It’s a typical Monday night in your average, mid- to large-sized city, in your average-sized dive bar with local music every night. There are four bands on the schedule tonight. You’ve never heard of any of them. As you wait for the first band to start, you notice a group of similarly dressed people and another group of people who look a touch out of place. As the first band comes on stage, this group cheers and you surmise these are family members of this band. You’ve stumbled upon one of the nuances in the quest to be a successful original band.
The first band is usually in its very beginnings, playing that night because the drummer’s sister goes out with the third band’s guitar player. They are excited to have their first gig and have invited their family to help them celebrate. They have 45 minutes to play the music they have written, and learn the lessons only stage time can teach.
At the 45-minute mark the next band is sitting beside the stage, instruments in hand, as they know time in this slot is precious. They are a bit more experienced and know they have their modest crowd combined with the small crowd from the previous band that won’t be there long. If you time it right you can play to a decent crowd before the exodus of the first band’s family, and during the influx of the third band’s fans.
The third slot is the premium placement. The person who presented this lineup to the bar is probably in this band. These guys are well rehearsed and are usually the most aggressive with merchandise and promotions. There is a bit of a buzz around town and a fair amount of people come to see them. This placement is great because you have the crowd from the second band hanging out. Your crowd is coming in, and the headliners’ fans are starting to arrive. The house is nearing its peak for the evening.
The headliner is next, and is probably the only band making any money if there is any to be made. By the time they play, the crowd consists mainly of their fans. This band has done this for a while, has sold some recordings, and has a dedicated fan base. Their friend from the third band brought this gig to them and they were happy to have a gig on a Monday night.
It was a successful night. Every band did well, people came and you rocked. That 45 minutes was worth it all. Worth the long rehearsals. Worth the arguments and drama with band members over the smallest of musical choices. Worth the arguments with your girlfriend over the constant band practice and late nights. Worth the hours of work to buy the gear that makes the music.
The next morning you wake up and go to your job, your feelings of inevitable rock stardom fade as you pull into the parking lot — because your boss is the girl who played bass in the second band last night.
