Don't make them pay

Forget the Manchester Evening News Arena and the Manchester Academy - the Station Hotel in Ashton-Under-Lyne can make a robust claim that it is rapidly becoming the heart of the Manchester music scene.

The venue has recently managed to pull in performances from former members of The Smiths, Inspiral Carpets, Oasis and Spear of Destiny. And this is a pub that, until licensee Pauline Town took over the freehold in 2005, was beset by anti-social behaviour and disrepair. So what is the secret of its success?

She is heading a campaign against 'pay-to-play', the system by which many pubs charge musicians for the privilege of playing to their customers.

Pauline claims the practice, which takes advantage of young musicians' desperation for exposure, is killing live music in pubs. She says that venues are shrinking the pool of talent from which they can recruit musicians, and that promoters used by pubs to book acts are responsible for much of this exploitation.

By treating musicians fairly - and approaching them directly, rather than through promoters - pubs stand a much better chance of becoming successful music venues, Pauline believes. It is certainly an approach that has worked for the Station, which hosts crowd-pulling concerts four nights a week.

Weakening the entire circuit

"Pay-to-play is the equivalent of me hiring a barmaid then turning round and telling her that, far from paying her, I'm going to charge her for a night spent serving my customers drinks," she says.

"A lot of people stop being in bands because pubs are going pay-to-play. This is weakening the entire circuit."

The Station's licensee also runs a not-for-profit promotion company for local musicians, and has acted as a consultant for lobby group the Live Music Forum. She says: "The Forum highlighted the fact that the UK's is the third-biggest music industry in the world. Pubs' actions risk losing a lot of that potential because we have kids stuck at this level."

She says that reforms to live music regulation under the Licensing Act mean pubs now have no excuse not to be bold in recruiting musicians.

Under the old licensing laws, pubs had to have an entertainment licence to host more than two musicians, severely restricting their ability to attract bands. This led to many opting for karaoke or cover singers with a backing tape as a music offering, Pauline says. Now the need to apply for entertainment licences has been removed, so long as pubs can prove they are hosting events without jeopardising licensing objectives.

"Now it's actually cheaper to book a band than dabble with karaoke," she says. "Those nights cost anything between £150 and £350 to put on." Bands are often happy to come out for petrol expenses, according to Pauline.

The Station has proved that a pub with limited means can become a successful music venue. The PA equipment has been supplied by a local company, in return for advertising.

Under the campaign, the Station has partnered three other local pubs and several independent music venues to set up a mail-out of upcoming concerts. Costs are split between the venues, and Pauline has negotiated a deal with a local art company to produce the leaflets for a reduced price.

A website, www.stationpub.eu, which will go live in the next few weeks, will feature information on the campaign and "what we hope will become a national resource for pubs to advertise for bands".

The snowball effect

Pauline believes in a snowball effect when it comes to pubs hosting music. She says starting the ball rolling is a matter of being prepared to act as a community resource by giving customers local music. By doing this, you will not only guarantee beer sales, you will generate fresh talent to play in your pub as the word spreads: "As soon as pubs let it be known they are going to put live music on, they can make it work."

The 'fifth member of The Smiths' Craig Gannon, Paul 'Bonehead' Arthurs (ex-Oasis), Tom Hingley (Inspiral Carpets) and punk rock legend Kirk Brandon of Spear of Destiny and Theatre of Hate obviously agree with this sentiment. Thanks to the licensee's goodwill towards the local music scene, these stars have all pulled in the crowds and the takings at the Station.

"If you wanted to try to book those names, they would cost a fortune," Pauline says.

But they and plenty of other musicians are passionate about live music and have come out and supported a pub that has demonstrated a good attitude to their craft, she says. There may well be stars in your area who would do the same.

Bands such as the North London-based Ballalouda can pack the pub with punters who love live music and beer - but not if they have to pay just to be allowed to perform

Pauline's advice for wannabe music pubs

- Give it a go. The potential to get a new catchment of customers is something you can't ignore

- Speak to customers, find out their musical interests and what styles of music they would like to listen to in your pub

- Through that, you will find out about local musicians. It's highly likely that the bloke who sits at the end of the bar has a younger brother who is in quite a good band

- Don't pay an agent. All they will do is book bands you could approach yourself

- Look at free listings services and talk to your local tourist information office, which may know about musicians in your area. It could also provide a good source of advertising.

What they say about pay-to-play

The pay-to-play system first emerged in London, explains the Musicians' Union. Venues began capitalising on musicians desperate for exposure by telling them they would be guaranteed to get spotted.

The practice has since spread nationwide, and taken in a variety of schemes, all of which charge musicians (typically between £100 and £200), rather than paying for their services.

This is now backfiring on pubs, according to Pauline Town, who points to the closure of celebrated music pub the Duchess of York in Leeds, and the threat of closure to the Ritz in Manchester.

Tom Hingley

Inspiral Carpets frontman and supporter of the campaign

"Pubs are not going to get good bands on if all they are doing is looking at how many copies of the Queen's head they have in the palm of their hands. What pubs ought to be doing is putting on bands for kids in the afternoons. You will have them as consumers, beer drinkers and live gig-goers for life.

"Pubs should be a community thing, not chivvying 50 quid off people."

Elaine Rogers

Musicians' Union north of England regional organiser

"If a particular area gets a reputation for having pub venues that are not musician-friendly, bands will stop looking at that area.

"Pay musicians fairly - it's as simple as that. Unless you are the Royal Albert Hall, you are not going to get musicians to play at your venue by charging them. Always split the takings. You will make more than enough money over the bar."