What It’s Like To Have A Residency At A Music Venue

Not all residency’s are made the same, especially the one that I have on “Put-In-Bay”, or “South Bass Island” in Ohio. (Yes, it is a legitimate island, and yes, it is part of Ohio. Most people don’t believe me if they’re not from Ohio.) “PIB” sits on Lake Erie, one of Ohio’s Great Lakes. The island is about 397 acres, and there are only 151 people who inhabit the island year round. However, is a MAJOR tourist trap. Amassing in some 750,000 tourists per year, the tips are choice, and the people watching is PRIME. If you’ve ever been on “Broadway” in Nashville, imagine if Broadway were it’s own island with resort hotels, swim-up bars, jet skis, and yachts. That’s Put-In-Bay.

I wanted to share my experience as a musician on the bay because truthfully it’s been one of the most educational experiences for myself and my band. We’ve learned how manage the logistics of getting to the venue, downsize the amount of gear we use without sacrificing our quality of sound, cut expense costs, and also negotiate for better wages. Let me break this down.

Travel

Whenever you are traveling any kind of distance for a show, travel expenses should be factored into your performance fee. Gas, tolls, food, and in our case, ferry tickets. To get to the island you must take a ferry, and to haul any gear you need, you’ll need at least one car if not more. (Drummers always have more than anyone, and typically need their own car.) These expenses can add up quickly, so keep track of everything you buy.

What Gear Do You Need?

Most venues that do residencies usually have a PA system, but, that isn’t one-hundred percent across the board. You need to ask your point of contact if there is a PA available, and WHAT IT IS. If you have anyone in your band that understands sound, they’ll want to know what gear they are working with. (You don’t want to get stuck with something from the 80’s that sounds worse than playing through a metal trash can.) We downsized and went to in-ear monitors. Now we love them and don’t play without them.

Expenses

Food and drink is not always cheap. Especially if you’re somewhere remote like PIB. The cost of living is much higher, therefore everything else is too. We typically pack a cooler full of snacks, veggies, chicken, and more. We eat lite so that we don’t play on full stomachs. (Messes with our breathing.) Plus, this prevents us from eating like crap. We work hard, so we need good fuel to put in our bodies to keep up our strength. We have our playtime too, like the tourists on the island, but we are there to work, and make great money.

Asking for what you’re worth…

This is a blog series all on it’s own, but I’ll keep it brief. If you are at a point in your career where you know that you can pack a crowd into a bar, keep them there, keep them drinking and having fun, then you are WORTH what you ask. This takes years of practice. Interacting with a crowd is not easy, and most of the time it’s hard as hell to keep their attention. Especially if they’re not there for the music in the first place. But once you’ve mastered this art, and you can help the bar turn a profit, then you should be asking for higher wages. This is something that many cover musicians don’t realize… YOU MUST HELP THE BAR TURN A PROFIT. If you are playing songs that put people to sleep, or playing songs no one knows, you will lose the audience which means you lose out on tips, and more importantly, THE BAR LOSES MONEY. A venue will not pay decent wages if you don’t actually entertain their patrons. They’ll just fire you and hire someone else who’s there to make money.

How to you even get a residency gig?

It should be a team effort between you and the bar. From promoting on socials, to knowing what drinks are on special the night of your show, you’ve got to show up ready to work. It’s not enough just to play your guitar while sitting on barstool and reading off of an iPad. (Snores….) Get on your feet, look people in the eye, and entertain them. Music is supposed to be fun, uplifting, and community driven… so be apart of the community your venue has created, and they’ll ask you back again and again. That is when you can ask for a regular standing gig, and money you’ll be able to count on.

If you have questions, feel free to reach out at info@musiconthemovestudios.com