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 the URL in a newspaper or a window. Joe’s Bar claims the band is named “The Joe’s Bar Band?” We don’t think so.
Festival stragglers ignore seasonal cold and early sunset; if they advertise “live entertainment” or “live music,” 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:
Grand Reopening Festival Smithsonian National History Museum
Kramerbooks & Afterwards Cafe
Market Inn
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 shameful venues above (Get it together, people!).
NotionsCapital 
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