Venues' Shortfalls in DC...

Since starting this venture and working to seek spaces that support the true hip hop culture in the Washington DC area, I have found that not a lot of venues are open and willing to host such events. Many times, the initial reaction is they do not want violence or drugs in their establishment. I then proceed to explain the intent of our artist Collective and at times convince them to host our event. Then there are the venues always open to hosting but for ridiculous fees to the promoter and organizer, where in other cities we are finding much better deals and acceptance of the shows  and events we are seeking to bring to their venue. I have witnessed and experienced the horrors of these venues and lack of sound and staffing when coming to their side of the agreement. The first venue I would like to speak of is The Science Club:  They provided the venue free of charge for our Holiday party with a bar minimum that should have been met. The sound needs were lacking and therefore we were to bring our own mixers and mics, as well as DJ set up. This caused a lot of issues. In addition, they did not provide a sound person to assist with set up and ensuring proper sound. As you see -- Free isn't always the best way.

The second venue I would like to speak on is The Velvet Lounge.  This venue has a minimum depending on the night of the week along with a bar minimum. They also take 40% of the door. Therefore, unless you have a major headliner, don't expect to make any money at this venue. I recommend it for those seeking exposure only.
The sound man and door man were provided but with minimal effort shown. In addition, prior to the show it was almost impossible to get in touch with venue personnel to discuss sound needs and event specifics. I had to go to the venue 8 times and email them multiple times even after agreeing to host our show there. 

Another venue to discuss was the historical LIV nightclub, that recently closed, off of U ST NW.  I went to this venue as a historic landmark to host our Truth Music Tour with No Malice, formerly of the award winning hip hop group, The Clipse. This was a snow make up date for the show, so a second venue we sought out. The price they charged was extreme. Then the contracts were riddled with misprints and typos, causing a delay in contract signing. Then when after weeks of negotiating, I went to sign the contract I am told we must end early due to the fact a go-go band would be taking over the evening from 11:30pm until close of the venue, causing all our guests to have to exit at the end of our show. You can assume this caused a bit of issue, but I worked with our timeline and schedule to accommodate this rude request 2 weeks before the show. At this time, I had no other option. The show had to go on. As we approached the show date, the venue did no promotion on their social media or websites, and did not even hang our posters outside the venue for display. The day of the show I am told that now the go-go band would not be performing. Yes, I said that correct-- The DAY of THE SHOW! And I was also asked for a private sound check by No Malice. The venue accommodated an earlier load in for No Malice's sound needs and rehearsal; however, a sound man did not show up until 6:30pm, and our sound needs were not addressed until after 7pm. This caused a delay of opening the doors. In addition, we had a VIP bar and area with one bartender. This was fine except for the simple fact this bartender showed up intoxicated at the event, and tried to serve my staff who were under age alcohol, and also challenge my direction about the open bar procedure, as well as I found him freaking one of our guests. It was a total display of unprofessionalism. He was asked to leave and I was told he was suspended from his job for a week. However, as I left the venue to check on something outside this bartender was allowed to stay present by the door and harass me as I entered - telling me I made him get suspended.  For the fees, charged by a venue beyond $1000 and to not have sound attended to and to provided the worst staff, I can now see just why this venue closed its doors for good!

Our most recent experience was with Touche Supper Club.  This is a new restaurant/ event venue off the H ST NE corridor. There isn't much parking and the police presence seem to be a bit extreme. However, the space and layout of the venue is very nice and can be transformed for a variety of events. The fee for the venue is extremely high as well. We also were not given any  VIP area or the like for our artists who would be performing. Our VIP area was a charge with a minimum. The venue made it seemed as if they sold out their VIP areas, but what we found the night of the event (even after attempting to help promote & sell VIP Ticket packages) that the venue didn't enforce the VIP areas and so that bottle service and push of alcohol was minimal. However, there was no bar guaranteed made, so that didn't hurt our side of things.  However, we were guaranteed water and non-alcoholic drinks, yet each time I approached one of the female bartenders she kept trying to charge me for my drinks. I had to continually go to the manager to get my drinks and to have our VIP area attended to, while she sat and did nothing all night. Besides the horrible service, we also did not have a sound man, though we paid an additional fee for sound to be taken care of. The mics had issues and when I went to the sound man, who is actually an owner, he kept blaming our artists. Yet, when Large Professor got on the stage and told him how to fix the monitors, the sound was tremendous.  At one point, we even had our own sound man in the sound booth working it when the owner seemingly disappeared to do something else.  I have attempted to follow up with the venue to retrieve my personal belongings and speak to them about the event and no one has responded. 

At this rate, I believe the best way to do shows is simple showcases and becoming part of festivals in the DC area, while seeking venues outside DC for larger shows. Venues in Baltimore, NYC, Philly and Va Beach to name a few have openly said yes to our shows with minimal fees, making it possible for the company to make money and pay its artists.