Following on from my last blog on how to ask promoters to pay you when they start chasing you for gigs I'd like to share bit of information about door deals and some of their many variations.
Reign of Fury still use them if we deem the deal worth it and 4ft fingers also used them at certain shows, usually with great success. Of course, what I deem worth it might be completely different to you but maybe some information on the subject and an explanation how they work might help some of you in some way.
WHAT IS A "DOOR DEAL"?
"The dreaded door deal" as I like to call them is when your band gets an agreed amount of money from each ticket that is sold for the gig. So the more tickets sold, the more money you get.
There are a few different types of door deal though and they can be a good deal on a good night or a bad deal on a bad night or if you've made the wrong agreement with the promoter an absolutely shit deal, even on a good night. I'll explain.
A promoter asks you to play a show where each band gets an equal share of the ticket money at the end of the night.
"Cool, sounds great. How many bands are playing?" you ask,
"five" says the promoter.
"Should be a good night, how much are the tickets?"
"£3 each" he replies.
So that means each band would get 60p per ticket. If the promoter gets 100 people in, each band gets £60. Even if 200 people turn up you'll only get £120. So as a headliner, I don't think that's a good deal. As a support band that's not too bad. (Keep in mind how much it costs to play a show). Personally though £3 for any gig is too cheap!!
If the tickets were £5 per ticket, each band would get £1 per ticket bringing your fee up slightly. Not by much but it's getting better. Still not a great deal for a headliner though. Less bands on the bill would push your fee up slightly.
But whether it's worth it or not really does depend on you and your band. Remember, you should have merch to sell too but you want to use as little of that money as possible.
Its also worth noting that I've used an example where the bands get everything shared out between THEM and the promoter isn't taking anything himself. If the promoter is taking something, you'll get even less.
DOOR DEAL VARIATIONS
There are many variations of door deals as I mentioned earlier.
It could be as a headliner you get a bigger chunk of the ticket money ie: £2 per ticket instead of £1. You could even negotiate a small guarantee, something like £100 (of which 50% is payed upfront via bank transfer) plus a cut of the ticket money. That means you are guaranteed at least something towards your costs regardless of how many people turn up. This puts some of the risk back on the promoter rather than the bands risking it all and gives him a reason to actually promote the show.
Another variation is a band agrees to play a show and their fee depends on how many tickets they sell themselves.
The promoter gives the band a certain amount of tickets. The band agrees to give the promoter a set amount of money per ticket sold and the band keeps the rest. Some promoters will say you can sell them for as cheap as you like so long as they get their agreed fee per ticket. If you deem the gig worthwhile ie: it's supporting a decent band then this could work out. I wouldn't do it as a headliner though.
The trouble is, the other band/bands playing might be selling tickets cheaper than you for whatever reason therefore you won't sell as many. So you'll have to get creative.
You could sell discounted tickets when bought with merch on line, discounted tickets when 2 or more are bought or anything else you can think of. Think outside the box. With the correct use of the internet this could work out in your favour. But you'll have to push it!!
I'm currently trying this method out with a show Reign of Fury has later in the year so I'll be able to report whether this works or not at a later date.
The best door deal you could possible get for your band though would be 100% of the door. Which might seem far fetched but does happen sometimes.
I hire out a venue in Cheltenham every year for a Reign of Fury "home town" show. We take all door money. I do always pay the support bands an agreed fee though. You could do the same in your town.
Basically, it's down to the promoter's imagination to decide what door deal he wants to go with. Your negotiation skills need to get the best deal possible for your band.
YES OR NO
"The dreaded door deal" is a hit or miss deal. It's usually a better deal for the support bands especially if the promoter expects the headliner to provide all the backline (unless you've negotiated well). If you've had success in that particular venue before it could be worth it but only if it's promoted well, the punters turn up and you've negotiated a good amount per ticket.
THE DOWNSIDE
One of the problems with some promoters that do door deals and not guarantees is that it takes the risk out of their hands. If you're not from a particular town then you really do rely on the promoter to do their job and actually promote the gig he's asked you to play. If you're not on a guarantee then they don't have to pay you anything. So if they can't be bothered to promote for any reason then no-one will turn up and you'll definitely go home with less money than you started with. And that is a good way to kill a band off.
THE UPSIDE
You should benefit well If you've negotiated well with a promoter of a venue you're 90% sure you'll fill. 4ft fingers used to play a small venue in Bournemouth called Mr Smiths. Capacity was only about 100 but we got 100% of the door. I think entry was £5 on the door and it always sold out. That meant we got £500 per show. That's a good deal. Of course, if it went the other way, we'd end up with nothing.
The greater the risk, the greater the reward.
AND FINALLY
In my experience with the exception of only a small amount, the best gigs Reign of Fury have played (not including festivals) were gigs that I managed to get deposits for. I really believe the reason for that is because when you take money out of the promoters pocket at the time of booking they adopt the attitude that they really need to get people through the door to make their money back. Therefore, they do their job a whole lot better. So I would always advise you to push for some sort of guarantee rather than a door deal alone.
Whatever happens though GET IT ALL IN WRITING AND GET A CONTRACT SIGNED!!
When I took over from our old manager for RoF I made sure we got deposits and contracts signed. It was a game changer. It instantly stopped the amateurs dicking us about and the crowds got bigger.
Just make sure when a promoter gets in touch with you about a doing a door deal gig, ask these questions before you bite their hand off:
a) How many bands are playing?
b) How much are the tickets (in advance & on the door)?
c) How much you'll be getting per ticket?
d) Capacity of the venue?
e) Who's headlining and where are you on the bill?
f) Backline situation (why should you get the same as everyone else if you're providing the backline?)
Then you can do some simple maths and work out the best deal for your band or decide whether its even worth doing at all. And I always base my sums on getting 60-100 people minimum through the door.
Good luck
Magic Dave
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