Wanna Play A Show at 5BAR?

Our audience probably wants to catch your music and other forms of art.

So how does it work?

Booking a Show / Performance / Night:

1. If you want to play here, please contact us wit the following info:

   1. Name of band, artist, event

   2. How many performing groups you’d like to have on the night. It’s always best to combine 2-3 bands together, so there is more of a draw and audience for all artists

   3. Timeline, start end, exact times and date. Of course this can change, but start with an idea in mind. 3 possible backup dates as well, unless you’re touring through our area. We get loads of inquiries so be descriptive and specific, please

   4. Links to your music or art, not just a pic of the band

   5. Short description or bio, we don’t know your style or performance energy so just let us know

Marketing Your Show (After its Booked):

1. Please promote your art. We like when you create flyers, use these media files to tag onto the posts. Bring in your friends. We want your show to have loads of happy people enjoying it, it’s also nice for us to share our audience with you, and vice versa to us

2. Tag us when you create content for the show tag us with these: #5BAR, @5BAR.co on Instagram, www.Facebook.com/5BARbeloit

3. Check in online when you get here. Leave us a public review with a pic of your band playing. Share the love all around. Ask a friend to take some great pictures

Age Restrictions:

1. Yes, we are a 21+ only venue at this time. Yes you may perform if under 21, contact us ahead of time to make arrangements

2. Our back room may be 18+, but takes a big of work with us and the local Police Department

Capacity: 120

1. We hold 120 inside, about 30 on the smoking patio (plastic cups only). The back stage area holds 80 max standing, and its cozy at that time. With couches and easy flow it holds 50. The bar itself has a great overall flow

   Check In / Load In / Out:

1. Pull your vehicle to the back parking lot. As you look at the front of the building, it will be the left (east) side of the building to load in through the patio

2. Check in with the bartender and let them know your band name and all that good stuff. WE host a lot of events each month, so be kind to us and let us know what we need to know, don’t assume too much, or we may get out of sync

3. Load in through the back gate, and back door. Keep all your clutter off the glitter dance floor, don’t be messy or cluttered, invite people into the show. We are working on a green room as well, timing is TBD

4. Doors - we cannot stress this enough - do not prop open the doors, either to outside or the inside door to the hallway, ask us. Our very old building gets hot/cold fast and sound travels. We had 1 band that repeatedly propped open the doors and unfortunately we had to ask them to stop playing that night. Do not alter our building in any way, even by propping doors open. This is a safe space, and we like to keep the front and back 2 different vibes for our guests. Without our guests there is no show, keep that in mind, you’re here to perform TO people, so make it good

PA / Sound System / Setup:

1. We are happy to provide you the use of our very expensive equipment, so treat it with respect. If you break something, it’s broken for the next band, the audience and it ruins a good vibe. Please, just use your common sense and zoom out, be a good person. If you break our equipment we do have to dock it from any payments or add a fee to your tab, and no one likes doing that

2. We have 4 mics, 6 inputs. Full list and re-stocking is coming in the spring of 2025

3. At this time, with our limited staff, soundcheck is only 5 minutes total. So setup, be ready, then ask us to come and soundcheck ya. If you want to bring your own person to run the sound, more power to ya. We can bring someone in to run sound the whole time, but that role is still being sorted out so we don’t guarantee it at this time

Merchandise:

1. Setup the merch, sell all the shirts, we want that for you and the audience. Best place is behind by the Touch Tunes machine, which can be unplugged during performances

2. If you need to run a merch sale through our point of sale we will collect a 10% fee, because our credit card machine charges us rates and we need to cover that cost

3. Unless specified, you must load up your merch within 30 minutes of your finished show to make space and time for the next event that night. If y’all are the only performance then leave it and sell it for as long as you’d like

Drinking or Eating on Stage:

1. Totally fine, just don’t spill

2. Seriously, don’t put a drink on your amp, right? Vibrations and libations aren’t great for your gear

Payment:

1. Performers receive 2 drink coins per person. This is a $10 drink per player, so if you have a 5-piece band that is a $100 value we want to offer. It’s our little tip to the band and shows our mutual appreciation, we have tea and mocktails as well. We do cater to many first time or seldom performers, many jazz artists who want a stage to play on and love to just jam. We love that and are here for it. Let us know

2. We are creating a space and a scene for our guests and artists to come perform. All 3 of us (band/bar/guests) are helping each other. We work as a team to create a show

3. Little story: as a former touring musician (here is a song I wrote, recorded, and was on the album cover for) I totally want to make this the best possible show I can for you, for our guests, and even for myself. We can only do so much and need each other to all pitch in and help in all the ways we can. I want to pay artists loads, buckets, piles of cash moneys, but we simply aren’t there yet. We’re just a baby bar still. I toured through the Great Recession 2008-2010 when I was a barista still, we’d start tours already in the hole from filling a band-van gas tank. I’ve played a show that started in Texas, when I lived in Seattle and had to drive more than an entire day, through my 23rd birthday, just to start a tour. Then we didn’t get paid by the club, loads of touring stories if you wanna catch them. All of that to say, I’ve been on loads of stages, writing songs while on tour, crashing on too many floors in random cities, it was quite the life. I’m so happy to offer a stage for you =]

4. Guaranty / fee: to pay music rights, keep the back room heated, repair cords and speakers, pay rent and cleaning, other staffing needs and all the other expenses is quite a tab. We built a box office and happily share 80% of the door with the entertainers. We keep only 20% to cover our costs (cords, other above)

Music Selection Restrictions (Boring Lawyer Stuff):

1. Our music license is through Pandora for business “Mood”

2. Our live music is through Touch Tunes, ASCAP and BMI, oh it’s costly but we make it happen

3. As an artist it is your responsibility to adhere to these license rules. Which means only playing music under their contracts. We don’t like these rules either and believe these agencies are thwarting art and expression, but they have loads of lawyers and the USA being in love with big business and ‘corporate America’ instead of innovation and art, it isssssss what it issssss