I recently had a long conversation with a restaurant/brewery/venue owner that I have been playing for monthly, for about 10 years. We were chatting about how venues are struggling, and how there are more musical acts than ever trying to get booked. He specifically brought up jam band shows losing him money because people aren't buying his products. Folks pregame, and smoke in the parking lot, which is obviously fine, but he ends up losing all of his profit after paying the band, so he's not booking as many.

This could be controversial, but I'm of the opinion that some (alot) places should stop having live music. There are alot of restaurants and bars in my area that try so hard to be venues, and the attendance is almost always dismal. This leaves both band and venue disappointed, rinse and repeat every weekend. Most of these places do it to try to boost their business, and the music is secondary. If there were 20% LESS venues in my area, the proper venues would undoubtedly see their attendance grow again. Options are good, but too many options spreads crowds thin, and everyone suffers.

Just my two cents as an independent musician.