Ways to Get Adults to Shows

I’m in my thirties, which means on Saturday night, you can find me hanging out on the couch with my wife and dog, watching a movie on Netflix, rather than [insert anything one does in their twenties].

At times, I feel guilty about this. I love live music. Why don’t I attend more live shows?

* * * A Young Person’s Game * * *

The music industry says music is a young person’s business. While true, this statement bothers me.

The music industry markets to a younger audience, so it’s no surprise that’s who they attract. Folks like me are ignored. What if more concerts were set-up for adults rather than youth? Could adults take back live music?

I thought I’d brainstorm ways smaller venues–live music clubs– could attract adults to attend shows.

1. Offer early concerts, right after dinner time

I’d love to go see a show on a Tuesday, but I’m not going to attend a concert at 10 PM on a weeknight. Most adults have to wake up early. Start a show at say 7 or 7:30 PM rather than 9 or 10 PM.

2. End the shows earlier

Bands, I’m sorry, but you often play too long of sets.

It might seem counter-intuitive, but shorter sets might be more desirable for adults. Headliners, maybe you should do 65-70 minutes. Opening acts we’ve never heard of? 20-25 minutes. Seriously.

3. Limit band bills.

Most adults aren’t going to attend a club show with four or five bands on the bill, especially if the night is going to last for hours.

Even the “three bands on a bill” is pushing it. Remember, we are probably paying babysitters. We have to work the next day. We want a guarantee we will enjoy are free time, which is hard to come by.

4. Offer shows with seating and tables

Many live music clubs (200-500 capacity) only offer general admission styled concerts. General admission club shows might be fun for teenagers, but they are not fun for anyone who is smart enough to avoid energy drinks or Mountain Dew.

Give us a chance to sit! We want to be attentive, rather than bumping elbows with the idiot spilling beer on us.

There are problems with these concepts, but I think they are fixable.

Problem one: beer sales
Clubs want longer show times because they want to sell more beer during the night. Two hours of time vs four hours of time will limit beer sales.

Possibility:
Adults might be willing to pay a few extra dollars for a show that is more desirable. Offer unique craft beer or craft cocktails and don’t be afraid to charge a bit for it.

Problem two: again, beer sales
Adults don’t drink as much as twenty-somethings, limiting bar sales.

Possibility:
Team with a pop-up food vendor or food cart and offer quality, interesting food! Make up for cheap beer sales with unique hospitality.

Problem three: draw
Bands offer large bills because they can’t draw more numbers on their own. If every band can get 20-30 people to a show, then the club is happy.

Possibility:
What if these larger band bills are discouraging more than they are gaining? What if a club gains more regulars by being more attractive to adults? What if higher priced, quality hospitality offsets a few less twenty-one-year olds drinking Pabst?

* * *

There’s no perfect solution to getting people to attend smaller concerts, but with recorded music being more readily available to enjoy online, live music attendance should be more encouraging.

What do you think, adults? How could we get you to attend more live music?