Our missing the ball on the story where we erroneously thought that The Bone was out of business did remind me to post this message to all local club owners that's been percolating in my mind for a bit.

Our volunteer staff currently updates more than 700 events a week at nearly 600 live music venues. We're young enough that we're not on (m)any update lists yet, so we have to go out and get the info ourselves -- much of it via phone and web.

One thing that strikes me when I hear from club owners how hard business is and how no one promotes them is how many local clubs shoot themselves in the foot every day, making it difficult for their customers to find them.

Common marketing miscues that I would say more clubs are guilty of than not:

• Abandoned phone syndrome: The main phone is never answered, even during business hours. A popular variant is the answering machine that asks you to leave a message and then informs you that you can't leave a message because the tape is full (presumably because messages aren't checked).
• No website updates: We've learned that most clubs update their websites once a month, generally at the beginning of the month. If they don't get it done on time, they have a week or more where their customers can't quickly find their schedule. And, if they have abandoned phone syndrome...
• MySpace-aphilia: There's nothing wrong with having a MySpace page, but many clubs update their schedule on their MySpace and not their main website. Although MySpace has grown massively, there are still (gasp) many concert goers who aren't MySpace people. I suspect this happens because for those who aren't programmers, MySpace schedules are easier to update than most websites. However, when someone gets to your website, they expect to find a schedule. My suggestion: Have a calendar link on your website that points to your MySpace calendar. Or better yet, your TexasGigs calendar, complete with audio, Google Map, etc.
• Not checking up on the media: People get things wrong. We just proved that. BUT, if I owned a club, I'd constantly check my listings here, in The Observer and on GuideLive. Sure, an error may not be your fault, but that doesn't help the eastwhile patron who thinks you're open on Tuesday when you aren't.
  
  

Don't get me wrong -- I'm not whining for you to make our jobs easier. We'll get the info one way or another. But before you gripe about how crime, Deep Ellum decline, loiterers, trespassers, Laura Miller, The Dallas Observer, El Niño, bartenders in the till, the economy, George Bush or greedy musicians are ruining your business* -- go look at your website and check your answering machine:

Is it easy for people to find out when and why they should come to your club? If not, that may be a root cause of your problems.

(*- All actual statements I've heard from club owners)