Seeing that it was me who (innocently) started this thread, I suppose I need to respond to some of the interesting, (and vitriolic) comments. Firstly, may I enlighten people about my club. It's run every week, in very decent premises,small, but warm, clean and well furnished.
I book nationally known names and in the past 2 years have had the likes of John Kirkpatrick, The High Level Ranters, Toms Napper & Bliss, Pete Coe, Bill Whaley & Dave Fletcher, Louis Killen, Brian Peters........the list goes on. All of these artists has come for a fixed fee, as everyone does at this club! Any guest who desires, can be accommodated at my home, not on the floor but in a well furnished, heated double room and will be sent away the next morning with a good breakfast inside them, all borne by my own pocket! I do not treat guests badly, either in attitude or material provision!
The club has a regular attendance of up to 30 people every week for singer's nights. Most will attend every week, only missing when they're away on holiday. On these nights we have an ahtray collection of £1 each, plus a fortnightly raffle of a good quality CD. My policy on guest nights (6 weekly) is to charge the least possible to these stalwarts and to date, members have not paid more than £2.50 to see any guest. I regard that as a bonus for them for their unfailing support and the fact that they each put around £45+ per year into the ashtray anyway.
With regard to Countess' comments about 'failing to run on an economic basis and charge a realistic entrance fee' may I state that this club has a 'surplus' of eleven hundred pounds and I could pay most of the coming years guests right now!! (don't all rush at once)
Like Villan, when a guest appears at my club, they know they will get the fee they asked for, irrespective of audience numbers. And yes, I lose money on guest nights but thats made up by the whip-rounds on singers nights. I never profit on guest nights, no problem.
Greg and Kevin suggest that if a percentage is involved, it usually means that the guarantee has been lowered and that in this scenario the artist is at risk. I don't want any artist to be at risk coming to my club, I want them to quote a realistic fee which they can comfortably operate on and drop all this percentage malarkey! I think it's a ploy by some performers to increase their payout if the club gets a large audience who're paying top dollar to see them.
To quote Villan again, 'there are lots of good performers out there who are willing to agree flat fees and support grass roots'. I agree entirely and am willing to pay these people what they ask without engaging in this percentage business.

Nuff rambling,

Regards

Andy