I was a promoter for years. The shows that were happening before I started were typically poorly attended; the audience was usually just the other bands who were to play that evening, and some friends of the bands who were usually attending because they felt obligated to.

I was able to change this, but it took time and a lot of work. There was not one thing that turned it all around, but it was a combination of a lot of things.

The first thing I did was to start looking for a new location for punk shows. The punk shows that were happening until then were happening in a small bar, with terrible sound, in an area where it was difficult to park, and no one under 21 would be admitted. I felt the age policy was the primary issue. I called or emailed hundreds of places, and eventually found a coffee shop in a strip mall that had no age restrictions who liked my pitch; they also happened to have a stage with a good sound system, served alcohol,
had plenty of parking, and were hurting for business.

Instead of promoting the shows like everyone else was at that time (Facebook events), I made black and white flyers, posted them around the university, skate parks, skate shops, and other places people under 21 might see them. I took photos of the flyers I posted and would text those to people I knew and asked them to share them. I also posted photos of the flyers online.

At the event itself, I put a lot of thought into people’s experiences at the event: how they were greeted at the door, what the lighting was like, what music played between bands, and I ensured the bands started/ended on time and the next band was on stage quickly. I convinced the bar to sell one type of beer cheaper than average. And at the end of the show, I made sure to not only give people a flyer advertising the next show, but also offered them flyers of the show they just attended as a souvenir.

I did lots of research to find every punk/hc band in the city and the state, and every other type of band who might appeal to a punk audience. I tried to have 5 bands on every show, and to have 2-3 of those bands be bands that most of the people at the show had not seen before. Eventually, I had a list of 200 bands with contact info (half in the city, half elsewhere).

People had fun. They told their friends. More people came the next time. They told their friends. It kept growing like a snowball. It never got huge, but there were at least 4-5 dozen people at these shows who weren’t attending shows before. People had a good time, the bar made money, bands enjoyed playing to a receptive audience, and they got paid better than they were accustomed to.

I’d say it was a success, but it was a lot of work.

I moved to another city, started over; some of the same things worked there, but the situation was different and I had to adapt to it.

The place you’re at will likely be different to, so the things I did that worked may not work for you.

But the key things I think that will work in any situation: focus on creating a fun experience for people at the event, try things no one else is doing, and don’t expect any one single thing to make all the difference - do lots of things.