General Music Chat

Hi all,

I need your help!
If you have experience in finding the right warehouse and change it into music venue, please fell free to leave your words here. Any suggestions, comments and contacts are welcomed. I'm in Sydney. Thanks in advance!

Kind regards,
Janet

Hi all,

I need your help!
If you have experience in finding the right warehouse and change it into music venue, please fell free to leave your words here. Any suggestions, comments and contacts are welcomed. I'm in Sydney. Thanks in advance!

Kind regards,
Janet

Hi Janet, sorry that MemphisWillie (troll) spammed your thread, hopefully admin will delete him and his posts soon.

Lot of factors in what you want to do:

1) Local building code
2) Local business codes/licensing
You'll need to work with an architectural or engineering firm on 1).

Biggest issue, from a musician's perspective, on 'warehouse' venues is the sound. The ceiling/roof tends to be corrugated steel, with exposed truss beams. Walls are often the same, or concrete block. All this makes for a lot of sound reflections (room reverb) and bad overall sound.
It's not enough to hang banners/moving blankets/foam in places to solve the problem. An acoustic engineer needs to be consulted. Often you need to acoustically treat a lot of surface with full frequency acoustic trapping/insulation.

Other things to think about:
Easy load-in/load-out - it should be easy to move equipment on stage - loading dock suitable for full-size truck/trailer and for vans, no stairs to carry stuff up or down.
'Backstage'/green room for performers - a place they can keep their things while playing, with a bathroom. Backstage area to store guitar and amp cases, things that do not need to be on stage when band is playing.
House sound system - use that acoustic engineer to specify placement and type of speakers, etc.
Have a good front-of-house soundman to man the soundboard. If you've got house lights on the stage, then you need a lightman, too.
Have a dedicated 'merch' area that the band can add their wares to.

From an audience perspective:
Have enough bathrooms. No one wants to be waiting in line while the music is happening.
Places to sit. Not everyone wants to be standing for 2-4 hours of a show. But low seats at the side that don't allow viewing the stage won't get used much, either.
Entrance area - figure out how to keep away slow lines at the entry. Multiple people taking tickets; if there's a 'will'call', let there be a secondary line for them.

Hi Mike,

I appreciate your reply that inspire me to consider every factor carefully. At the beginning, I just want the venue meet the basic standard to do small music show to the public. But whatever how small the events are, all the function and facilities of the venue are indispensable. I need partner and investment. Thanks again!

I need investment. Put it in perspective. That's why the stock market exists.

Mike actually gave you some good words of wisdom.

You are trying to start a business. Actually taking over a building and turning it into a good venue is a major deal, from even the points the Mike stated. Running a place for just musical shows is not going to be easy.

Will it pay enough to support... Bars here do it with booze. Madison Square Garden does it by bringing in all sorts of entertainment. Small theaters in America, are having a rough time and struggling to survive.

You could start a trucking company. It would probably be easier. Mike is right. You are in Australia. We don't know the laws there... Don't get discouraged. You will need investment money. And good luck.

In Dallas, the artsy scene is in a place called "Deep Ellum"

That started with 3 guys who were living in a warehouse and started throwing keg parties ($5 to get in) and after those became large and rowdy affairs, the cops told them they had to get a liquor license. Then they rented another warehouse across the street for small concerts and used their "house" for large ones.


.

Check out the (new Tupelo Music Hall: http://www.tupelohalllondonderry.com/ They just opened this new location - in a converted warehouse-type building. This was a multi-million dollar job. They ran concerts in a much smaller place ( a new 'concert room 'seating about 250) attached to an old house for 12 years to build up a regular crowd and establish themselves with booking agents. Now they'll seat up to 700 people for events.

I need investment. Put it in perspective. That's why the stock market exists.

Mike actually gave you some good words of wisdom.

You are trying to start a business. Actually taking over a building and turning it into a good venue is a major deal, from even the points the Mike stated. Running a place for just musical shows is not going to be easy.

Will it pay enough to support... Bars here do it with booze. Madison Square Garden does it by bringing in all sorts of entertainment. Small theaters in America, are having a rough time and struggling to survive.

You could start a trucking company. It would probably be easier. Mike is right. You are in Australia. We don't know the laws there... Don't get discouraged. You will need investment money. And good luck.

I think I won't get discouraged as your inspiring advice. Thanks a lot!

What is trucking company? Is it like show tours?

ANGELSSHOTGUN makes a lot of excellent points. Let me add a few totally general observations.

It would seem at first glance that getting an empty warehouse would be the most economical way to start a music venue. A nice, empty big box room seems ideal, until you start making all the changes needed to turn it into a music/concert venue. So, if you can find a location that requires less work and expense to convert, that's a better choice. I'd suggest looking at abandoned churches, abandoned schools, and abandoned movie theaters, in that order.

For any new business to survive, the more revenue streams the better. A building with additional features gives you the ability to have related side businesses. For example, many former church buildings have a big worship space that can be the main venue, plus they usually have a "fellowship hall" that is smaller, and better for smaller shows. The also often have classrooms that can be rented out to instrument teachers to use for music lessons, etc. Former schools usually have a big auditorium and/or gym for concerts and shows, plus a cafeteria kitchen area which you could subcontract out a bar/restaurant operation. The school classrooms could be rented to bands during off-peak times for use as rehearsal spaces.

For "starting small", you might find that leasing a property like an old church or school could enable you to start with just using one part of it for concerts and shows, but having additional space for expansion would give you room to grow. But if you "start small" with a small, limited space, when the time comes to grow, you'd have to move to a new space and basically start over again.

Hi George,

I love your ideas! That's awesome!

I just share one of my silly idea. I intend to do cheap or even free music shows and attract sponsors to take the cost etc. However, I found there are rare entertainment companies working with sponsors in Australia. Most organizations only get the benefits through selling tickets. So why? If the market just willing to buy the tickets to enjoy the show, what is the opportunity for youth and unknown musicians?   

A trucking company simply moves any product from one area to another.
Go back and read Mike's post. It was spot on.
I will always encourage someone to be entrepreneurial. Good luck!

Janet, you just changed the whole conversation with this"So why? If the market just willing to buy the tickets to enjoy the show, what is the opportunity for youth and unknown musicians? "

Not much... Even in a bar band situation situation... If you can't bring in customers buying beers, your band won't be back. However in a situation that you are thinking about.... Let's get ridiculous... The rolling stones come to you and rent your 250 seat theater for a $1000, for 6 hours... They have a night off, on a major tour, and offer to put on a 1 hour show for the fun of it. Tickets start at 5 thousand dollars,and they don't even need to advertise such a personal concert...SOLD OUT! Their GROSS profit is 1million two hundred fifty thousand for a one hour show... Minus your thousand of overhead cost to rent your hall.

I'm trying to show you , running a venue is completely different from running a musical act. I still wish you the best of luck.

Guys, your replies impress me! I will update my progress regularly and wish to hear from you more! If I can start the business, I will invite you to Sydney I pay the flight. Keep in touch!