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Musicians want to believe that they are entertainers. The sad fact is that until they have established themselves to the point where they are playing in concert venues rather than clubs, they are first and foremost "beer salesmen". I should perhaps clarify this statement as I am sure that I have rubbed more than a few budding stars the wrong way. I have been a bar musician for well over 20 years now and have been a promoter for some of the top rock clubs in Toronto for 10 of those years so I do not make that statement lightly. Many acts that are trying to get their own material out there start by playing cover tunes and then fit their original songs into the set until such time that the crowds want to just hear the original tunes. One of Canada's most popular exports, Rush, used to cover Led Zeppelin at high school dances and some of the sleaziest bars in the area until they released their first album and got a spot on The Midnight Special with Wolfman Jack and their career never looked back. They got to that point by first packing in the bars with loyal party loving fans who would follow them to their next venue. When playing the club circuit, the first question that a bar owner is going to ask you when you are trying to book a gig is, "How many people can you bring in?"

That brings me to the next point which is that it's not just the people that you bring in but the drinkers you bring in. A bar owner might be happy to see 200 people crammed into his bar and a lineup outside as it gives the place an air of being a happening club. In the end though if his bar totals are low, he would rather book back the band from the week before that only brought in 50 people that drank twice what your crew brought in. He knows that over time that band will bring in 200 drinkers. Club owners are interested in their profit margin. Yes they want their patrons to be entertained but that is so they will come back the next time and maybe bring some more of their friends. If they can fill a bar with a DJ that they only have to pay $300 for or else a karaoke host for about the same, you won't be able to book your $600 band there as he doesn't need you.

Bar owners have their own network and believe me they all talk to each other. If you want to establish yourself within a large city it helps to get real close to some of those owners. Unless you set yourself up with a "house gig" where you play the same place every week,(sweet deals if you can find them), you need to have a circuit of

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