We interrupt the series on Transparency for a bonus email about economics (I’m gonna try and keep it not boring). Mainly because there have been a lot of interesting indicators recently, but also because I’m slogging through a lot of bullshit content marketing and pop sociology about strategies for improving secretive and unfair work environments. So that’s going to take longer than I expected.

Canaries in the coal mine or silver linings?

Reading the tea leaves of the economic state of the industry

A couple of months back, I advised that right now is not the time to prioritize getting in at a club as a way to stabilize your schedule and income. As the scene has settled in post-pandemic, it has contracted and businesses are relying on draws, gimmicks and producers, so getting on a house roster ain’t what it used to be.

“When the audiences aren't coming like they used to, there are some standard business strategies that every club is using to a greater or lesser extent. Rely on produced shows, lean more on draw than talent alone, lower comic pay, or just limp along canceling lots of shows.

This really lessens all those objective benefits of being passed somewhere - fewer spots available if you aren't a producer, bringer or draw, potentially lower pay per spot, and lower pay overall thanks to fewer spots.”

And there have been some troubling headlines recently that indicate it’s not going to get better any time soon

Taken together, these are all terrible portents for anyone working in entertainment, particularly live entertainment.

To reiterate, if a comedy club can’t make money by simply putting on good shows and knowing they’ll have good attendance, they have to put other strategies in play. Inevitably, these strategies hurt any kind of development system a club may have and can leave many working comics on the sidelines.

I don’t say this to bum you out, but I think it’s important to keep in mind as you decide where to put your efforts and energies. These are factors completely out of your control, so it doesn’t matter how talented and professional you are, the old path you knew in 2018 just won’t be there.

There are a few things within your control that you can do though!

Broaden your net - Work anywhere and everywhere, value yourself but don’t be a snob. Make sure you are keeping up with new and ongoing indie shows and new spaces like Sesh, Brooklyn Comedy Club, Grove 34, Seventh Street Comedy and the like.

<<< H Foley is constantly selling out tours and is passed at the Cellar and NYCC, but you’ll still see him at places like Old Man Hustle.

That should both help with any issues of pride you have about working a “B room” and really show that everyone needs to be casting their net wide right now. If Foley can’t waltz home and rely on those big club bookings, who can?

Don’t quit your day job! I’m serious, 2023 is not the year to take the big plunge. Nearly everyone is experiencing a slump, so you shouldn’t bet on being able to translate that additional free time to actual income.

If you have consistently been able to pay all your bills and have a chunk leftover for 9-12 months or you have a known opportunity that you need to quit to take, that’s a much safer bet.

But the old common wisdom that “you’ll never push yourself to become a fully professional comedian if you have the cushion of a day job” is probably not going to play out right now.

Get that goddamn email list going! I know I harp on this constantly, but it’s an incredibly powerful tool for connecting with your fans and demonstrating to venues that you can deliver for them financially.

The (Potential) Silver Linings

Within that story about regional theater struggles, they note:

Post COVID shutdown, audiences are more interested in lighter fare and familiar works. People are looking for escapism, they’re looking for entertainment, they’re looking for shows that they know are going to be a feel good experience and a healing proposition.

And the Barbie movie is expected to buck box office trends thanks to its bubbly, pop-y, nostalgic vibe.

So, as purveyors of light, escapist fare, we could actually benefit from this trend and see attendance hold steady or even improve!

I think the fall and winter will be very telling. Thanksgiving to Valentine’s Day is historically a boom time for comedy clubs. Hopefully this year that will finally return to 2019 levels. But - to mix holiday metaphors - if it doesn’t, that’s the groundhog seeing his shadow and letting us know there’s more down times to come before we see spring.