The Bogeyfication of the Club Owner
June 14 2009

There was a meeting in Toronto recently. Town hall. Musicians. Mostly jazz musicians.

A handful thought club owners were getting the better of them. A handful of the handful thought one club in particular was hauling in the chests of gold doubloons on the skins of their backs.

The handful of the handful were angry. Others were angry with the handful's handful's anger, because they felt their palace of musicplay was being threatened.

The Pianobabbler won't engage with this debate here. The deeper issue is the plight of the club owner. Often bogeyfied, rarely pitied, never appreciated, let's turn a charitable thought toward their kind.

Monday morning. You're waking up. The week is new. You had a strong weekend at your club. Or you didn't. Either way, you were open. You had to be open. You must always stay open.

On your mind... the kitchen staff. Have to pay them. The wait staff. Have to pay them. Order food. Pay for that. Oh yeah, wait staff. Hope they show. Hydro. Heat. Water. Liquor. Food. Pay for those. Order booze.

There's the music. Book the bands. Is the sound system working? Not sure. Tune the piano. Pay for that. And for the band.

That's how you wake up on a Monday morning, if you're a club owner. You know you have to make $5000 before you make any money yourself. That's 1000 beers. Or 200 average meals. So you hope whoever comes in to listen to the music orders more than a tea. You know you can't charge a cover. Amounts as little as $8 seem to keep people away.

Why? Why do you do it? Why do you run a music club? Wouldn't a restaurant do?

You deal with the critics. With the rowdies. With the empty nights. Or the over-filled nights. With the inspectors. With the restive staff. With the restive public. The fussy musicians. The union. Or unions. Cash floats. Cleaning. Linen. And on. And on.

And so, you bust yourself for years. You make the club work. The business thrives. After you pay all the expenses, you net yourself, what- $70,000, $80,000. Maybe more if you're doing exceptionally well.

How can anyone begrudge you this? As long as you are fair to the musicians, honest and up front. Pay them respectfully. Treat them respectfully. How can anyone begrudge you the money you earn?

Yet some do. Some cast the club owner, a priori, in the role of the bad guy.

Yes. There are some dodoheaded owners. We should deal with them. We normally do, dispatching them to a lower circle of community hell.

But most club owners have the same goal as we musicians do: to offer music, and make a decent, if not extravagant, living from it.

We shouldn't be demonizing owners. We should be canonizing them.

To my fellow musicians, then: please stop making owners the bogeyman. Save the hostility for the truly evil apples bobbing around out there.

To the public: support your music clubs. Go and listen to live music. People are working very hard to make it a positive experience for you.

To all- let's find warm thoughts of gratitude for the club owners of the world. For their work and sacrifice. For bringing music to the public. For helping musicians.

Long may club owners keep on keeping on.

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