Chaplin’s the Music Cafe is an acoustically perfect, dinner theater-like venue with BYOB. Our maximum capacity is 142 with 100 as the optimum for quality viewing. Guests buy tickets to see you perform. With every show booked at Chaplin’s, both venue and performer assume the same goal to fill these seats. Chaplin’s operates on a shared risk; we provide a beautiful upscale setting for you to put on a high quality show.

Many acts chose to perform at Chaplin’s for so that they can record their performance. The superb acoustics, and the elegant look of Chaplin’s, coupled with our talented sound and video engineers makes it the place to record your live performance.

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What we’re looking for

• Great talent
• Motivated artists who promote their shows.

What we are not, and what we need to be really, really clear about:
Chaplin’s is not the place to look for “exposure,” as we are not a bar and do not have a built in crowd. We get many requests for touring acts that are not known to this area, and unfortunately, people rarely buy tickets for artists they don’t know.

Scheduling
Shows are scheduled on Friday and Saturday nights. Show times are at 8pm till about 11. We sometimes book Thursday night shows.

Type of Acts and Draw Expectations

• Opener:   Draws 10 tickets minimum
• Co-Bills:   2 acts draw 50 fans each, 3 acts draw 30 or more each.
• Headliner:   Draws 70 or more

Type of Shows

• Opener with headliner
• Opener with 2 Co-Bills
• 3 Co-Bills

What Chaplin’s is, and does, and what we offer.
To be entirely redundant, and for the sake of absolute clarity, Chaplin’s has no built in audience. It is not a bar; nobody goes to Chaplin’s unless you tell them to, to see your performance.
Of course, we have an e-mail list (which you should direct your fans to) and we market as we can locally, on radio and in print.
Our mission is to support, local live and original music. That means we provide a cool place for you to play, if you can get your fans here.

The Money
This is how the money, and the “expected draw,” works.

• An Opener is expected to sell 10 tickets; openers are paid $50.00 if at least ten tickets are sold.
• A Co-Bill is expected to sell at least 30 tickets. We take $75.00 off the top for each co-bill, and ticket revenue is then split 60/40 with 60% going to the performer.
• A Headliner is expected to sell 70 tickets. We take $150 off the top, and ticket revenue is then split 60/40 with 60% going to the performer.
• Our minimum ticket price is $10 online, $12 at the door. You are free to charge higher ticket prices, just let us know.
• Openers perform for 30 minutes. The balance of the evening is divided between co-bills or the headliner.

Recording Services
Now that we have the “Nobody shows up unless you get them to,” speech out of the way, here are some other things that we offer, as part of our mission to support local musicians.

We know that you need promotion, and something of higher quality than your girlfriend holding up her cell phone while you play, and putting it on youtube. We understand that you need to provide high-quality recordings to promoters and fans, to further your career. Therefore, we are organized to help you with this.

Since you are performing at Chaplin’s, and you will be awesome, why not record your performance?

Recording Costs – More information is available on our recording page

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Another approach.
We know that for many bands, the task of having to sell tickets, and worry about meeting a guarantee is just a drag.

If you are more interested in putting on a show than having to sell tickets, we have a program for that also. For $600.00, you can use the facilities, and invite your fans. You can make it your own event, and sell tickets at the door. You can put together a night with an additional one or two bands, and split the costs with them. We will provide a sound engineer, and open the kitchen for your guests with our standard menu. If some of your fans will be drinking, we will provide a door person for the purpose of checking I.D., and collecting the BYOB fee of $4 per drinker. Please note that BYOB refers to beer and wine only. Of course, we will also record you, according to the table above. Please visit our website for samples of our work.

One more thing.  Chaplin’s facilities are also available for studio recording.  Please see the Recording Page at www.chaplinsthemusiccafe.com

Chaplin’s does not permit any other audio or video recording during live performances, by anyone.
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Click here to start the booking process

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Rules, info, etc…
This is what we remind you of, if you are booked.

• Free tickets. Each band can bring a maximum of three guests. Single performers may bring a guest. It is your job to communicate this to our door person. The easiest way is to provide a list of names. Also, if you want to invite someone for promotional purposes, they can get a 50% discount on their ticket. Just tell us who they are. If you are inviting press personnel, we would like to know their names, so that we can greet them appropriately.
• Selling CD’s. If you have CD’s to sell, go for it! We will provide a table near the door, but you should supply a person to handle your sales.
• Posters. Send them to us and we’ll get them right up.
• Bio/Photos, stuff like that. Take a look at what we post for bands on our website. We can’t put your show up on the website, and start selling tickets, until we get this.
• A Cool Promotional Idea. Go to www.bitsandwatts.com Sign up there and you can post a couple of songs that are linked up to your date at Chaplin’s. Their website explains everything.
• Promotion. Some artists send one, or a few members, to perform at our Sunday night Open Mic, as a way to promote their upcoming show.
• Facebook. Chaplin’s has a Facebook page, and you probably do also. Get your show on Facebook; create an event to get the word out.

Chaplin’s does not permit audio or video recording during live performances, by anyone.

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