NotionsCapital presents this week’s Roll of Shame, Washington, DC area music venues that advertise “Live Music” but do not include the names of bands in their ads. You may think this is a mere quibble. Think again.
It is not just a matter of disrespect. Bands earn reputations, and omitting their names from advertising fails to capitalize on this. Since venues rate bands on the number of customers they draw, failure to list band names in ads blames bands for the venue’s own ignorance and laziness.
As one commenter says: “It’s like a restaurant implying that they serve food and then only listing the word ‘Food’ on every line of their menu.”
Bad enough that club musicians haven’t had a raise in 40 years. Bad enough that most clubs leave it to the bands to send information to the free listings in the City Paper and Post. This generic ad stuff is plain absurd.
You can help. Let NotionsCapital know if you see a venue with a “Live Music” sign in the window that doesn’t display the name of the band. Joe’s Bar says the band schedule is on the website? You cannot click on a URL in a newspaper. Joe’s Bar claims the band is named “The Joe’s Bar Band?” I don’t think so.
This is the time of year that business for pricier D.C. restaurants is sort of slack, and managers respond by pulling their newspaper ads. Hmm. That will bring folks in. Anyway, festivals fester in the summer sun, and some of them advertise “live entertainment” and “live music” too, so they’re on the list. Here is this week’s Roll of Shame, based on paid advertising in the current Washington City Paper and Washington Post Weekend section:
City Paper Crafty Bastards
Kramerbooks & Afterwords Cafe & Grill
Market Inn
Meze
No band names in your ads? No hyperlinks for you on this post. Get with the program.
Image by Mike Licht, who likes to go to several of the venues above (Get it together, people!) Download a copy here. Creative Commons license; credit Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com
NotionsCapital 
July 26, 2008 at 12:20 am
Musicians have always been greedy bloodsuckers and noisy complainers. They just don’t understand how difficult it is to make one’s millions running a restaurant on Capitol Hill these days.
July 26, 2008 at 7:23 am
Richard:
There are only a few places on Capitol Hill that have music anymore. The place has become infested with suburban empty-nesters, who dominate local Advisory Neighborhood Commissions and demand absolute silence on city streets after 9 PM. They also demand quality restaurants at moderate prices, and do not understand that live music allows restaurants to earn enough money at night to keep menu prices down.
July 26, 2008 at 12:24 pm
Mike,
As you know, the term “Capitol Hill” covers (or soon will cover) all of the city.
July 26, 2008 at 5:22 pm
Richard Dress says: . . . the term “Capitol Hill” covers (or soon will cover) all of the city.
I forgot. H Street NE, formerly known by the colorful sobriquet H Street NE, is now considered a part of Capitol Hill called the Atlas District. H Street NE currently has lots of live music, but as soon as this entertainment magnet makes the area feel safe for empty nesters, these suburban killjoys will come in and stamp out music there, too.