Does your Folk Club pay for the venue?

Subject: RE: Does your Folk Club pay for the venue?
From: Nick
Date: 05 Aug 10 - 07:05 PM

Didn't get charged when Sam Smiths had music and don't at the current pub we use. Though we have gone quieter recently there are still 20-30 people each week which is trade that otherwise he wouldn't have and the landlord seems happy with that. Also had the pleasure of Kathryn Tickell's guitarist/bassist visiting out of the blue last night which was a joy.

Subject: RE: Does your Folk Club pay for the venue?
From: GUEST,Allan Con
Date: 05 Aug 10 - 05:47 PM

At Kelso we have two venues every Friday night. Start of upstairs at the Black Swan at about 8:00 for our open-mic spots then about 10:30 - 11:00 we move across for pub sessions in the Cobbles Inn which goes on until about 01:30. We don't pay at either venue.

Subject: RE: Does your Folk Club pay for the venue?
From: Suegorgeous
Date: 05 Aug 10 - 02:27 PM

Our new trad singers group in Bristol meets at the Miner's Arms, who kindly don't charge anything for room hire. It's a big reason we continue it there.

Subject: RE: Does your Folk Club pay for the venue?
From: George Papavgeris
Date: 05 Aug 10 - 09:41 AM

Herga pays £19/night for the large function room of Pinner Green Social Club (capacity 150+, decent tables & chairs, large stage & lighting, green room if we want it). But as they normally rent it for £100+ per night for other regular and well-attended events like tae-kwon-do and wrestling fights (the room can fit a boxing ring) as well as discos etc, we don't mind. It's only fair. And Monday nights are booked permanently for us, so no clashes. And best of all, we avail ourselves of the Social Club's PRS and PEL licences!

Of course, the fact that one of our members happens to be the Social Club's chairman may have something to do with it...

Subject: RE: Does your Folk Club pay for the venue?
From: Bernard
Date: 05 Aug 10 - 09:07 AM

Yes and no...

Lymm Folk Club used to meet at the Railway, Heatley, until it closed unexpectedly in the middle of Lymm Festival. We didn't have to pay to use the room.

We moved to the Spread Eagle in Lymm Village, and we don't have to pay to use that room. Snag is, the local Masonic Lodge have prior claim on the room for monthly meetings, so we cannot use the room if they need it.

Lymm Rugby Club is our main alternate venue which we use either when the Spread isn't available, or if we're anticipating more than the 75 punters the Spread will hold - Vin Garbutt and Martin Simpson are two such guests, where the additional capacity (120) will be needed. However, we do have to pay for the use of the room.

Occasionally we use the Saracen's Head at Warburton; again, we don't have to pay for the use of the room.

We have to budget over the year rather than for each individual night, otherwise we'd have to charge silly money for a Singers Night at the Rugby Club in order to break even on the night.

Fortunately, our 'quiet' nights usually see at least 30 present, so we don't have too much difficulty keeping things on an even keel.

In the main, pubs seem happy enough to accept the bar profits - at least thirty, often over sixty people they wouldn't otherwise have in their pub.

I'm not sure why the Rugby Club feel they have to charge... it's a committee decision, not one person.

Subject: RE: Does your Folk Club pay for the venue?
From: Dave Sutherland
Date: 05 Aug 10 - 08:35 AM

Been helping to run folk clubs since 1966 and I have never been invoved with one yet where we have had to pay for the room. We left our home of 19 years back in March this year due to the uncertanty of the venue (which closed and re-opened a few times in the last couple of years)to the next pub up the road meeting as usual on a Sunday night and the landlord can't do enough for us. Or for the other two clubs that meet there.

Subject: RE: Does your Folk Club pay for the venue?
From: GUEST,Abdul out of the country
Date: 05 Aug 10 - 08:21 AM

At Faversham Faversham Folk Club , we have been fortunate at The Chimney Boy to have our Landlord Dave give us the use of the upstairs room completely without charge. Dave however will soon be moving on.......
Al

Subject: RE: Does your Folk Club pay for the venue?
From: GUEST,Square the circle
Date: 05 Aug 10 - 07:58 AM

We are also in a very good position not having to pay for our room and we have a very good landlord Dave Potts who owns 3 pubs in the town and is a singer and player himself. We regularly get 25-35 along who drink, that's the key. Newport Folk Club.
Terry

Subject: RE: Does your Folk Club pay for the venue?
From: GUEST,Folk Club paying
Date: 05 Aug 10 - 07:23 AM

