Background Noise Is Killing the Scene
🎤 Alright, now pay attention
This one goes out to the venues. The bars. The clubs. The breweries with half a stage and a quarter of a clue. You know who you are.
You’re the ones booking the same three cover bands every Friday night like clockwork. “Sweet Caroline” at 9. “Brown Eyed Girl” at 9:40. Someone’s uncle doing “Free Fallin’” with all the passion of a damp napkin by 10:15. It’s not a show—it’s a background playlist with a pulse.
You’ve turned live music into wallpaper. And kid, that ain’t just boring—it’s criminal.
🔥 You Call This a Gig?
Somewhere along the way, y’all stopped treating music like an artform and started treating it like noise insurance. You want something to mask the blender, fill the corners, and keep Karen from complaining about silence during her pinot. And hey—sure, a little mellow barroom jam now and then never hurt anyone. But when that becomes your entire music strategy?
You’re not a venue. You’re a human jukebox rest stop.
And don’t get it twisted—you’re not fooling anyone. Your regulars aren’t excited. They’ve just given up. They’ve learned to tune it out like a ceiling fan that won’t shut up. And meanwhile, there’s a whole generation of real-deal artists in your city—young, hungry, original—out there playing to empty backyards and basements because you won’t give them a chance.
🔥 Where’s Your Skin in the Game?
Let’s talk money and promotion, two things most bookers treat like nuclear waste. You expect the band to draw a crowd, design the flyer, run sound, and post 10 times like they’re a freelance marketing intern.
All for a $500 check?
That’s not a gig. That’s exploitation with a drink minimum.
Meanwhile, you’re sitting on a Facebook page with 347 followers, no paid ads, and a Canva flyer that looks like it’s selling meatloaf night at a VFW. You say, “We don’t have a budget for promotion.” But you’ve got money for neon lights and espresso martinis?
🔥 Grow With the Damn Band
Here’s a radical idea: build the scene. Take a risk. Promote a new band like they’re worth your time. Run a boosted post. Make a poster. Hype the soundcheck. Treat the night like something that matters.
If 20 people show up, treat them like royalty. Next time, maybe it’s 40. Maybe it becomes a movement. That’s how it worked in Austin. In Athens. In Seattle. In Detroit. You water it, it grows.
Or you can keep booking the same dead-eyed dad bands in cargo shorts playing "Margaritaville" like they're trying not to wake the baby.
✅ Damone’s Moves
- Book music that moves people—not puts them to sleep.
- Promote your shows like they matter, because they do.
- Pay bands fairly. Stop hiding behind the bar tab math.
- Curate. Take pride. Build trust with your artists and audience.
❌ The Attitude Rejects
- “They should be grateful to play here.”
- “It’s just background music.”
- “We don’t promote, we just post it once.”
- “We’ll book you again if the bar sells well.”
🎵 Soundtrack to This Post
🎵 “Let’s Make a Scene” – The Bronx
🎵 “Pay to Cum” – Bad Brains
🎵 “Unsatisfied” – The Replacements
🎵 “Search and Destroy” – Iggy & The Stooges
🎵 “Where’s My Mind?” – Pixies
🕯️ Damone’s Final Word
You wanna build something real? Start by believing music is worth more than noise. Treat it like culture, not filler. Book with guts. Promote with pride. Pay with respect.
Because if you keep treating music like background noise, don’t be surprised when your venue becomes background too. Ignored. Forgotten. Replaced. The silence you’re left with won’t be soulful—it’ll be permanent.
That’s the Attitude.
👤 Tell Damone What You Think
Sick of bar gigs that don’t give a damn? Tag a venue that does it right—or call one out that needs this message stapled to their forehead. Let’s start a fire in the comment section.
📌 Filed Under
Venue Rants, Music Culture, The Riff, Scene Building, Live Music
