http://pollstar.com/blogs/news/archive/2009/01/31/646127.aspx
Nightclub of the Year
9:30 Club
Congrats!
Nightclub of the Year
9:30 Club
Congrats!
20th annual Pollstar Concert Industry Awards
for sure and this is an industry award
trivia question: when was the last year the club wasn't nominated?
ok, unfair to call that a trivia question since i don't actually know the number. DC is spoiled for having the 930.
ok, unfair to call that a trivia question since i don't actually know the number. DC is spoiled for having the 930.
sweetcell wrote:
DC is spoiled for having the 930.
For sure. Congrats!
I really think the 930 club is the best club in the country…
i mean they could stand to make their beer prices more reasonable (and relax a bit about people taking pictures or even filming video)..but other than that its the perfect club..i consider myself lucky to have it but a few blocks away and i've been going since they opened at the new location (and before)
i mean they could stand to make their beer prices more reasonable (and relax a bit about people taking pictures or even filming video)..but other than that its the perfect club..i consider myself lucky to have it but a few blocks away and i've been going since they opened at the new location (and before)
sweetcell wrote:
trivia question: when was the last year the club wasn't nominated?
i did some research to satisfy my own curiosity. here's what i found:
*the pollstar awards added the category of "nightclub of the year" in 1989.
*the club was first nominated for the category in 1992.
*since 1992, the only year the club was not nominated was 1994.
*the club has won nightclub of the year 6 times. 1997, 1999, 2002, 2003, 2007, 2008.
*i started working at the club in 1997. i'm not saying that there's a connection, but it was the beginning of our winning era. ;)
in addition to all of that, seth and IMP have many nominations and awards in the booking/talent buying/promoter categories.
hutch wrote:
I really think the 930 club is the best club in the country…
i mean they could stand to make their beer prices more reasonable (and relax a bit about people taking pictures or even filming video)..but other than that its the perfect club..i consider myself lucky to have it but a few blocks away and i've been going since they opened at the new location (and before)
you do realize it's the artists not the club that put those restrictions in place
congratulations!
maybe it is just me, but i have a hard time believing award exclamations, or polls, or lists in magazines that say this album or this place or this artist was the "best" or "worst" of the year. what is the real reason the club wins? there is no explanation given at all? what does it have, what does it offer that every other club in the entire united states does not? the fact that it is in dc? or is it like american idol, where people just cast votes because of local influenced opinion or some "brand name = great." don't get me wrong, i love the 930 club. they get acts that other venues will not bother with at prices that are usually great. but the best in the entire nation? do the people who nominate and vote on these choices visit every single nightclub in every town of every state to judge the differences? there aren't even any reasons given why it is so great. no offence seth, but i went to The National in richmond, and in my opinion, it was just like 930. a great club with more bars, better sight lines, newer, catering to the crowd more than 930 (they have an outside patio area for smokers that has it's own bar), and in a better neighborhood surrounded by restaurants, hotels, and stores. but i guess because it is in richmond and not a "major on the map" city like dc it does not count. perhaps 930 is the best in the u.s. . . . but for some reason i feel it wins years after year only because of the name, like a new cbgb's, where the image of place is more important than the place itself. you may begin hurling bricks now.
Congratulations to the 9:30 club.
Here is a question I am hoping someone in the know can answer.
Has the club recently reduced capacity or started selling fewer tickets?
I've only been going to the 9:30 since moving here about 3 and a half years ago, but it seems like in the past year or so sold out shows are much more comfortable than they used to be.
When I first started going, it seemed like sold out shows would be absolutely packed solid upstairs and downstairs. More recently, it seems like even for sold out shows, there is a decent amount of room on the main floor, and upstairs as well. The recent Theivery shows are a great example of that (and I did not go on a night with bad weather).
It is possible that the smoking ban has had an effect on this, with the crowd more in flux as people step outside to smoke, but it seems to be more than that.
Here is a question I am hoping someone in the know can answer.
Has the club recently reduced capacity or started selling fewer tickets?
I've only been going to the 9:30 since moving here about 3 and a half years ago, but it seems like in the past year or so sold out shows are much more comfortable than they used to be.
When I first started going, it seemed like sold out shows would be absolutely packed solid upstairs and downstairs. More recently, it seems like even for sold out shows, there is a decent amount of room on the main floor, and upstairs as well. The recent Theivery shows are a great example of that (and I did not go on a night with bad weather).
It is possible that the smoking ban has had an effect on this, with the crowd more in flux as people step outside to smoke, but it seems to be more than that.
Congrats!
JonathanEH wrote:
Has the club recently reduced capacity or started selling fewer tickets?
people are thinner
JonathanEH wrote:
Congratulations to the 9:30 club.
Here is a question I am hoping someone in the know can answer.
Has the club recently reduced capacity or started selling fewer tickets?
I've only been going to the 9:30 since moving here about 3 and a half years ago, but it seems like in the past year or so sold out shows are much more comfortable than they used to be.
When I first started going, it seemed like sold out shows would be absolutely packed solid upstairs and downstairs. More recently, it seems like even for sold out shows, there is a decent amount of room on the main floor, and upstairs as well. The recent Theivery shows are a great example of that (and I did not go on a night with bad weather).
It is possible that the smoking ban has had an effect on this, with the crowd more in flux as people step outside to smoke, but it seems to be more than that.
