How your band can book a gig at KY’s largest independent Record Store - Ear X-Tacy

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Booking in Louisville Ky

Friday, 08 April 2011 04:59 Written by robeysan

Sadly Ear X Tacy has Closed it's doors :(

Sean Bailey

Contact:

Ear X-Tacy

2226 Bardstown Rd. Louisville, KY 40205
Phone: (502) 452-1799 • Fax: (502) 459-8130

Monday - Saturday: 10 AM - 8 PM
Sunday: 11 AM - 6 PM

Facilities:

  • Building Capacity: 
    • Seated – Very Limited
    • Standing – Variable capacity depending on current store layout, though we have recently hosted events at our new location that have topped 350 attendees.
  • PA System (y/n): Yes. We are fully equipped with an in-house PA and have a small stage. Our PA and stage specs are as follows:
    • Stage Dimensions: 12’x12’
    • 3 - SHURE “58 style” Microphones (Audio Technica/Shure)
    • 1 – AUDIO TECHNICA 2000 Series Wireless Handheld Mic
    • 1 – SHURE SM57 Mic
    • 3 – Microphone Stands (Boom)
    • 1 - MACKIE CFX-12 –12 Channel Compact Integrated Live Sound Mixer with PHANTOM POWER and a 32-bit EMAC digital effects including 9 reverbs, 4 delays, phaser, chorus, flange; 2 parameter controls + EFX wide spatial expander all powered by a YAMAHA CP2000 Power Amplifier.
    • 2- YAMAHA 200 Watt Main Cabinets Suspended From Ceiling (12” Speakers + Horns)
    • 2- MACKIE SRM450 Stage Monitors (Active Sound Reinforcement Monitor System)
    • 2 - DI Boxes
    • ALL CABLING FOR ABOVE
  • Number of Stages: One Stage
    • Elevated (y/n) Yes, Two Feet. Stage dimensions are 12’x12’
    • Indoor/outdoor: Indoor
  • Sound Engineer: Sean Bailey
  • Liquor License (Do you serve Alcohol): On occasion. No liquor license but we sometimes have events catered with libations and food
  • Age Restrictions: All events at ear X-tacy are all-ages
Terms:
  • For booking
    • What is the preferred method for booking at your venue? Please contact Sean Bailey at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
    • How can artist increase there chances of getting booked? Since we are a record store first, as opposed to a dedicated venue, we are very selective when it comes to booking in-store performances here at the shop. Unlike a bar or a music club, we don’t have the luxury of a “built-in” crowd at any given point throughout the week. It is imperative that artists interested in playing here at ear X-tacy (local/regional/national) establish themselves within the music community, and ideally have a fan base that is already built up. That way we can better ensure that the in-store will make the most sense for the band as well as ear X-tacy. In addition, we require that all bands interested in playing here at the shop have their music available for purchase through us. Local acts are welcome to place music on consignment with us (please contact Sean Bailey), and regional and national acts must have their music distributed through one of the many channels that ear X-tacy orders through.  We do our best to track how often an interested artist has played here in Louisville, to what type of crowd, and in what kind of venues. If it seems like it would be a good fit for the artist and our record shop, we can proceed from there. Again, if you don’t have an audience built up in Louisville quite yet, please consider gigging locally and building a fan base, at which point we'd be more inclined to book the in-store event for you.
    • How far in advanced do you book shows? Generally a one month minimum, yet we prefer at least two months.
  • Contract
    • Are performers or promoters required to sign any contracts? Not generally.
  • Artist/promoter compensation
    • Is there any deposits or security fees? No.
    • Are promoters/artist given a bar tab? N/A (though we do provide the artists and management with bottled water
    • Are promoters/artist given the door or a percentage of the bar? N/A – Most, if not all,  shows at ear X-tacy are free of charge

 
Function:
  • Venue Marketing Strategy: We have a very strong online presence when it comes to marketing and promoting in-store events. Our social networks include Facebook (nearly 10,000 followers and 2000+ “friends” of ear X-tacy Live that receive invites), 1300+ followers on Twitter, as well as being included on our website and in our weekly newsletter which currently reaches 11,000+. It is important to note that the more promotion the better, and we ask any band playing here in the store to provide marketing and publicity tools such as posters and flyers/handbills for the store to hang. These should be dropped off with Sean Bailey no later than three weeks away from the scheduled in-store.
  • Load in time: One hour to 45 minutes  prior to scheduled performance time
  • Parking: Our parking lot is situated behind our store. Sometimes it can be difficult to find a space. If a large area is required (for a bus, van, etc.) please call in advance so we can make the necessary arrangements. Please try to arrive about an hour to 45 minutes before you're scheduled to perform.
  • PA setup 
    • Are artist/promoters expected to do this or will your staff handle this? Our staff will handle the PA setup, but artists are required to load-in, and out, their own gear. Advance contact and arrangements must be made in order to determine what type of stage plot and input list is needed.
  • Door person/Cashier 
    • Is this provided by the venue's staff? Yes.

