Atlantic Monthly: New era in standup comedy?

by Brian McKim & Traci Skene on August 4th, 2009

Christina Davidson, writing in The Atlantic, provides a primer on the how and why of papering the house.

In this case, she talks to Craig Glazer, owner of Stanford and Sons in Kansas City. Glazer and Davidson imply that the current economic downturn may have profound and long-lasting effects on the comedy business.

Revenue generated from a minority with $30 to spend on admission would not keep the club going, but if the room fills with people grateful and excited they got a free ticket, the kitchen and bar stays busy. That revenue would not be sufficient to sustain status quo operations, and that is why this evolution of the typical comedy club business model, which does not appear particularly unique to Stanford and Sons, may be having a far-reaching impact on the comedy profession itself.

Under the current circumstances, Craig says, “Big-name comedians are almost unemployable. I can’t afford to book someone who charges $20,000 or more a week. This has forced club owners like me to try and discover the next big star.”

Of course, any prudent club owner should have been trying to discover the “next big star” all along. What club books $20,000 headliners week in and week out? Which club owner doesn’t prepare for the inevitable– the $20,000 headliner who asks for $25,000 the next time in? It would be a sound business model to have several Josh Sneeds in the pipeline for when that day comes. Or when a recession comes. Or 9/11. Or competition from another club. If you have a Rolodex filled with comedians who can deliver– and who don’t cost a bloody fortune– you can tell Mr. I Want More Money to take a hike.

Which is finally what appears to be happening.

We’ve been predicting (publicly and privately) for some time now that the business would morph away from All Stars All The Time– the economics of which are not only impractical but impossible, as there’s only so much money in a club and only so many stars to go around.

Of course, this will all change once the economy shows even the slightest signs of an upturn and the recovery in employment numbers follows.

As for “training” your customer base to expect free tickets, we’re skeptical that this happens. Folks have a short memory. And, when payday comes around, and they have disposable income, they dispose of it. Or… the clubs who “discover” the method that Glazer describes will find out that they can do very well by continuing to paper the house, even in the best of times.

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