Hi, we use a room in a large Working men's club on Wed nights and don't pay. Neither do at least 6 local clubs I know of in this area. As you say on a quiet n ight such as Mon to Thurs most places are very glad of the extra business, in fact we are looking for a larger venue and when we find one we'll be asking forsome consession like a discount on the beer for our members, free sandwiches or a small cash donation to club funds, as we don't charge an admission fee. pubs are so short of business now that if anyone is thinkng of starting up a club, it's a good time to do so and you're in a good bargaining positon too. Our club is

The Circle Folk Club
Coseley Working men's Club
Ivyhouse Lane
Coseley
West Midlands
WV14 9JH
Every wed night, Free admission
Open mic alternating Singers nights and Singarounds
Newcomers welcome
All performance genres very welcome
Mail [e-mail] to be added to our mailing list

Desi C

Subject: RE: Does your Folk Club pay for the venue?
From: GUEST,izzy
Date: 05 Aug 10 - 07:20 AM

Our local pub lets us use their restaurant once a month for free, diners have to eat in the bar area that night but don't seem to mind - they often come through to listen to us when they have finished eating. (Won't say where because I'm pretty sure the pub won't have a music licence! ) We put bigger concerts on in the village hall when we have to pay.

Subject: RE: Does your Folk Club pay for the venue?
From: alex s
Date: 05 Aug 10 - 06:34 AM

Burnley Folk Club meets at the Kettledrum in Cliviger on Fridays. It's a small upstairs room and there's no charge. Our previous venue for 20+ years was also free. I think this is generally the case in this area - as far as I know there's no charge for rooms at Bacup, Earby, Laneshaw Bridge and many others.
It may be grim up North, but the landlords are generous.........

Subject: RE: Does your Folk Club pay for the venue?
From: Terry McDonald
Date: 04 Aug 10 - 03:09 PM

At Wimborne, we get the British Legion's hall for nothing, but we always ask people to put something (usually a pound) in the collection-box during the interval and the money is given back to the Legion. We're a weekly club and our attendance is normally between 20 to 30.

Subject: RE: Does your Folk Club pay for the venue?
From: Rafflesbear
Date: 04 Aug 10 - 02:57 PM

By the way, the Seven Stars does not have a website but if you google "Seven Stars Foots Cray" the third entry gives our very positive website with its own special page about the pub

Seven Stars Foots Cray

Subject: RE: Does your Folk Club pay for the venue?
From: Rafflesbear
Date: 04 Aug 10 - 02:52 PM

We have recently started up at the Seven Stars in Foots Cray, Sidcup on Monday evenings. Previously the pub was so poorly attended that the landlord chose to shut about 8.00pm

We play in the open bar and provide a reasonable number of performers and audience and are creating a positive atmosphere in the pub, it is noticeable that more drinkers have started appearing off the street since we started

We encourage our members to spend reasonably in the pub. I think if we used a function room it might be different

Subject: RE: Does your Folk Club pay for the venue?
From: Arthur_itus
Date: 04 Aug 10 - 02:29 PM

Its free here http://members.multimania.co.uk/hopetavern/

The owner of the pub wanted to have an acoustic singaround. It's new and he loves it.

Subject: RE: Does your Folk Club pay for the venue?
From: TheSnail
Date: 04 Aug 10 - 02:28 PM

We, famously, had to leave our venue of 21+ years (and change the club name) when the new management of the Lewes Arms tried to charge us £50 for the room because they thought they could raise more selling food. The Elephant and Castle 200yds away welcomed us in. They don't charge a penny even though it's a Saturday. We have to move out occasionally for big money spinning events but we get plenty of warning.

(And the Lewes Arms still doesn't sell food on a Saturday night.)

Subject: RE: Does your Folk Club pay for the venue?
From: Tug the Cox
Date: 04 Aug 10 - 02:24 PM

The Exmouth Folk Night uses the function room at the Manor Hotel. There is usualy a £100 hiring fee, but because 1) we bring in drinkers 2) the guests get free entertainment..they are happy to waive the fee, and provide a couple of bottles of wine for the raffle, which is our only source of income.

Subject: RE: Does your Folk Club pay for the venue?
From: Banjiman
Date: 04 Aug 10 - 02:23 PM

We pay, but it is a village hall.

Subject: Does your Folk Club pay for the venue?
From: GUEST,Zeph
Date: 04 Aug 10 - 02:18 PM

I'm curious to know how common it is for a folk club to have to pay for the use of its venue. It seems that many licensed establishments (not just pubs) are grateful for the extra trade brought in (especially if the folk club night would otherwise be a "quiet" night in terms of customers and don't make a charge for the room or whatever.How universal is this??