Musos and performers alike have rallied together in defiance of ‘Breaking Sound’ after only one of five acts made revenue on a Wednesday night gig at Errick’s due to a questionable policy.
Breaking Sound is an LA-based company that gets promoters to find 4-5 bands to perform on a night. Looking to promote the “hottest emerging artists,” Breaking Sound traditionally caters to smaller bands and those with little prior experience in the cultural sphere. But in order to profit from ticket sales, bands are required to sell a minimum of thirty tickets.
Speaking to bands at the Errick’s gig on Wednesday, March 6th, Critic Te Ārohi was told by one act, “I believe I sold three tickets in total.” Their bandmate chimed in, “It’s ridiculous considering they are a global company.” Another band, The Friendly’s, said, “The company policies are just a bit shit.” One band member told Critic, “It’s better for them if we only sell 29 tickets than 30 which feels a bit backwards.”
In addition to the ticket policy, Breaking Sound has a clause that requires bands not to perform three weeks either side of the gig with the company. Critic Te Ārohi snagged a copy of a Breaking Sound contract, which stated, “The reason we request this is that it becomes very difficult for both us and you as an artist to create any kind of buzz about the show if you are playing in another venue just down the road within a close timeframe to our event.” Another band member attending the Wednesday night gig called this policy “crazy.”
Having seen his fair share of Breaking Sound gigs in Dunedin, Radio One’s resident muso Dave Borrie told Critic Te Ārohi that the system “fucking sucks [...] it’s catering to a market they don’t understand. Bands in Dunedin are better off doing their own show than Breaking Sound. Their mission statement is not applicable [to] Dunedin. You’re better cutting your own teeth learning how to promote a gig than having a company take half of the money you make.” Borrie is referring to the fact that Breaking Sound is an international company, one which commonly launches gigs in much larger cities than Dunedin.
Breaking Sound did not respond to Critic’s request for comment in time for print. The online version of this article will be amended once they do. If you have performed at a Breaking Sound gig and have had a similar experience please reach out to localproduce@critic.co.nz or news@critic.co.nz.