This "local" argument is not valid at all. When it was easy in general to find "quality prog on a local level"? I mean, in a bar down on the corner - especially if you are not a resident of London, New York or Paris? Never.

 

Actually, it is not hard at all "to find qualitiy live prog" if you have a time and money for taking a trip to some prog gig, for example at one of The Enid's gigs at their current The Bridge  tour 2015, or to see Magma in London in May 2015 or, for example, to travel on Rosfest 2015, or to embark on Jewel class ship NCL Pearl and to take Cruise to the Edge 2015.

The OP is right though with regards to my own town of Swindon. We have an Arts Centre who were brilliant at booking prog/rock bands up until 'the crash' of about 8 years ago. Since then its been pretty abysmal with Steve Howe being the only artist of any interest to me that has played there in the last 4 years. Between 2000 and 2006 I was going 5 times a year. Now there is no reason to bother. However I am prepared to travel and luckily its very easy for me to get to Bristol or London via the M4 to get my live prog fix when I want. I will also be going to see the Enid in Southampton which is just over an hour in the car for me.

If you can travelling to see a well-know act, then you can do the same to see a lesser-know act in a very small venue or an alternate space as well. The lesser-know, young prog rock bands are announced a lot of gigs at their Facebook pages.

WOW. I presume that it was alike Psychedelia movement during the Summer of Love because it was a bandwagon that every bunch of hippies in kaftans with guitars wanted to jump on.

How much does it cost to tour ? - when no one actually pays for your music ? Or you can't get a market and therefore can guarantee to fill a Greyhound bus, let alone a gig ? 

More and more people just listen to streaming music or YouTube and seem to have less interest in following bands properly and attending gigs. The world has changed. 

Just add solo instruments and additional lighting. You need a PA and two high spec projectors. 

I seriously doubt anyone will take it up. 

Why ?

Let's suppose I book a suitable gig venue around here. I have to find an extortionate amount of money and book a year in advance. Will I sell enough tickets to even break even ?

Prog rock ? With so many different distractions around ?

I seriously doubt it. 

So, why should I do it for nothing, or a loss ? 

200 people in a backyard, I don't think so. To get 200 people to attend an event requires serious, serious maketing. Time, money, expense, risk. No chance. If people are not fan enough to even buy your music over the internet, as happens with me (and most prog bands) then they're definitely not going to solve the situation by turning up at a gig. Anywhere.

If you want a guaranteed audience, play mainstream. Even then, it's a lottery. Specialist music ? No chance. 

A good way for modern prog bands to grab an audience is to progify something familiar to them, which makes for some excellent and unique music on its own. Look to Battles, who brought math rock sensibilities to dance rock, resulting in critical acclaim and a good amount of sales for their two LPs.

 

Perhaps but then I don't do Facebook and any other social media. I also tend to stick to venues I know and can get to with relative ease. I don't mind travelling to London but I tend to stick to venues like The London Apollo and Shepherds Bush Empire which are too big for up and coming bands.

What the Op says is basically true that small venues tend to be for local people. If you live in London or in a big city then you might be well served. That said there is a local venue that books prog bands occasionally but they have a really bad website that is not reliable. Its back to the social media thing. I'm out of the loop.

There was a Doonesbury comic where one of the young'uns proclaimed that they wanted to be in a legacy band - so they could skip the whole "making it" thing. Indeed, the dinosaurs can still fill a large venue, whereas young bands with chops can't get the time of day. The music industry has become a very sad place, especially considering just how much first-rate musical talent is out there.

There was a very true comment in the thread which stated that seeing a band play live was a fantastic experience which went beyond the music. I can't agree more. But sadly, less bands are able to do this - and take the risk, nowadays. 

I tend to think Skullhead is trying to change reality with this post. Is there a way of playing live gigs and getting lots of people there ? - well, if there is, everyone would be doing it. Reality suggests otherwise. Sadly.

I used to live in Alabama and now I am in Oklahoma. Because of the way my job works, I can't really plan ahead - even for a holiday. Anything that requires significant travel is a non-starter, so festivals really don't work for me. As it is, I end up having to give away most of the event tickets I buy. 

And of course bands have to tour with minimalistic set ups to keep the costs at a minimum.

I have been living in Flemish Belgium for 10 years and it's amazing how different the scene is with a couple hundred kilometers distance, in Flemish Belgium there's absolutely nothing, but go to Holland Tillburg or Zoetemeer, or to the 666 in Verviers and there are regular Prog concerts. Funny...

.... no one turns up to the gig. What a terrific waste of time.

OK, here's an option.

Subscription only gig. Year in advance, venue, say, Manchester. 300 seater. Costed to break even. People buy their tickets in advance, gig goes ahead on set date if enough tickets are sold. If not, money is returned to them. 

And I bet you that - even giving away free downloads of prior albums as an incentive, there is no way I could shift 300 tickets in a year. There just isn't the audience or the enthusiasm from the audience to turn up.

Game over, man. ;-)

The thing is, not everything, as a musician, is inside your control. You can't make people turn up at a gig. You may think you can. But then you'll have made a fundamental mistake common in marketing, which is thinking that people can be schmoozed or cajoled into turning up somewhere or buying something. They can be invited or tempted but the only thing that matters is reality - if they actually do. And they don't. Because the world has changed.