I don't know about that, but I do know that the club adjusts capacity based on how many tickets they sell before the box office opens. Also, for sold out shows, they probably have a bunch of set asides for bands, the promoter, press, etc. Plus, you have to figure some people don't show up or leave. I've seen tons of people leave sold out shows based on the length of the show, the lackluster performance, and other reasons.
Congrats to the club. I couldn't agree more. Although I do hope they will reconsider the recently raised prices of beverages - don't you know that there's been deflation? Prices should be the same or going down - not up.
see other post..further down..deleting the content on this
MyraEllen wrote:JonathanEH wrote:
Congratulations to the 9:30 club.
Here is a question I am hoping someone in the know can answer.
Has the club recently reduced capacity or started selling fewer tickets?
I've only been going to the 9:30 since moving here about 3 and a half years ago, but it seems like in the past year or so sold out shows are much more comfortable than they used to be.
When I first started going, it seemed like sold out shows would be absolutely packed solid upstairs and downstairs. More recently, it seems like even for sold out shows, there is a decent amount of room on the main floor, and upstairs as well. The recent Theivery shows are a great example of that (and I did not go on a night with bad weather).
It is possible that the smoking ban has had an effect on this, with the crowd more in flux as people step outside to smoke, but it seems to be more than that.
I don't know about that, but I do know that the club adjusts capacity based on how many tickets they sell before the box office opens. Also, for sold out shows, they probably have a bunch of set asides for bands, the promoter, press, etc. Plus, you have to figure some people don't show up or leave. I've seen tons of people leave sold out shows based on the length of the show, the lackluster performance, and other reasons.
Congrats to the club. I couldn't agree more. Although I do hope they will reconsider the recently raised prices of beverages - don't you know that there's been deflation? Prices should be the same or going down - not up.
Quite a few people did walk out right at the start of last night's Thievery show due to the unexpectedly high volume/pummeling bass according to the friend I was with who ran downstairs to get earplugs.
hutch wrote:kosmo wrote:hutch wrote:
I really think the 930 club is the best club in the country…
i mean they could stand to make their beer prices more reasonable (and relax a bit about people taking pictures or even filming video)..but other than that its the perfect club..i consider myself lucky to have it but a few blocks away and i've been going since they opened at the new location (and before)
you do realize it's the artists not the club that put those restrictions in place
sure but do they tell the club to put people up on speakers and spend the entire show trying to nab people? come on!
I don't buy it.. if that were so how come i've never seen that at any other club? One person on each side of the stage elevated looking into crowd and people up on top..its a little excessive in my opinion and makes one feel like they're being watched the entire time by cops (sniper-ish)..not very nice..
i don't see that at the black cat for example? i'm sure the artists have that request but the club shouldn't go too out of their way on that in my opinion… i mean do your best but having people standing up elevated looking at the crowd the entire time?
don't care for it
I see no problem with that. Why not go to great lengths to make sure the bands' requests are honored? If the club does everything it can to make the talent happy, it becomes more likely that a great rapport is established with the talent making for better odds that the band(s) in question would return to the club.
walkonby wrote:
do the people who nominate and vote on these choices visit every single nightclub in every town of every state to judge the differences?
the thing that is different about the pollstar awards is that the people that vote are actually in the industry and they do go to the venues. maybe not every single venue in the country, but among them are the people that tour the country and work with/for bands. they are familiar with the day to day operations of the gig, and what it takes to be the best in the industry. that's why this award means more to the staph than some of the others. it's always nice to be recognized, but to be recognized by your peers is that much sweeter.
Seth wrote:You're welcome.JonathanEH wrote:
Has the club recently reduced capacity or started selling fewer tickets?
people are thinner
hutch wrote:
sure but do they tell the club to put people up on speakers and spend the entire show trying to nab people? come on!
I don't buy it.. if that were so how come i've never seen that at any other club? One person on each side of the stage elevated looking into crowd and people up on top..its a little excessive in my opinion and makes one feel like they're being watched the entire time by cops (sniper-ish)..not very nice..
i don't see that at the black cat for example? i'm sure the artists have that request but the club shouldn't go too out of their way on that in my opinion… i mean do your best but having people standing up elevated looking at the crowd the entire time?
don't care for it
you can buy or care for whatever you like, but you aren't getting it. the recording policy is 100% decided by the band, and we enforce what they ask for. if we don't, we have to deal with angry tour managers, tour security, and sometimes disgruntled band members making comments from the stage. we like to maintain our relationships with bands so that they want to come back. so, we do what they ask.
if the band wants to let everyone video, audio, and photo to their heart's content, the staph will still be up on those boxes watching the crowd. if the band says no nothing, not even sketch pads, then we'll be checking tighter at the door and will still be up on those boxes watching the crowd.
why? because cameras are a tiny bit of what they are looking for. when you are on that box, you can see everything, which is exactly what we need. when someone falls and gets hurt, if there's a spill by the bar, if a bartender needs help, if there's a fight, if there's someone disregarding the photo policy set by the band, if someone is smoking, if someone is drinking underage…you get the idea.
we are there to protect the safety of the patrons and the bands, enforce a few rules, and make sure everyone has a good time. in order to do that, we need a good vantage point. there are people walking the crowd monitoring everything as well.
when you go to a pool, do you complain that the lifeguards are elevated, watching the crowd the entire time, and sniper-ish? it's not very nice of them to be watching you the entire time from up there, is it?
if you aren't doing anything wrong, why worry about who sees what you are doing?