 
Performance:
  • Are there any restrictions on the type of music that can be performed? Not currently, though there are some types of music that may be better suited for the record store during normal shopping hours. Please inquire with Sean for further details.
  • Are there any concerns about noise levels, noise ordinances etc? All of our in-store events that take place in the afternoon or early evening are generally designed to be at a lower volume than the artist may traditionally be used to in a proper venue. There are occasional late night shows here at ear X-tacy where volume isn’t so much of an issue.
  • What are your show times, start of the show and end of the show? Generally we book in-store events to have a start time of 6pm Monday-Friday, and 2pm on Saturday (and occasionally Sunday). We have recently started a late night show series here at ear X-tacy that we call “ear X-tacy After Dark.” This recurring event will feature local and regional Hardcore, Punk, Metal, Indie, and Hip Hop artists promoting new releases available for sale here in the shop.
  • What type of music is preferred at your venue? Everything.
  • Is you venue hip hop friendly? Absolutely!

 
History:
  • When was Ear X-Tacy established? 1985
  • How long has the venue been under it's current management? John Timmons has been the owner/operator of ear X-tacy since its inception; store manager, Rebecca Cornwell has been with ear X-tacy for nearly 10 years; and in-store event coordinator, Sean Bailey, has been with the shop for 8+ years.
  • What artists have performed at Ear X-Tacy? Everyone from My Morning Jacket, Queens of the Stone Age, The Foo Fighters, John Mayer, Tenacious D, Rob Zombie, Cage The Elephant, The Nappy Roots, Wax Fang, Young Widows, Del McCoury, Mountain Heart, Hieroglyphics, Ben Sollee, Black God, Rude Weirdo, Xerxes, Straight A’s, Jalin Roze, Skyscraper Stereo, as well as numerous up and coming local artists… the list goes on and on, really.
  • Are there any previous locations for Ear X-Tacy? We are currently in our fourth location.
  • Why was Ear X-Tacy created? We are primarily a record store that hosts in-store events which, in turn, helps give artists and musicians an outlet to perform their craft. We do our best to help cultivate the music community here in Louisville by offering all-ages events of all kinds – most, of which, are free of charge.
  • When did Ear X-Tacy start hosting live music? In the late ‘80s.
  • What makes Ear X-Tacy special? We are Kentucky’s largest independent record store.  

  • Expansion Plans: No plans for expansion
  • Goals for venue: We are an independent record store that hosts in-store events which, in turn, helps give artists and musicians an outlet to perform their craft. We do our best to help cultivate the music community here in Louisville by offering all-ages events of all kinds – most, of which, are free of charge.

 

In Store Distrubution info

  • What steps do artist have to go through to get their music/merch available for purchase through Ear x Tacy? Musicians from here in Louisville and the surrounding area are welcomed, and encouraged, to have their music available through ear X-tacy on a consignment basis. For further details on this process, please contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
  • What are some of the distrubution channels Ear x tacy goes through for getting music? Ear X-tacy currently is working with numerous distributor and one-stops by which we regularly purchase items for the store. We also purchase direct through all major labels, and many independent labels that have distribution.
  • You mentioned that you try to track how often interested artist have played in the Ville, their crowd and the types of venues, how is this tracking done and what can bands do to make this type of info readily available to you? We do this mostly by keeping our ear to the ground, going to shows, selling tickets for shows, having a community bulletin board for bands and promoters to post flyers to upcoming events, and researching online presence through social media, music blogs, and the band's own website.
  • Let's talk about an artist fan base. How big of a draw should a band have before considering a gig at Ear X tacy? This is not an exact science, so I hesitate to put a number on it. We have had in-stores that have drawn as many as 600+ people at our previous location and 350+ at our current location, though those are exceptions and not the norm. That being said, we have also hosted events here in the store where literally one person has come out to support the artist and the shop. It is for that reason that we have revamped the criteria in which we book artists to play here in the shop.

 

 


 
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Comments 

 
#1 2011-04-08 05:58
Glad to see they have turned things around there.
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