (usually this is the most expensive thing)
*a sound person
*security
*printing costs for tickets

Now, keeping those things in mind, lets not forget, booking and organizing these shows take time. For every minute we spend booking, promoting, making flyers, printing tickets, getting to the venue to set up, etc. we are taking away from other things. I could be hanging out with my family, be at the beach, or doing something that other people get to do when they are home. From my home, I work, so does Kate. We could go get a 9-5 job, but this is the industry we choose and our time is money too. If we were sitting in a office we would be making an hourly rate or a salary. In other words we wouldn't be sitting there for free, so if we are working from our living room, we should be getting paid from somewhere.

Now, in case you didn't know how we get paid, I will tell you....
We book these shows. (which in case you didn't know isn't easy anymore)
We have a cover charge.
We charge a booking fee out of the cover charge.
Our booking fee comes out of the people the bands bring to the door OR from tickets sold AFTER we pay all of the things I had listed above AND the bands.
We have overhead just like any other business. What is leftover after that is our pay.

We mostly have bands sell tickets because that way we know we aren't going to be stuck paying for anything out of our pocket. That would suck, and then we wouldn't do this anymore. If you happen to be in a band that did not have to sell tickets at one of our shows, consider yourself lucky because we tell most bands if they don't wanna sell the tickets, they cannot play.

Anyway, there are certain things that inspired me to write this....
Everyone thinks they can try getting in our venue for free lately.
Like seriously kids, don't tell me that your girlfriend is your merch girl just so she doesn't have to pay. Especially when you DON'T EVEN HAVE MERCH.

Kate and I typically have a policy that if you are in a band that plays our shows, we will let you in for free. That is pretty much the only people we let in without paying aside from our friends that are not there for the bands. We want our bands to come out to our shows to support other musicians and that is why we do that.

Lately I look around our venue and see a lot of OUR friends hanging out and drinking. They aren't there for the bands, but they are there for Kate and I. We love this, we want them to be exposed to our bands music. It allows the bands to make fans they may not have had. We could easily be like other promoters and not give a rats ass if your band has anyone there to watch them, but we aren't like that. We want bands to benefit from our shows. We want to benefit too though.

I know this was a long story just to get to the point of this:
Please don't argue with us at the door when we ask you or a fan to pay. If you are in a band, tell your fans, friends, mom, dad, boyfriend, girlfriend, WHOEVER to please not try and get in for free either.
If you owned lets say a clothing store, just because I knew you I wouldn't ask for you to give me a dress for free, so don't haggle with Kate and I over between $5 and $12 to get into a venue. It is rude, aggravating, and seems to be a problem every God damn show lately. If we don't get paid, we won't be able to do this, and your friends and fans should have no problem paying to support your band.

Times are tough, but the bottom line is that if you cannot afford a cover charge to go out then you should stay home and watch a movie or do something that costs nothing.
And btw I’m doubting that people argue at the door of lets say Starland Ballroom or the Stone Pony, so please don't argue with us.

<3 your friendly neighborhood EvilGirl